H. Carl McCall
McCall was the first African- American elected to statewide office in New York. His career has covered a broad range of fields, from high school teacher to State Senator and ambassador to the United Nations. Though his careers varied, his advocacy on behalf of the poor and underprivileged has remained constant. Soon after McCall moved to New York, he became involved in government. In 1975, McCall was elected to the State Senate. During Governor Mario Cuomo’s administration, he served as the State’s Human Rights Commissioner. In 1993, McCall was appointed State Comptroller to fill the remainder of the term. A year later, he successfully ran for that office. McCall returned to the private sector at the end of 2002. In 2007, McCall was appointed a member of the SUNY Board of Trustees. McCall was named chair of the Board in October of 2011.