City Councilman Robert E. Cornegy and Bed Stuy BID Executive Director Michael Lambert will host Brooklyn’s Best Honors. Sponsored by Brooklyn Navy Yard, Our Time Press and Urban ID Media, the festive affair will take place at Brooklyn Wine Yard, 1114 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY. The event will include a live showcase performance from singer/songwriter Darryl Copeland and friends. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Safe Horizon’s Jane Barker Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center, which provides an essential community response to New York City's most vulnerable victims of violence and abuse by giving child victims the foundation they need to move from crisis to confidence.
The quarterly event, which salutes Brooklyn residents while highlighting local business establishments that add richly to the fabric and wellbeing of the beloved Borough of Brooklyn, salutes exceptional individuals in the areas of business, civic service, eucation, arts & entertainment. These are everyday leaders whose selfless efforts continue to shape and redefine the communities they live and work in. The June 2015 honorees are art curator, Che Baraka; Businessman Richard Flateau and humanitarian, Jocelynne Rainey.
Che Baraka, an accomplished and gifted artist, is the current curator for Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation's Skylight Gallery. As curator Baraka is responsible for developing creative arts programming and community outreach. During his tenure he has produced an astounding body of work and curated countless critically acclaimed exhibitions. A revered art instructor, Baraka has received countless invitations to conduct classes at major art education institutions throughout New York.
Richard A. Flateau, is the Founder/Owner and President of Bedford Stuyvesant’s Flateau Realty, Corp. Prior to entering the brokerage business Flateau’s financial experience included seven years at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey where he held management positions in the Treasury and Management and Budget Departments, and was once responsible for analyzing the capital budget for the World Trade Center complex. In 2014, Flateau was appointed to the board of directors for Bed-Stuy Gateway BID and is the current 2nd Vice Chair of Community Board #3 where he Chair’s its’ Economic Development Committee. Additionally, Flateau is the current Treasurer of The Bedford- Stuyvesant Real Estate Board and previously served as its’ Chairman and President. Born in Brooklyn, Flateau earned an A.B. in Economics from Harvard College and an M.B.A. in Finance from NYU’s Stern School of Business. He along with his late wife Marissa are the proud parents of Maria and Richard.
Jocelynne Rainey is the Chief Administrative Officer for the Brooklyn Navy Yard Corporation (BNYDC), where she leads the administrative strategy and development for a staff of 180+. Rainey, who holds a B.S. degree from Southern Connecticut University and a M.S. degree from Audrey Cohen College, along with husband, Dr. Perry Rainey, a high school principal, sons Pericles and Andrew reside in Bedford Stuyvesant. She’s an active member of the New York City Workforce Development Board and a Board Trustee at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and the New York College of Technology Foundation.