Stony Brook University Associate Vice President for Government Relations Carl Mills III and Stony Brook Council Member Linda Armyn have been named to City & State‘s inaugural list of Long Island Trailblazers.
The list, released on July 28, features dozens of key players and game-changers on Long Island, from the worlds of higher education, business, politics, labor, social activism and more.
Mills has been a key force behind Stony Brook’s recent funding milestones, drawing on nearly 15 years in the state Senate to advance the university’s academic, medical and research priorities. His portfolio spans two campuses, four hospitals, more than 200 outpatient facilities and the Long Island State Veterans Home.
Mills helped secure $300 million in research capital, legislative approval for campus housing and $6.5 million for a quantum internet testbed. He also played a key role in positioning Stony Brook as the anchor institution for The New York Climate Exchange.
Armyn is one of 10 members of the Stony Brook Council and has been president and CEO of FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, formerly Bethpage Credit Union, since August 2023. She guided FourLeaf through a bold rebrand this year, as the new identity is meant to signal growth, innovation and community for the largest credit union in the Northeast region and 16th largest in the nation.
As the first woman to serve as its president and CEO, Armyn led FourLeaf’s growth to over $13 billion in assets and developed FourLeaf Cares, a philanthropic effort that invests more than $2 million annually to communities of modest means. Armyn also co-chairs the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council and serves on the Long Island State Park Commission.
Others with Stony Brook University connections named to the Trailblazers list include:
- New York State Senator and alumna Monica Martinez ’08, chair of the Local Government Committee and champion of legislation including the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act, a “revenge porn” law, and a measure expanding access to mammograms
- Long Island Power Authority CEO Carrie Meek Gallagher, a member of the industry advisory board for the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC) and the advisory board for the Center for Grid Innovation Development and Deployment (GrIDD)
- Sol Marie Alfonso-Jones, adjunct professor in the School of Social Welfare
- Robert Budd, senior CEO and president of Family Residences and Essential Enterprises (FREE), who is also an adjunct professor in the School of Professional Development
- Sammy Chu, Advisory Board Member for the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC)
- Several other SBU alumni, including Ani Halasz ’07, executive director at Long Island Jobs for Justice; Dan Lloyd ’19, founder and president, Minority Millennials Inc.; Terry Maccarone ’95, president, Suffolk Association of Municipal Employees; Jeffrey Reynolds ’07, president and CEO, Family and Children’s Association; and Godze Ustuner ’17, ’24, a researcher at Brookhaven National Laboratory
City & State is a media organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy. It provides commentary and analysis, weekly publications, daily e-briefs, events, podcast interviews and more.
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