Jeffrey Koffler
Executive Vice President/ Vanguard Construction
With Vanguard for nearly thirty years, Jeffrey helps manage our active projects, contributing his expertise toward all stages from logistics to staffing, oversight of safety, quality control, and close-out. Kicking-off jobs, he meets with our project team of Estimator, Project Manager, Assistant PM, and Superintendent, to identify Long Lead items, review logistics and staging, confirm means, methods and sequencing, and help set standards of Quality Control. Jeffrey is also our Director of Safety, performing ongoing reviews of Fire Safety and OSHA regulations as applied to all our active sites. Working behind the scenes, he makes himself available to resolve knotty accounting, or steps in on a late afternoon or weekend, to ensure whatever needs to be executed will get done.
Jeffrey is also a master jigsaw puzzle solver, often completing one once a week. “I find doing puzzles very relaxing. My mind goes into another zone. When you get to the last 100 pieces, it all pops together so quickly. You go at a different speed. It’s just like moving a client in, there’s that sense of satisfaction. And putting in that very last pieces—it feels spectacular!”
Eric Diaz, Executive Director Vision Urbana
Victor Papa Visionary Award
Eric Diaz is a lifelong Lower East Side resident whose family has been rooted in the neighborhood for over 60 years. His grandparents moved from Puerto Rico and operated several local bodegas, while Eric grew up on Delancey Street and now lives on 9th Street and Avenue C with his wife and son. He attended local public schools, graduated from Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers in 2006, earned an Associate’s degree in Business Management from Borough of Manhattan Community College in 2009, and a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management and Leadership from Nyack University in 2010.
Inspired by the need for safe spaces and opportunities for youth, Eric dedicated himself to community service from a young age. He volunteered with Loisaida, Inc., helping educate Latino youth on health awareness and advocating to preserve the organization when it faced closure. Over the past two decades, he has worked extensively with youth through organizations including Henry Street Settlement, University Settlement, and Vision Urbana, while also mentoring young people through Royal Rangers, DESTINY, and the Empire Mentorship Initiative, a Lower East Side anti-violence program he helped establish in 2013.
In 2015, Eric became Executive Director of Vision Urbana, Inc., a grassroots nonprofit serving the Lower East Side for nearly 30 years. Under his leadership, the organization has expanded from 2 to more than 12 full-time employees and now provides senior services, food pantry programs, digital literacy and workforce development, health and wellness initiatives, and upcoming health clinic services for NYCHA residents. Eric also serves on Community Board 3’s Health & Human Services Committee and advises local healthcare institutions including Gouverneur Clinic and Lower Manhattan Presbyterian.
Vision Urbana’s support for Two Bridges Neighborhood Council includes being the only Community Based Organization to formally file an Amicus Brief in support of halting development of high-rise buildings on the property. Vision Urbana would also become one of the sole providers of weekly pantry donations for residents of Two Bridges, providing hundreds of turkeys and meals during Thanksgiving for the past five years.
Mergen Saryyev
Owner NYC Water Cruises / Carol Lamberg Insperational Award
Mergen Saryyev came to the United States at a young age with little more than determination and a strong work ethic. From early on, he worked tirelessly, saving every dollar he could with a clear goal in mind—to build something of his own.
Through years of discipline and persistence, he achieved that goal by purchasing his first bike rental shop. What started as a single storefront quickly became a cornerstone in the community. Known for his reliability and generosity, Mergen grew the business and made it a point to support the people around him—helping neighbors, creating jobs, and always putting family first.
With continued success, he expanded into multiple bike shop locations, turning a small operation into a thriving business. Never one to settle, Mergen saw an opportunity beyond the streets of the city and took a bold step into the water—founding NYC Water Cruises.
Today, he owns and operates a fleet of three boats, offering unforgettable experiences on the water while continuing to grow his business with the same values he started with: hard work, integrity, and community.
No matter how far he’s come, Mergen remains committed to giving back—always looking for ways to support his family, uplift his community, and create opportunities for others.
NY State Senator Brian Kavanagh
TBNC Lifetime Achievement Award-
Brian Kavanagh is a New York State Senator representing Lower Manhattan’s District 27. Lifelong New Yorker one of six siblings. Brian has a long history of fighting for and protecting people of NY. First elected to the Senate in 2017 after serving six terms in the State Assembly, he has focused his career on affordable housing, gun violence prevention, environmental sustainability, and election reform. As Chair of the Senate Housing Committee, he has led major tenant protection and housing affordability initiatives, including eviction protections and pandemic-era housing relief programs. Kavanagh is also a national leader on gun safety legislation and climate policy, and has long advocated for voting rights, campaign finance reform, and open government. He has a tremendous affinity for the outdoors and upon retirement, hopes to hike all the high peaks of the Adirondack mountains.
In recognition of his years of support and unwavering commitment to residents, he is being honored with the TBNC Lifetime Achievement Award for his service to the Two Bridges community.
US Representative Dan Goldman
Community Advancement Award
Dan Goldman is an attorney, former federal prosecutor, and U.S. Congressman representing New York’s 10th District covering Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. Prior to serving in Congress, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted organized crime, public corruption, and white-collar crime cases. Goldman has also been a leading voice on criminal justice reform and democracy issues, contributing to Michelle Alexander’s landmark book The New Jim Crow and working with organizations dedicated to expanding opportunity and strengthening public institutions. TBNC is proud to honor Congressman Goldman for his dedication to advancing opportunities for underserved communities and inspiring brighter futures for youth.