Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today appointed six individuals from a variety of backgrounds to serve in key positions in his Administration. All of the appointees are replacing individuals who have left the administration or moved onto new positions in county government.
"My administration is committed to recruiting the best and brightest who have a desire to work in public service," said County Executive Bellone. "These individuals are a reflection of that willingness to make our county government stronger and responsive to the constituents that we serve.”
The appointments come during the beginning of the year as the Administration continues its efforts to enhance public safety, create economic opportunity, and usher in a new era of efficient, ethical, and effective governance. The new hires and promotions include a number of seasoned professionals with decades of experience in the public and non-profit sectors.
Frances Pierre will serve as Commissioner of the Department of Social Services after serving as Chief Operating Officer of HELP USA, a national organization that develops and manages transitional housing, operates shelter, and runs prevention programs. Most recently, she managed a $110 million portfolio and 1,200 staff, as well as recently opened 200 beds to serve its Mental Health Shelter for Men. As Senior Vice President for Family and Day Care Services for HELP USA, she oversaw nearly 1,000 units of family transitional housing at 10 shelters in the New York Metropolitan area. Before her tenure with HELP USA, Frances served as Associate Commissioner of Shelter Operations for the New York City Department of Homeless Services in the Bloomberg Administration where she managed, directed and oversaw day-to-day operations of New York City’s more than 9,000-bed shelter system for homeless single adults. Frances received her Masters of Social Work from Stony Brook University. The County Executive also thanked Dennis Nowak for serving as Acting Commissioner since November 2018. Dennis has been a tireless worker with the Department during his more than three decades of public service with Suffolk County.
Andrea Neubauer will serve as Commissioner of the Probation Department. Andrea, who has worked in the field of probation for decades, has served as Acting Director of the County Probation Department since 2017. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing employee hiring, staffing assignments, performance review and disciplinary matters. Prior to this Andrea was the Deputy Director for the County Probation Department where she assisted the Director in supervising training and staff development, developing and administering personnel policies, and served as the Department’s Language Access Coordinator. Her diverse level of experience is reflected in the number of different positions she served within the Department, including Principal Probation Officer and Probation Alcohol Program Coordinator. Andrea received her Bachelor of Arts degree from SUNY – Oneonta and Certificate Program in Management for Women from Adelphi University.
John Jordan will serve as Commissioner of the Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services. John recently served as Acting Commissioner of FRES in which he was responsible for departmental operations and all aspects of the County’s emergency management and response activities. His responsibilities extended to communications with federal, state and local emergency management officials, along with overseeing more than 70 employees and over 500 volunteers. Prior to this role, he served in a number of positions in the Suffolk County Office of Emergency Management including Deputy Commissioner, Community Emergency Evacuation Coordinator and Resources Management Officer. John began as a firefighter and quickly rose through the ranks to become Chief of Department for the North Babylon Fire Department. John began his career in public safety by serving in a number of part-time positions including as Harbor Master, Lieutenant Harbor Master, and Bay Constable.
Natalie Wright will serve as Chief Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Economic Development and Planning. Since 2015, Natalie has worked in the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery. As Executive Director for Community Reconstruction, Infrastructure and Small Business Programs, she administered nearly $2 billion in Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery funds for the State of New York, as well as directed a team of over 70 staff and embedded consultants on more than 350 projects. Prior to this, she worked for GCR, Inc., where she was a Project Manager with the Small Business Recovery Program in the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery. Natalie also worked for Two9Three Consulting as a Strategic Analyst and Project Manager where she guided nonprofit organizations in identifying, underwriting, structuring an closing real estate development projects. Natalie received her Bachelor of Science in Retail Merchandising and Minor in Business Management from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and Master of Science in Real Estate from New York University.
Amy Keyes will serve as Assistant Deputy County Executive for Intergovernmental Affairs. Amy is a seasoned government professional with twelve years of experience in policy research and development. In her new role, Amy will be tasked with playing a leading and expanded role with intergovernmental affairs at the state and federal levels. She recently served as Director of Intergovernmental Relations for Suffolk County Executive Bellone. Among her many responsibilities in the position, she advocated on behalf of the County Executive’s legislative initiatives, assisted in developing policy agenda, and served as liaison between members of the County Legislature. Prior to this role, was a member of the County Executive's Shared Services Team and instrumental in helping to craft and adopt SuffolkShare, the most comprehensive Shared Services plan across the state. She also served as Director of the Suffolk County Landbank Corporation where she managed all operations, administered grants, and led a team responsible for returning distressed and underutilized properties to the tax rolls. Amy also worked as Chief of Staff to Suffolk County Legislator Rob Calarco. Before her tenure in Suffolk County, she worked for the Town of Islip from 2007 through 2012, rising to the position of Deputy Chief of Staff to former Town Supervisor Phil Nolan. Amy received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from Stony Brook University.
Derek Poppe will serve as Deputy Communications Director for Suffolk County Executive Bellone. Derek has worked in the County Executive’s Press Office since 2016 with a focus on internal communications. Derek has been responsible for coordinating public information flow between County departments and agencies to inform the public of County functions, events, policy decisions, and announcements. Most recently, he worked closely with the County Department of Information Technology to assist with the re-launch and rollout of the new Suffolk County website. He also helps manage County social media content and public engagement. Before working for the County Executive, Derek was an Account Executive for Millennial Strategies, LLP, a political consulting firm specializing in campaign strategy and management. Derek received his Bachelor of Science in Political Science from SUNY Plattsburgh.
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