Roosevelt Island is a hidden New York City gem between Manhattan and Queens. Every spring, the landscape is covered by salmon and pale pink blooms from cherry trees and framed by the beautiful skyscrapers in New York.
Gretchen Robinson, the general counsel and vice president of Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation understands the serenity and other benefits of working on the island.
One of the main benefits is taking a relaxing lunch break stroll and enjoying all the projects completed by RIOC that have helped improve the resident’s quality of life and leisure.
The city of New York created Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation to help develop and maintain projects to improve the island’s state and people’s lives. Most of those projects include physical structures and infrastructure like roads and buildings, but other educational or medical programs exist.
Over the past years, the organization has managed 27 projects. When completed, their efforts will deliver a refurbished sports facility and youth center, a repaired seawall, a new pickleball court, and public art. Their $7 million renovation helped make the Manhattan Aerial Tramway and the station easier to use, safer, and more comfortable.
Gretchen Robinson was born and raised in Washington, DC, meaning she was used to seeing cherry blossoms. However, she says they are different in Roosevelt Island because the area gives you a unique view of the east side of LIC Queens and Manhattan, surrounded by water.
She admits that the projects done by RIOC change the island’s landscape, which gives her pride in being part of the team. Shelton Haynes, the corporation’s CEO, and president, takes advantage of the island’s historical and geographical uniqueness to foster growth.
Gretchen Robinson joined the ten in 2019, and she helps Haynes by offering legal advice to the corporation’s board and executive team when and where necessary and examining compliance issues. That helps them realize and effectuate their goals while remaining within the law’s confines.
As general counsel, she works alongside a deputy general counsel plus an associate general counsel. While she had different responsibilities, Gretchen Robinson says her previous position with the Queens District Attorney significantly prepared her for her current job. She says that her work affects somebody’s life in both, even though it is not as direct at RIOC.