BY TERESE LOEB KREUZER | Deron Charkoudian, 34, who lives and works in the Financial District, is the newest member of Community Board 1. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer appointed Charkoudian to fill a vacancy created when board member Rebecca Skinner resigned because she was moving away.
Since 1999, Charkoudian has lived in an office building converted to residential use.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes here,” he said of the Financial District, noting how the neighborhood used to close down on weekends and no longer does. “I want to help keep the transformation going.”
Specifically, Charkoudian would like to work on creating more green space and opening more schools. He also would like to see safer conditions for pedestrians.
“There’s no such thing as a stop sign down here,” Charkoudian said. “I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve almost been hit by cars.”
Charkoudian added that he believed narrow streets, many of them clogged with vendors, have exacerbated danger to pedestrians.
Charkoudian, who comes from Newton, Mass., got his bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from Johns Hopkins University and a master’s degree in finance and accounting from Carnegie Mellon. He worked for Goldman Sachs for several years before joining the Federal Reserve Bank of New York a year ago as a bank examiner.
“I wanted to get involved in a public service role using my skill set from the street and my formal education,” said Charkoudian. “Public service is part of my background. My parents were in public service for much of their careers.”
The desire to serve the community was what prompted Charkoudian to apply for a seat on C.B. 1. He hopes to serve on the board’s Financial District and Seaport/Civic Center Committees.
