Chairman of the Board

United Nations floral designer, author of The New York Historic Floral District, historian, and ambassador for the district’s businesses. He leads initiatives that preserve floral heritage while connecting art, education, and community impact.

Vice Chair / Strategic Partnership Advisor

Raised in Holland’s greenhouses and flower auctions, he built Giorgio Armani’s NYC floral program and advises top fashion, TV, and Hollywood clients worldwide, bringing elite expertise to the museum.

Education & Public Program Chair

Barbara Mele, a native New Yorker and acclaimed floral designer with 25+ years of experience, is known for her signature “Urban Garden” style featured at Cipriani Wall Street, Grand Central Terminal, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Former Director of Operations at FlowerSchool New York and current educator at the New York Botanical Garden, Barbara combines design expertise with a proven commitment to sustainable floristry and cultivating the next generation of floral talent—perfectly aligning with the vision of the NYC Historic Floral District Museum.

Artistic Board Advisor

Multidisciplinary designer working across luxury fashion, interiors, and high-end events. As the founder of Franki Ray, she is known for her bold approach to modern elegance, blending rich textures with unexpected, refined details.

Her creative vision extends into interior design through collaborations with Dana Bass Designs, where she curates elevated, expressive spaces. In the world of luxury events, including work with Leviate Air Group, Mele creates immersive experiences defined by atmosphere, sophistication, and artistic flair.

Arlene Stewart is a New York based chef from Trinidad who studied with award-winning chefs such as Marcus Samuelsson and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. For over a decade, Arlene has been a personal chef to A-list celebrities and athletes including Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, President Clinton, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.

Arlene is the sole proprietor of Arlene Stewart Co. Cocosine, and Cocosine Wellness. She developed recipes for Jean-Georges’ first two cookbooks, Simple to Spectacular and Jean Georges Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Arlene has appeared on Chopped and she developed a health and nutrition conscious menu for innovative New York, LA and Washington, DC-based health and juice bar chain, Elixir.

Over 12 years of experience as a tech entrepreneur in hardware and software, with successful exits. The last five years have been focused on medtech related products and services. Strengths and skills include product & software development (inception to deployment), supply chain management, B2B enterprise sales, networking, academic & corporate strategic partnerships (with a strong emphasis in healthcare).

CEO SplendoHealth, USA

Rick Nair is a writer, content creator and musician based in Minneapolis. He has more than 25 years of experience in marketing, particularly in digital realms, that includes the creation and development of brands, extensive consultation to small businesses, and tenures with large corporations. A native of Manhattan with a love of art, Rick earned a BFA in music from the City College of New York and an MA in counseling from Argosy University.

Jeff Mower has over 25 years of experience covering global oil markets for S&P Global Platts. He currently manages a team of reporters as the Director of Americas Oil News at Platts. Through his role, Jeff has spoken numerous times in public and on TV about the impact of current events on oil prices, supply and demand. Jeff has worked in New York City for the past 23 years, and currently resides in the Bronx with his wife and daughter. In his downtime, Jeff mostly enjoys being outside: running, cycling, hiking. Jeff has had numerous hobbies over the years, none of which he admits to being particularly good at, but all of which he has enjoyed thoroughly.

Director, Americas Oil News

S&P Global Commodity Insights