A specialized development firm focusing on opportunities related to energy, environmental resiliency, hard assets, and water resources. We work with innovative start-ups to global Fortune 50 companies, providing a range of services designed to meet any challenge.
Our team is comprised of subject matter experts with the experience required to deliver results throughout the world.
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Principal
Governor George E. Pataki is the founder and Chairman of the Pataki-Cahill Group. The Governor joined the law firm of Chadbourne and Parke, LLP, in 2007 as Counsel, focusing on their energy, environmental and infrastructure practice areas. He also served as United States Delegate to the 62nd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. In addition, he co-chaired the Council on Foreign Relations Independent Task Force on Climate Change.
Prior to starting the Pataki-Cahill Group, he served three terms as the 53rd governor of New York State, from 1995 through 2006. At the end of his twelve years as Governor, New York State had its lowest rate of welfare dependency in over 40 years, its lowest rate of violent crime in over 40 years, had cut state taxes by over $140 billion, had almost 700,000 more private sector jobs, its highest credit rating in over 40 years, and billions of dollars in surplus. Governor Pataki also led New York State through the attacks of September 11th and its aftermath.
Widely known for his protection of over one million acres of open space, the most in New York State's history, Governor Pataki balanced his pro-business philosophy with award-winning, cutting-edge policies in the renewable energy and environmental fields. The Governor implemented the first integrated strategy for creating clean, renewable transportation networks utilizing alternative fuels, including tax and other incentives for both consumers and manufacturers, grants for alternative retail fuel distribution systems and the exemption of renewable fuels from all State and local taxes.
Governor Pataki also established New York's leading brownfield program spurring development in cities across the state by creating a $200 million fund to support the redevelopment of contaminated sites and instituting a $135 million tax credit program to encourage public private investment in brownfields. He instituted the nation's green buildings tax credit incentive program which led to the first building of the first high-rise green office building in the world, the first high-rise green residential building in the United States and a host of other green projects currently under development. Most notably, through his determined leadership Governor Pataki ensured that the redeveloped World Trade Center site will be a global example of green building design.
In addition, Governor Pataki worked to create public private partnerships for clean energy generation in New York State resulting in one of the largest industrial solar power arrays in the U.S. and one of the largest wind-power arrays in the Eastern United States. He introduced net metering to encourage alternative energy production in homes and established the nation's first business park devoted to the development of clean energy technologies. Governor Pataki also established the Albany Nanotech Center for Excellence and the nation's most innovative renewable portfolio standard to ensure that New York rate payers were supplied with the most cost-effective renewable energy.
Among numerous other awards, BusinessWeek named Governor Pataki one of the top 20 "individuals who stand out for their efforts to cut gases that cause global warming" in the world. Also, in 2006, Vanity Fair called him a governor who "gets it" in its inaugural "Green Issue" for his efforts concerning the environment.
Governor Pataki serves on the Advisory Council of global investment bank Greentech Capital Advisors. He serves on numerous boards, including: Ecological, a sustainable real estate development firm; Cosan, one of Brazil's largest private companies with a focus on ethanol and sugar production and Clearlake Capital and MidOcean Partners, both private equity firms.
Governor Pataki was a partner in the New York law firm Plunkett & Jaffe until 1987. He was elected mayor of Peekskill, New York in 1981, and served in the New York State Legislature as an assemblyman and then as state senator from 1985 to 1994, before becoming governor. The Governor and his wife Libby reside in Garrison, NY. They have four children and one grandson.
Principal
Mr. Cahill is a co-Founder and CEO of the Pataki-Cahill Group and serves as Counsel to Chadbourne & Parke, LLP. From 2002 through 2006, Mr. Cahill served as the Chief of Staff to the Governor of New York State, serving as the highest ranking appointed official in New York State Government and also given the primary responsibility for the coordination of the rebuilding efforts in lower Manhattan after 9/11. From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Cahill served as the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation where he led the State agency with 3,000 employees and a $500 million annual budget. His responsibilities included enhancing and protecting the State's vast natural resources and the successful implementation of the 1996 $1.75 billion Clean Water Air Bond Act. Mr. Cahill also led the State's efforts to preserve over one million acres of open space. Prior to this, Mr. Cahill was the General Counsel to the Department of Environmental Conservation and previously was a partner at the law firm of Plunkett & Jaffe, P.C., a firm focused on environmental and government law.
Mr. Cahill completed his undergraduate degree at Fordham University, and attended Pace University School of Law where he received both a J.D. and Masters Degree in Environmental Law. Mr. Cahill formerly served as Chairman of the Environmental
Facilities Corporation and Vice-Chairman of the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority, as well as serving on he Olympic Regional Development Authority, Great Lakes Commission and the Adirondacks Park Agency.
Managing Director and Corporate Counsel
Joseph is the Managing Director and Counsel to the Pataki-Cahill Group, a specialized development firm focusing on opportunities related to energy, environmental resiliency, hard assets, and water resources. He also maintains a private legal practice focused on commercial energy transactions, environmental law, and election law.
