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 77-member Board and the LIA members to implement his vision for Long Island’s future, including making Long Island an attractive place for young professionals, supporting small businesses, and expanding child care options.
Matt previously served as the Vice President of Government Affairs & Communications at the LIA for 10 years. In that role, he was the chief lobbyist for the LIA’s legislative agenda, which included the enactment of a permanent state property tax cap and the receipt of more than $7.5 billion in economic development investments on Long Island for transportation, infrastructure, housing, and downtown development. Additionally, Matt has 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 advocating for federal and state resources 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 where he was the primary political and policy advisor to the Senator for all Long Island-related issues. Matt has also worked as an aide in the Suffolk County Executive’s office.
Matt is a member of the Board of Directors for several Long Island organizations, including the Long Island Housing Partnership, Discover Long Island (including on its Executive Committee), the Child Care Council of Suffolk, Inc., the 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.
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.
Matt lives in Commack with his wife Tracie and son Jack.
Stacey I. Sikes
Stacey I. Sikes is an experienced leader of innovative programs in government, the non-profit sector, and higher education. She is the Vice President of Government Affairs and Communications for the Long Island Association, where she advocates for issues critical to Long Island’s economic growth, manages the work of the Board Committees, and oversees the organization’s 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. She developed new initiatives to support students and entrepreneurs, including the ideaHUb NYS certified business incubator and Hofstra Veterans Venture Challenge. She authored successful grant applications from federal, state, and private sources to build entrepreneurship facilities and fund programs for small businesses. 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.
Stacey has collaborated on regional initiatives to further economic development, including serving as a writer for the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council. She has also developed surveys on behalf of Nassau and Suffolk Counties to assess the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022 Stacey was appointed Chair of the Board of Accelerate Long Island, a non-profit collaboration among Long Island’s research and academic institutions, and previously served as its Assistant Executive Director.
Stacey was named to the Long Island Business News 2021 40 Under 40 list, is part of the 2022 class of the Energeia Partnership at Molloy College, and was included on the 2021 Power 25 in Higher Education list by Long Island Business News (#13). She was also a 2019 Girls Inc. of Long Island Gala Honoree and currently is a member of the organization’s Advisory Board. Stacey served as a speaker on several Newsday panels offering advice to businesses navigating the economic challenges presented by COVID-19. In her community, she is a volunteer with Girl Scouts of Suffolk County.
Stacey’s career started in government, serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko (projects included the Ronkonkoma Hub Transit-Oriented Development); Director of Special Projects for Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi (where she assisted with the NYS Property Tax Commission); and Deputy Regional Representative for U.S. 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 and has been supporting the Long Island business community for 95 years. 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 CW Post University.
