Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Long Island Association (LIA) | Melville, NY

Confidential Search

THE MANDATE: BUILD THE NEXT ERA OF LONG ISLAND

Long Island is at an inflection point. Housing affordability is constraining growth; infrastructure requires generational investment; the energy transition must be aligned with reliability and cost; workforce pipelines are strained; capital is available but not fully coordinated; and the tax and regulatory climate must encourage businesses to remain, grow, and invest.

The LIA is seeking a CEO who can move beyond advocacy alone and operate as a platform builder for regional success. This is not a maintenance role; it is a build role requiring executive presence, judgment, urgency, and the ability to turn regional challenges into investable, executable opportunities.

MISSION AND ROLE

The mission of the Long Island Association is to lead and unify the region in order to enhance, strengthen, and protect Long Island as a premier place to live, work, and play. As Long Island's leading business organization and regional chamber, the LIA advocates for policies, programs, and projects that create jobs, spur private investment, improve access to and from New York City, and strengthen the overall business climate.

The CEO will serve as the architect, convener, and operator of Long Island's next economic chapter. The CEO reports to the Board of Directors, works closely with the Board Chair, and is charged with the overall leadership, operations, financial condition, strategic direction, visibility, and impact of the Association.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategic leadership: Develop and execute a clear regional growth agenda across housing, energy, transportation, infrastructure, workforce development, child care access, tax and regulatory competitiveness, and business growth.
• Public-private execution: Evolve the LIA into a platform that catalyzes partnerships, unlocks capital deployment, advances priority projects, captures government funding, and translates policy into measurable outcomes.
• Board leadership and governance: Work effectively with a large, prominent, and highly engaged Board of Directors representing significant employers, institutions, industries, and civic stakeholders across Long Island.
• Board Chair partnership: Partner closely with the Board Chair, Executive Committee, committee chairs, and Board leadership to support effective governance, agenda-setting, communication, decision-making, oversight, and follow-through.
• Board activation: Keep Board members well-informed, build consensus across diverse perspectives, and activate directors as ambassadors, advisors, advocates, connectors, and champions for the organization and the region.
• Policy and advocacy: Serve as a respected, nonpartisan voice on issues affecting Long Island's economy and business climate; engage constructively with local, county, state, and federal officials; and maintain the LIA's commitment to political neutrality.
• Coalition building: Align business, labor, government, nonprofit, academic, and civic leaders around shared outcomes and collaborate with other business organizations and regional partners to advance the greater good.
• Membership and revenue: Recruit new members, deepen relationships with current members, expand sponsorships and partnerships, strengthen events and programming, and create value-added member benefits.
• Operations and staff leadership: Lead a high-performing professional staff and oversee budgeting, financial management, communications, events, advocacy, membership, partnerships, and strategic initiatives.
• Communications and brand: Serve as the public face and chief spokesperson of the organization, elevate the LIA's visibility, and position Long Island as investable, livable, innovative, and competitive.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

The ideal candidate will be a proven executive, builder, coalition leader, and strategic operator with credibility among business, civic, government, labor, nonprofit, and community stakeholders. The successful candidate will bring strong executive presence, sound judgment, political sophistication, emotional intelligence, and the ability to operate at the intersection of strategy, policy, capital, and execution.

The candidate should have experience working with a Board of Directors, preferably a large and diverse Board with influential members and multiple constituencies. They must be able to balance advocacy, diplomacy, organizational management, member engagement, and Board leadership in a highly visible role.

DESIRED EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of senior leadership experience in business, civic, nonprofit, association, government, economic development, public affairs, or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a large Board of Directors, the Board Chair, Executive Committee, committee chairs, and senior stakeholders.
• Proven success leading in complex environments and moving strategy into measurable outcomes.
• Strong understanding of economic development, public policy, business advocacy, regional planning, or issues affecting Long Island and the broader metropolitan economy.
• Ability to recruit, retain, and engage members while creating value-added membership opportunities and benefits.
• Proven ability to build coalitions among business leaders, elected officials, government agencies, labor, community organizations, and institutional partners.
• Excellent written and oral communication, public speaking, media, and relationship-building skills.
• Experience growing membership, sponsorship, fundraising, partnerships, or organizational revenue.
• Strong financial, operational, staff management, and team-building capabilities.
• Commitment to serving as a nonpartisan and credible voice on behalf of a broad and diverse business community.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to modernize, expand, and strengthen the organization's platform.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE IN THE FIRST 24 TO 36 MONTHS

• A defined and adopted regional growth agenda across housing, energy, infrastructure, workforce, transportation, tax and regulatory competitiveness, and business growth.
• Measurable progress on priority initiatives, public-private partnerships, funding capture, and capital investment.
• Expanded membership, sponsorship, engagement, revenue opportunities, and value-added member benefits.
• A more visible, influential, and trusted LIA brand across Long Island, Albany, Washington, and the broader metropolitan region.
• A large Board of Directors that is informed, aligned, activated, and used as a strategic advantage for the organization.

COMPENSATION

The compensation range is $300,000 to $325,000, plus a discretionary bonus and benefits.

CONFIDENTIAL SEARCH

The LIA is conducting a confidential search. Nominations are encouraged. Please send resumes/CVs and inquiries to Lwaldman@longislandassociation.org.