An environmental entrepreneur, Joseph is a co-founder of H2envirO, a distributed water disinfection technology provider. He has also worked extensively on microgrid development ventures and is a previous winner of the Yale University Sobotka Seed Stage Venture Grant in Business and the Environment. Additionally, he has held fellowships with the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute, Yale Climate and Energy Institute, and Brazilian Biodiversity Fund in Rio de Janeiro.
Joseph has a background in marine construction and dredging and is on the Advisory Board of the Westchester Land Trust. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Northeastern University, his J.D. from Pace University School of Law, and his M.E.M. in Energy Economics and Policy from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Managing Director
Peter R. Smith serves as a Managing Director at the Pataki-Cahill Group. Mr. Smith joined Pataki-Cahill after serving for nearly four years as the President and CEO of the New York State Energy and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
While leading NYSERDA, he oversaw a $400 million dollar budget dedicated to research, economic development and deployment of progressive energy programs and technologies throughout the state of New York. Mr. Smith established almost 3,000 energy efficiency, conservation, renewable resource, economic development and research projects throughout New York. Among his many accomplishments, Peter led the effort to establish the nation's first clean energy technology park. Mr. Smith also represented New York State's energy policy interests as part of Governor Pataki's Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) leadership team.
Mr. Smith spearheaded NYSERDA's implementation of the nation's first state-administered Renewable Portfolio Standard, requiring 25% of New York's electricity to come from renewable resources by 2013. Mr. Smith oversaw the first two rounds of implementation of the program, including the construction of the largest wind farm array east of the Mississippi and an additional 21 projects totaling more than $295 million in investment from NYSERDA. The 21 projects represent 880 megawatts of renewable resource capacity and created private sector investment of over $2 billion in New York.
Prior to serving as President and CEO of NYSERDA, Mr. Smith served as the Vice President of NYSERDA and was Director of NYSERDA's Energy Analysis Program and prior to that was the Director of Planning for the New York State Energy Office. Currently he is the President of the Board of Directors of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and a member of the board for the Alliance to Save Energy. He is the former chairman of the National Association of State Energy Officials and the former chairman of the Gas Technology Institute Public Interest Advisory Committee.
Mr. Smith has a Masters in Public Administration from the Nelson A. Rockefeller School of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany and completed his undergraduate degree at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York.
Special Advisor
Joseph J. Seymour is a Special Advisor to the Pataki-Cahill group and specializes in public-private partnerships and providing strategic advice on navigating public authorities. Mr. Seymour was appointed Executive Director of The Port Authority in 2001, after his nomination by Governor George E. Pataki. As Executive Director of the Port Authority, Mr. Seymour oversaw approximately 7,000 employees at the agency, including the 1,600-member Port Authority Police Department. During his three years there he presided over several major accomplishments, including the completion of a $566 million program to restore PATH service to the Exchange Place and World Trade Center stations; the opening of the $1.9 billion AirTrain JFK; negotiations on a new 49-year lease with the City of New York for property occupied by John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports; the development of a master plan for the World Trade Center site; and the start of the process to build a $2 billion World Trade Center Transportation Hub. Mr. Seymour guided the Port Authority's five-year, $8.7 billion capital investment program that has strengthened the regional economy through major improvements and enhancements to transportation facilities throughout the region. He served until November 2004 when he retired from New York State public service receiving the Howard Cullman Outstanding Public Service Award, the highest award conferred by the Port Authority.
Prior to joining the Port Authority, Mr. Seymour was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Power Authority, having been appointed a trustee by Governor Pataki on February 13, 2001. He was confirmed by the state Senate and subsequently elected chairman and chief executive officer by his fellow trustees. In July of 2005, he was reelected Chairman of the Authority and oversaw critical issues that were of urgent concern. During Mr. Seymour's tenure, the Power Authority continued its aggressive efforts in the areas of energy efficiency, development of new environmentally clean energy technologies, and electric transportation. He stepped down in May 2006 and continued to serve as a Trustee of the Power Authority until the end of his term in July 2007.
Mr. Seymour has more than 35 years of administrative, managerial and economic development experience in New York State and local governments. He has served as executive director for the East Rochester Urban Renewal Agency, special assistant for Downtown Development in Rochester, assistant city manager for planning and development for the City of Peekskill, commissioner of development in the City of Yonkers as well as city manager for the City of Peekskill.
Mr. Seymour also served on the Executive Board of the Westchester County Municipal Employee Benefits Consortium, the Governors Island Task Force and was Chair of the New York State Procurement Council. He is a Fellow of the State Academy for Public Administration, a Trustee of the New York Power Authority and was a member of the SUNY Maritime Board.
In 2001, Mr. Seymour received the Jacob H. Herzog Leadership Award, which recognizes individuals and organizations that have provided extraordinary leadership to improve the economic well-being of the city of Albany.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Northeastern University and a Masters in Community Planning and Development from the University of Rhode Island.