Steven M. Cohen was previously chair at Empire State Development. Prior to that, he was chief administrative officer and general counsel of MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, which owns and operates businesses spanning in a wide range of industries, from global leaders in cosmetics and gaming to biotechnology and military equipment. He served as secretary to New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, in addition to serving as counselor and chief of staff in the Office of the New York Attorney General. He previously was a lawyer in private practice and earlier in his career an Assistant U.S. Attorney. Cohen serves on the Board of Directors of Bank Leumi USA and the Perelman Center for the Performing Arts. He is a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, previously serving as vice chair. In addition to the NYU Board of Trustees, Cohen is a member of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering Board and the Board of Overseers of the University of Pennsylvania Law School.