New Yorkers For New YorkAnnual Gala
Join us on Monday, June 1st, 2026 at The Lighthouse At Chelsea Piers.
Join us for our annual gala as we come together to celebrate community-led change and raise critical funds to support grassroots leaders across all five boroughs.
The leaders we fund are the ones organizing food distributions, youth mentorship, climate resilience projects, community gardens, neighborhood cleanups, and school-based initiatives that keep communities strong. They’re small business owners and block captains, parent organizers and volunteers—neighbors solving problems where they live.
Together, we can build a New York that is more just, more resilient, and powered by local leadership.
Time: 6:00 Attire: Summer Cocktail
Meet this year's honorees
Peter Cannava, Wells Fargo Multifamily Capital and Community Lending & Investment
Peter Cannava is a managing director and head of Wells Fargo Multifamily Capital (MFC) and Community Lending & Investment (CLI), the country’s largest multifamily lender for both conventional and affordable developments. MFC specializes in permanent and bridge debt for multifamily assets financed through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac programs, Federal Housing Administration-insured financing programs, and the Wells Fargo balance sheet. CLI provides construction loans, permanent financing, and tax credit investments to support economic development and affordable housing projects in the communities where we live, work, and play. Wells Fargo is one of the largest direct tax credit investors and helps to meet the Bank’s CRA goals through the investment and lending test.
Peter has more than 24 years of experience on Wall Street as an investment banker raising capital to finance multifamily housing, infrastructure, hospitals, stadiums, and other real estate assets in the capital markets. He has held various leadership positions in Wells Fargo within the Corporate and Investment Bank, including head of Public Finance and Structured Finance. During that time, Peter helped build a leading municipal finance practice—serving as senior underwriter on $15 billion of municipal bonds annually, managing a $40 billion municipal derivative book, and a $6 billion investor leverage portfolio. He also led innovative financings in the municipal marketplace recognized by the Bond Buyer and Environmental Finance Awards.
Steven Caldwell, Wells Fargo Large Loan CMBS
Steven Caldwell is Head of Large Loan CMBS at Wells Fargo, where he is responsible for originating and structuring large balance commercial mortgage loans for securitization. He oversees transaction execution across all property types and capital structures, working closely with borrowers, investors, and internal partners to deliver customized financing solutions within the CMBS market.
Mr. Caldwell joined Wells Fargo in 2025 after spending 12 years at Barclays Bank, where he served as Head of Originations. He brings deep experience across commercial real estate capital markets, with a strong focus on large loan origination, underwriting, and execution for both CMBS and balance sheet lending. In his role, he plays a critical part in driving production strategy, managing key client relationships, and navigating evolving market conditions to deliver consistent results.
Chris Ruggeri, Advisor
Chris has been a board member of CitizensNYC since 2008 and served as Chair from 2017-2025. She held positions of increasing responsibility at Deloitte from 2005-2025, culminating in her role as US Sustainability Leader, Risk and Advisory Services. Throughout her tenure, her work was driven by her belief that business and government play a critical role in catalyzing the innovation and change necessary to do what’s good and what’s right for people, planet, and prosperity. Prior to joining Deloitte, Chris was a principal at Standard & Poor’s and a Partner at PwC. Earlier in her career, she spent a year in Budapest advising investors on international investments across Europe and Russia. Chris received her B.A. in Finance from the University of Delaware. She lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn with her wife and their dog.
Event Leadership
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Event Chairs
- Victoria Chu Pao
- Andrea Markezin & Joel Press
- Eric Wu
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Event Vice Chairs
- Thomas C. Israel
- Stacy & Jay Stark
