Westbeth Corporation
Board of Directors

The Board of Directors serves the Westbeth community through ethical governance, fiscal responsibility, strategic planning, and stewardship of Westbeth’s half-century old historic campus. Our mission is to preserve affordable housing for artists and their families, to maintain a safe and welcoming environment so that artists can continue to thrive and contribute to the creative and economic vitality of the city, as well as to honor Westbeth’s legacy as a pioneering model of artist housing while preparing it to meet the needs of future generations.

Members of the Westbeth Corporation Board of Directors

George Cominskie
Chair
George Cominskie is the former Vice President of John Turner Photo, where he spent more than two decades working in the photography industry.

A long‑time member of the Westbeth community, George has served on the Westbeth Board of Directors intermittently since 1989, including terms as Vice‑Chair and Secretary. He also dedicated 21 years to the Westbeth Artists Residents Council (WARC), leading the organization as President for 17 of those years. He served as Executive Director of Westbeth from 2022 to May of 2023.

George has played a role in shaping Westbeth’s cultural programming. For eight years, he produced both the WestFest Dance Festival and the PEN Literary Quest, expanding the organization’s artistic reach. His service to the arts community extends beyond Westbeth: he has served on advisory committees for The Whitney Museum of American Art and Little Island.

A committed community volunteer, George has spent Wednesday mornings at God’s Love We Deliver for 29 years, contributing to one of New York City’s most impactful service organizations.

Judd Levy
Vice Chair
For over 45 years, Judd has been active in financing affordable housing, working in state government and as an investment banker. In 1999 he created The Community Development Trust, the first REIT dedicated to financing affordable housing, charter schools and community facilities.From 2006-2011 Judd served under three governors as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the State of New York Mortgage Agency and the New York Housing Finance Agency. For over 15 years he served as the pro-bono advisor to Habitat for Humanity and assisted in securitizations that provided over $200 million for more than 270 local Habitat affiliates throughout the United States. He also served as an advisor to Habitat on an international micro-lending program for small business. Mr. Levy recently retired as a member of the Board of Directors of Enterprise Community Investment.

Merilyn Rovira
Vice Chair (elected 2024)
Merilyn Rovira has 35 years of experience in affordable housing development and finance. Her most recent position was at the Community Development Trust where she was responsible for Capital and Strategic Initiatives. She led four capital raises that attracted more than $250 million in equity. She also managed the company’s investor relations, government affairs, and impact evaluation and reporting activities. Earlier in her career she worked for the NYC Department of Housing, the nonprofit Local Initiatives Managed Asset Corp, and Fannie Mae where she led community development for the mid-Atlantic region and as a national account manager for multifamily lenders. Ms. Rovira has a BA in Economics, Magna Cum Laude from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley.

Ms. Rovira has been involved in various non-profit organizations as a board member and Chair. She chaired the boards of the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders, Restored Homes- NYC and the Princeton Family YMCA. In addition to Westbeth, she currently serves on the boards of the Center for New York City Neighborhoods and Princeton Community Housing. She serves as the sole trustee of a fund in Colorado which focuses on children with developmental disabilities.

Aileen Gribbin
Treasurer (elected 2024)
Aileen Gribbin, a Partner at Forsyth since 2007, has over 25 years of experience in the affordable housing and community development field, including positions with government agencies, not-for-profit development organizations and the nation’s first affordable housing REIT. Since joining Forsyth, she has been a development and financial advisor on over $1 billion in affordable housing development and preservation transactions for a broad range of both for-profit and not-for-profit clients.

Prior to joining Forsyth, she was an Associate Commissioner with the NYC Department of Housing, Preservation & Development where she was responsible for the executive management of the agency’s Division of Housing Finance.

Tanya E. Pope
Secretary (elected 2025)

Tanya E. Pope serves as the Assistant Vice President for Construction Business Initiatives at Columbia University, within the Facilities and Operations Department—a role she has held since 2014. In this capacity, she leads efforts to identify and engage qualified vendors to support the University’s construction projects and business initiatives. Under her leadership, Columbia has awarded over $1.2 billion to diverse firms over the past decade.

Ms. Pope also oversees compliance reporting and community engagement initiatives tied to Columbia’s Manhattanville Campus expansion. This includes managing commitments made to the Upper Manhattan community and to the City and State of New York, such as the development of affordable housing.

In 2017, she and her team launched the CU Grow: Vendor Development Program, now in its ninth cohort. Designed in collaboration with Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies, the program supports small and local businesses through a structured coaching and procurement curriculum, helping them scale and compete for institutional contracts.

A versatile and accomplished professional, Ms. Pope brings extensive experience in government, construction, and institutional procurement. Her career spans senior roles across the public sector, publishing, travel, cable television, nonprofit organizations, and academia.

