Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Education Committee Chair Catherine Nolan and Higher Education Chair Deborah Glick announced today the election of T. Andrew Brown and the re-election of Charles Bendit and James Tallon to the New York State Board of Regents, following a joint session of the Legislature.

"These accomplished New Yorkers are strong advocates of educational excellence and, therefore, are well suited to serve on our Board of Regents. With their leadership, I am sure our schools will continue to build a workforce that is well prepared for the challenges and demands of the global economy," said Speaker Silver.

"I am confident that the addition of newly elected Regent T. Andrew Brown and the continuing service of Bendit and Tallon on the board will help advance the Regents' longstanding and critical mission of educating our children and narrowing the achievement gap in New York," said Nolan.

"I know these distinguished individuals care deeply about the work of the Board of Regents and are strongly committed to guiding our schools, higher education institutions and professions to perform at the highest levels," said Glick.

T. Andrew Brown is the founder, attorney and managing partner of the Rochester-based Brown and Hutchinson law firm, which is recognized as one of the largest minority-owned law firms in Central and Western New York. He has taught at the college level, serving as an adjunct professor of political science at SUNY Brockport and an instructor of law at Monroe Community College.

For professional, academic, business and humanitarian purposes, Brown has traveled extensively throughout the world, including to Europe, Asia and Africa. He has been involved with many civic and community groups, holding advisory and leadership positions with such organizations as the Hillside Children's Center, New York State Human Rights Advisory Council and the Monroe Community College Paralegal Studies Program. Brown received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and earned a B.A. in political science at Syracuse University. He will serve as a Regent from Judicial District 7, replacing the Board of Regents Vice Chancellor Milton L. Cofield.

Charles R. Bendit was first elected to the Board of Regents in 2007. He is currently co-founder/co-chief executive officer of Taconic Investment Partners LLC. Before founding Taconic, he was president and sole owner of CBC Properties, the company he founded in 1993. Prior to forming his own company, Bendit was a managing director at Jones Lang Wootton where he was president for property acquisitions, sales and financing for the firm's international clientele, with a focus on New York, Washington, D.C. and Toronto. He is a board member of the Partnership for NY and the Real Estate Board of New York, Board of Governors. Bendit earned a B.A. in business administration from George Washington University. He will serve as a Regent from Judicial District 1.

James R. Tallon, Jr., has been a member of the Board of Regents since 2002 and was re-elected in 2007. During Tallon's close to two decades of service in the New York State Assembly, representing parts of Binghamton and Broome County, he served as the Majority Leader for six years and the Health Committee chair for eight. He is president of the United Hospital Fund of New York and is a nationally recognized health care policy leader. Tallon holds leadership positions for such organizations as The Commonwealth Fund, the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, and the Alliance for Health Reform. Tallon has held visiting lecturer appointments at the Columbia and Harvard University schools of Public Health. He received a B.A., cum laude, in political science from Syracuse University, an M.A. in international relations from Boston University and has also done graduate work at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He will serve as a Regent from Judicial District 6.

The Board of Regents is comprised of 17 members who are elected by the Legislature for five-year terms. One member is elected from each of the state's 13 judicial districts and four members serve at-large. Regents do not receive a salary for serving on the board.