Team
Matthew Cohen
Matt Cohen became the President & CEO of the Long Island Association (LIA), the region’s leading business organization, in May 2021. Matt is working with the LIA’s Board of Directors and all LIA members to implement our vision for Long Island’s future, including making Long Island an attractive and more affordable place to live and do business; spurring economic growth and improving the business climate; keeping young professionals here and expanding access to child care and housing opportunities; supporting employers to expand and thrive, particularly small businesses; leading the development of emerging, 21st century industries like clean energy, the life sciences, and artificial intelligence; cultivating a more inclusive economy and creating new, good-paying jobs; and fostering increased private investments and more federal and state resources for the region.
Matt previously served as the Vice President of Government Affairs & Communications at the LIA for 10 years. In that role, he spearheaded the LIA’s legislative agenda, which included advocating for tax and regulatory relief, and securing billions of dollars in economic development investments on Long Island for transportation, infrastructure, housing, energy, education, health care, manufacturing, downtown revitalization, small businesses, and the innovation economy. Additionally, Matt helped to coordinate the LIA’s response to Covid-19 and its economic impacts, providing critical assistance and real-time information to local businesses and obtaining federal and state aid for Long Island.
Prior to joining the LIA in 2011, Matt was Executive Director of Government Relations for the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), where he oversaw government and community affairs for the second largest public electric utility in the country at the time with 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk Counties and portions of Queens. Before LIPA, Matt served as Long Island Director for United States Senator Charles Schumer (now the Majority Leader) where he oversaw the Long Island region and executed the policy agenda. Matt began his career as an aide to the Suffolk County Executive.
Matt is also the President & CEO of the LIA Foundation, the charitable arm of the LIA. He is a member of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council and serves on the Board of Directors for several Long Island organizations, including the Long Island Association, Child Care Council of Suffolk (as its Chairman), Discover Long Island (on its Executive Committee), Long Island Housing Partnership, Accelerate Long Island, Advanced Energy Research & Technology Center at Stony Brook University, and the New York League of Conservation Voters (Long Island chapter). He is also a graduate of The Energeia Partnership at Molloy College and was a member of the Transition Teams for both Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine. Matt has been recognized by Blank Slate Media, City & State, Long Island Business News, Schneps Media and others for his work on behalf of the region, including being honored by the Child Care Council of Nassau for his commitment to more affordable and accessible child care and the Moxxie Mentoring Foundation for advancing the careers of women.
Matt earned a Bachelor of Arts in History (with a concentration in American History) from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor from Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law. He was admitted to the bar in New York State in July 2012.
Matthew Cohen
Stacey Sikes
Stacey I. Sikes is an experienced leader of innovative programs in business, government, the non-profit sector, and higher education. She serves as the Vice President of Government Affairs and Communications for the Long Island Association (LIA), the leading business organization in the region that supports Long Island’s economic growth. At the LIA, she is the primary advocate for its legislative agenda, manages the Membership Department, coordinates the work of the member Board Committees, and oversees the organization’s press and digital communications.
Stacey previously served as the Executive Dean of Entrepreneurship and Business Development at Hofstra University, where she supervised the globally recognized Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Scott Skodnek Business Development Center. Under her leadership, Hofstra was the only organization in New York State to receive a 2021 U.S. Small Business Administration Lab-to-Market award for its efforts to support a diverse population of entrepreneurs during the pandemic.
In 2022 Stacey was elected Chair of the Board of Accelerate Long Island, a non-profit collaboration among Long Island’s research and academic institutions and business community to support the growth of high-tech startup companies, and previously served as its Assistant Executive Director.
Stacey has served as a speaker on several Newsday panels offering advice to businesses navigating the economic challenges presented by COVID-19. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Community Trust-Long Island and was selected to serve on Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine’s Transition Team in 2023. Stacey has been honored by regional and national non-profit organizations, including Girls Inc. of Long Island, where she currently serves on the Advisory Board; the Urban League of Long Island; the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; City & State; and the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. Stacey has also been recognized by regional media outlets for her work, including Long Island Business News (most recently as one of the most “Influential Long Islanders”); Herald Newspapers; Blank Slate Media; and Long Island Press. Stacey is a volunteer with Girl Scouts of Suffolk County in her community.
Stacey’s career started in government, serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko; Director of Special Projects for Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi; and Deputy Regional Representative for United States Senator Charles Schumer.
Stacey received her BA and MA in Government and Politics from St. John’s University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and also served as an Adjunct Instructor. She was born and raised on Long Island and lives in East Northport with her husband Rich and two daughters.
Michelle Byrne
Michelle Byrne is the Chief Financial Officer of the Long Island Association. She joined the organization in January 2009, first serving as Corporate Controller. She was promoted to Chief Financial Officer in December 2014 and oversees all financial aspects including accounting, budgeting, treasury, and audits. She also serves as Chief Financial Officer of the LIA Foundation and Accelerate Long Island and as the Finance Director for ANYITC Fund Corp.
The Long Island Association is the leading business organization in the region. The LIA Foundation’s primary exempt purpose is to support the initiatives of the Long Island Association. Accelerate Long Island is a unique collaboration among Long Island’s world class research institutions and its business community to commercialize research and create an entrepreneurial ecosystem. ANYITC Fund Corp. provides seed investments for local start-ups in partnership with Empire State Development.
Prior to joining the Long Island Association, Michelle held similar positions in corporate retail and was an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers, servicing some of Long Island’s largest public and privately held companies. Michelle is a Certified Public Account and holds a bachelor’s of science degree in accounting from Long Island University.
Dr. Steven Kent
Dr. Steven Kent, Chief Economist of the LIA Research Institute
Public board director, economist, and Wall Street consumer strategist, Steve Kent has spent his career helping companies identify and position untapped value by leveraging the interplay between business performance and investor motivation.
He served as board director, audit committee financial expert, and ESG leader for Extended Stay America (NYSE:STAY), where he leveraged capital markets and consumer expertise to help shepherd the company through a range of strategic maneuvers, and finally its sale to private equity.
Steve spent most of his career at Goldman Sachs & Co (NYSE:GS), where he advised IPO issuers on value identification, Wall Street positioning, and exit strategy development; initiated coverage on 180+ companies engaged in global corporate finance activities; and was also recognized eight times as “best stock picker” by The Wall Street Journal; and appeared or was cited more than 100 times in media such as The New York Times, CNBC, and NBC.
He has spoken, guest lectured, or taught at institutions including Columbia University, New York University, and Cornell University, as well as industry organizations World Travel & Tourism Council and Pension Real Estate Association. Currently, he is an Associate Professor at the Business School at Molloy University.
Steve holds a Ph.D. in hospitality management from Iowa State University, an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business, and a Bachelor of Arts in economics, magna cum laude, from Stony Brook University, as well as the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