She holds a B.S. in Communications Management and an M.S. in Leadership and Strategic Management from Manhattanville University. In 2021, she earned a M.S. in Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).
Tanya is a board member of the following organizations:
• Women Builders Council – VP, Public Policy – 2018
• Tough Leaf – 2022
• Pathways 2 Apprenticeship – 2023
• Mayor Eric Adams’ MWBE Advisory Council -2024
• MTA MWBE Advisory Board – 2021

 

Arvind Sohoni
Boardmember (elected 2024)
Arvind Sohoni joined NYCHA in February 2019. He leads the agency’s Transformation effort and oversees several reforms to reshape the agency’s operations to focus on resident needs and local control. He also oversees work with the agency’s federal oversight team, including the Federal Monitor, US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Prior to NYCHA, Arvind served a variety of public- and private-sector clients as a consultant with McKinsey & Company. He also served as a fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute, where he wrote “The US Economy: An Agenda for Inclusive Growth.”
Arvind holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. He serves on the board of The Center for the Living City, a collection of activists, practitioners, and academics founded in collaboration with the late Jane Jacobs

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Erin Quinn Purcell
Boardmember
Erin Quinn Purcell was a mainstay in New York’s downtown theatre scene for over 20 years. She was one of the founding members of the critically acclaimed adobe theatre company, and participated as an actor, writer and/or director in countless productions. Credits include: Duet! A Romantic Fable (Broadway Play Publishing) The Fiona Apple Kwanzaa Explosion (PSNBC) the musical A Fish Story (recipient of a Jonathan Larson Foundation award) and the Russ Meyer inspired Go-Go Kitty, Go! (Outstanding Play, 2005 New York Fringe Festival).

Erin is currently working with the Tony award winning creators of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Urinetown on a new musical, Iceboy!, starring Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman.

She serves as President of The Westbeth Artists Residents Council.

Alina Lundry
Board Member (elected 2019)
Alina is a partner and founding member of Highline Stages, with over 25 years of experience in the photography-film studio and event industries. A graduate of L.I.U., C.W. Post, with a B.S. in Accounting, she began her auditing career as a Certified Public Accountant in NYC.

Prior to founding Highline Stages, Alina served as C.F.O. and C.O.O. of Industria Superstudio, where she spent 16 years leading the company’s operations: studio management, advertising and editorial photography production, event planning, catering and restaurant management. In 2010, she teamed with her industry colleagues to create the Meatpacking District’s Highline Stages, envisioning a place that would support the creative work of artists across several industries.

In 2015 Alina was appointed to the President’s Advisory Council of the New York Academy of Art (NYAA), and in 2016 became a member of the Board of Trustees.

Alina’s past philanthropic activities have included a two decade involvement with the Elizabeth Glazier Pediatric AIDS Foundation as Photography Captain, the Sponsoring of rookie mushers in the 1000 mile Iditarod Race, biking across Alaska to raise money and awareness for an AIDS vaccine, and the Sponsoring of emerging artists and alumni of the NYAA. Alina’s passions extend to the extreme outdoors, whether it is remote travel or remote travel for a cause.

Matt Gross
Board Membver (elected 2025)
Matt has been involved in NYC affordable and supportive housing for over 20 years; half in tax credit equity and construction debt, and the other half as a partner with Urban Builders Collaborative, the real estate development affiliate of Lettire Construction Corp., where Matt also serves as an executive of corporate operations. UBC has developed over a thousand apartments and Lettire has built close to 10,000 apartments, with an extensive pipeline and growing property management affiliate. Matt also serves as an executive board member with the New York State Association of Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH) and is an active Board Member with TLM Realty, a portfolio of regional and community shopping centers.

Pedro Giraudo
Boardmember (elected 2026)

Pedro Giraudo is a Latin GRAMMY Award-winning bassist and composer, and among the most compelling tango artists working today. After two decades performing with the most important interpreters of tango, he debuted his own Tango Orchestra at Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing in 2015, and has since become an active cultural ambassador of the music of his native Argentina. His album Vigor Tanguero won the 2018 Latin GRAMMY for Best Tango Album, and he recorded bass on Rubén Blades’ Tangos, which won two GRAMMY Awards in 2014. He has collaborated with Pablo Ziegler, Paquito D’Rivera, Branford Marsalis, Regina Carter, and Miguel Zenón, and has performed as bassist and arranger with the New York Philharmonic and the New York City Ballet Orchestra. As a composer he has received commissions from Sybarite5, Multicultural Music Group, Música de Cámara, and The Jazz Gallery, and a 2020 fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. He has recorded nine albums as a leader and has conducted the WDR Big Band and the Cologne Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. Downbeat has praised his work for its “passionate improvisations” and orchestral richness. www.pedrogiraudo.com

J.P. Versace, Jr.
Ex officio
Mr. Versace is a principal and senior advisor in the New York office of AB Bernstein, where he oversees a global investment management advisory practice. A graduate of Boston University, Mr. Versace currently serves as Chairman of the Board for Eyebeam, a not-for-profit collaborative arts and technology studio, and the Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees for The SACI College of Arts & Design in Florence, Italy.
His deep civic involvement includes many arts, business, youth and social service organizations where he has served or is serving as a board member and volunteer including: ABNY, The Alliance for the Arts, The Association to Benefit Children, The American Council for Cultural Policy, Children for Children, Exploring the Arts, The Gordon Parks Foundation, Jazz at Lincoln Center, MOUSE, New York City Department of Education, TED Arts Fellows, One Laptop per Child, Pencil and The Partnership for New York City.
In addition to his role at AB, Mr. Versace has served as an assistant professor on the faculty of Columbia University’s Graduate School of International and Public Policy from 2011 – 2015.
In 2003-2004, Mr. Versace was a fellow in the Partnership for New York’s David Rockefeller Civic Fellowship program; prior to joining AB he held executive and management positions at IBM and Microsoft.