About Riverhead IDA: Board


Board of Directors

James Farley, Chairman
Lori Ann Pipczynski,, Vice Chairwoman
Tony Barresi, Secretary
Lee Mendelson, Treasurer
Douglas Williams

Board Member Bios

Jim Farley
Jim Farley is Managing Director of Acumen2, an independent nine year old consultancy aligned with experienced industry executives for select equity and debt transactions in infrastructure and other asset classes on a global basis, with a primary focus in the United States and Europe.

Prior to establishing Acumen2, Jim was a senior executive of Babcock & Brown Europe, where he managed a broad range of private equity initiatives, including the development of a significant infrastructure fund with particular focus on airports, ports and energy related assets. At Chase Manhattan Bank in New York and London Jim had responsibility for the development of structured derivatives; this included the first commodity swap ever executed. His career began at Price Waterhouse in New York where Jim became responsible as a senior manager for relationships with many significant clients in the steel, mining, insurance and banking industries. Before being drawn to the financial sector Jim served as a judicial clerk and assistant US Attorney in the Southern District of New York.

Jim has been a homeowner in Riverhead for thirty six years and he and his wife have made it their home for the last three years. He has begun to serve the community as a member of the Rotary Club and is presently co-chair of the Downtown Revitalization Committee. In addition, Jim has chaired the Rites of Spring Music Festival for the past two years as it qualified for 501(c) (3) status.

A native of Connecticut, Jim spent his formative years in Japan with his family and the major part of his career in London, England. A graduate of Duke University and Fordham Law School, Jim is a certified public accountant and an attorney. He and his wife, Petra, parents of three children, reside in South Jamesport. His hobbies include fly fishing (actually most fishing), the arts, renovations and travel.

Lori Ann Pipczynski
Lori Ann Pipczynski is Director of External Affairs & Strategic Partnerships at Suffolk County Community College, the largest community college in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Working collaboratively with faculty, administrators and external partners, she is responsible for conceptualizing, planning, and developing proposals for academic, workforce development, environmental and infrastructure initiatives at the College and has been instrumental in securing over $23.7 million in federal, state and local funding for the institution. Ms. Pipczynski has over eighteen years of experience in economic and workforce development, including as past Chairwoman of the Suffolk County Empire Zone Administration Board with responsibilities for the development of annual operations and marketing plans and regulatory and reporting compliance. In her former roles as County Executive Assistant and Executive Assistant to the Supervisor, she supported the development of initiatives focused on downtown revitalization, business investment incentives, and farmland and open space preservation.

Ms. Pipczynski currently serves on the Heidi Behr Memorial Scholarship Committee and is a member of the Council for Resource Development and the Grant Professionals Association. She is past Vice President and Treasurer of East End Arts and past Vice Chair of the Riverhead Revitalization & Preservation Corporation.

Born and raised in Riverhead, she is a graduate of Cornell University and received a masters degree in business and public policy from SUNY-Empire State College. She resides in Jamesport.

Tony Barresi
Tony Barresi is a retired school principal who worked in the Huntington UFSD for 34 years. During his tenure he taught students in grades k-6 and in the gifted and talented program. He then became the district?s coordinator for science and technology for all the district?s elementary schools. Later, he became a building principal where he served in this position for 20 years. Prior to this experience he also worked in management for the JC Penney Corporation. Mr. Barresi received his Bachelors Degree from C.W. Post and his Masters Degree & Professional Diploma from Long Island University.

Mr. Barresi served both his professional and residential communities in several ways: he has served as a board member for the Lloyd Harbor Historical Society and was its? president for many years. While living in Lloyd Harbor he served as a board member for the FGA Home Owners Association. In addition,Tony was president for the District Supervisors and Principals? Association of Huntington for several years.

Tony and his wife, Christine, live in Aquebogue. They enjoy traveling and playing golf.

Douglas Williams
Doug Williams is President of Inspire Business Capital, founded in 2014, which is an investor real estate lender. He has been instrumental in their focus on commercial loans for office, mixed-use, multi-family, SFR, and hospitality sectors, along with trading of whole loan portfolios.

Additionally, Doug and his strategic partners and professional advisors further developed the SBA-approved platform of securitizing and purchasing the non-guaranteed portions of SBA 7(a) loan portfolios.

Previously, Doug was an institutional securities supervisor with specialization in the mortgage-backed securities markets, working solely with institutional clients, by managing their fixed-income portfolios through implementation of mortgage-backed pools, collateralized mortgage obligations and mortgage derivative products, throughout a variety of market conditions and economic cycles.

Doug has overseen growth of branches while directing institutional fixed-income market trading and brokerage strategies/operations. In 2003, he founded and managed a lending company, with commercial conduit lending facilities, as well as the popular SBA lending programs. As a licensed Texas Real Estate Broker since 1979, he is aware of many trends in the residential and commercial real estate markets.

His history in the real estate/mortgage lending/mortgage securities industries provide a unique and broad-based collection of understandings, necessary for complex lending solutions in our current economic environment.

Doug moved to Long Island from Houston, Texas in 2019, after meeting his lovely wife, Sheryl. He is the proud father of two grown daughters. He has enjoyed cycling for many years, and continues to explore the East End attractions by bicycle (although, less when it's cold).