Team
Matthew Cohen
Stacey Sikes
Stacey I. Sikes is the Acting President & CEO of the Long Island Association (LIA), the leading regional non-profit and non-partisan organization that has been advocating for Long Island’s business community for the past 100 years. She is an experienced leader of innovative programs in business, government, the non-profit sector, and higher education, and previously served at the LIA as Vice President of Government Affairs and Communications.
Before the LIA, Stacey was Executive Dean of Entrepreneurship and Business Development at Hofstra University, where she managed federal, state, and private grants and created the institution’s award-winning business incubator program which supported students and entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She is the Chairwoman 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 was its Assistant Executive Director when the organization was founded.
Stacey is a member of the Advisory Board of the New York Community Trust-Long Island, Board of Directors of United Way of Long Island, and was selected to serve on Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine’s Transition Team. Stacey has been honored by regional and national non-profit organizations, including Girl Scouts of Nassau County, Girls Inc. of Long Island, the Urban League of Long Island, the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. Stacey has served as a speaker on several Newsday panels offering advice to businesses navigating the economic challenges presented by COVID-19. She 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”), City & State, Herald Newspapers, and Long Island Press.
Stacey’s career started in government more than two decades ago as Deputy Long Island Regional Representative for U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. She also served as Director of Special Projects to Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi and Deputy Chief of Staff to Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko.
Stacey received her BA and MA in Government and Politics from St. John’s University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude, served as an Adjunct Instructor there, and is currently a member of the institution’s Board of Governors.
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.
