New York City Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Service

Leadership Staff

Elected Officers

Charles J. Hargrove, N2NOV
President *

NYC-ARECS City-Wide Radio Officer/Skywarn Coordinator

Charles Hargrove is a respected national leader in emergency communications and acknowledged as an expert on public safety radio infrastructure operations in New York City. He was born in New York City, the oldest of eight children. Many of his family have been or are currently with the NYPD, going back to the 1930's. Charles attended Tottenville High School and Baruch College, subsequently becoming the youngest Fed Funds trader on Wall Street. Over the years, Charles has worked in the brokerage, financial and information technology fields.

For nearly the past three decades, Charles has been actively involved in the communications side of emergency management. He is the former District Emergency Coordinator of the New York City Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and National Weather Service SKYWARN coordinator for New York City. He has also participated in the U.S. Department of Defense MARS (Military Affiliate Radio Service) program. He is also a Life Member of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).

He and his communications team have been recognized by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and the New York City Mayor's Office of Emergency Management. Under Charles' leadership as the RACES City-Wide Officer, the communications team established a command station in the Office of Emergency Management which was located in the World Trade Center. On September 11, 2001 and throughout the rescue and recovery operation, Charles served as Incident Commander for citywide amateur radio operations which consisted of over 500 ham radio operators from around the United States.

As a member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, Charles has served as a Vice Flotilla Commander and as a USCGAUX instructor for communications and boating safety.

John J. Kiernan, KE2UN
Vice-President Manhattan

John Kiernan (KE2UN) is a vice-president of NYC-ARECS for the borough of Manhattan.

From 1998-2004 John was the Manhattan Emergency Coordinator (EC) for ARRL/ARES. He is a retired Operating Engineer Supervisor from the U.S. Postal Service and has been a licensed amateur radio operator since 1989. His hobbies include collecting and building miniature railroad displays. He serves as Flotilla Commander of Flotilla 05-11 of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary which is located in New York City.

Frank Zodda, KC2QKS
Vice-President Brooklyn

Frank Zodda (KC2QKS) is vice-president of NYC-ARECS for the borough of Brooklyn.

Self-described as a Brooklyn guy thru and thru, Frank has been an amateur radio operator for over a decade who loves to be a part of the ham radio community. He is a Manhattan College graduate who is retired as a Chief Technologist of the Microbiology Laboratory at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. He is registered with the emergency response team of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Frank is a U.S. Army Vietnam Vet and a member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. A true family guy, Frank is married with three children, is a member of the NYC Big Brother Big Sister organization (with two little brothers), and he officiates at Youth Soccer on the weekends.

 

Dylan L. Thompson, KC2ZYG
Secretary

Dylan L. Thompson (KC2ZYG) is Secretary of NYC-ARECS.

The most junior member of NYC-ARECS, Dylan L. Thompson is in the unique position of having a young mind and fresh ideas, as well as having a great deal to learn about radio and the emergency management field.  He posseses a private pilot's license and is currently an EMT. In college, he was an emergency services dispatcher for the university, a position which whetted his passion for both radio and emergency response.  He has been a member of NYC-ARECS since obtaining his license in mid-2011

 

Appointed Positions

Shelomo Alfassa, KI4GGU
Public Information Officer & EMS Coordinator

Shelomo Alfassa (KI4GGU) is the Public Information Officer of NYC-ARECS

Shelomo Alfassa has worked in the emergency management and public safety field for near 20 years in various capacities. He served as a sworn federal employee with the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services. He was the Founding Executive Officer of the Central U.S. National Medical Response Team for Weapons of Mass Destruction (NMRTWMD), a federal asset of the USPHS Office of Emergency Preparedness, deployable to national venues where terrorism was a threat. As the team's XO / Deputy Commander, he was an educator on the effects of chem/bio weapons, being trained by members of the U.S. Army's USAMRIID and the USMC Chemical/Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF). He is also a certified OSHA Haz-Mat Incident Commander.

He is a Division Secretary & Public Affairs Officer with the US Department of Homeland Security / US Coast Guard Auxiliary in New York City and a member of the State of New York ServNY Medical Emergency Response Team (New York City Medical Reserve Corp). He is also a Member of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM),

As a young man, he was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol (US Air Force Auxiliary), and dedicated many years to volunteering in his community with the American Red Cross. He has been an EMT for 25 years (has been both BLS and ACLS certified), and has worked professionally in those capacities. In Florida, he served with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office as a uniformed civilian on patrol and as an Auxiliary Communications Officer with both Seminole County and Orange County ARES. Shelomo is an avid lover of world history and as an author and editor has had several books on non-fiction topics published.

Irina Tsukerman, Attorney
General Counsel

Irina Tsukerman is an attorney who serves as General Counsel for NYC-ARECS. She is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey, and has her own practice focused on start-ups and small businesses, as well as civil litigation. Irina is a graduate of Fordham University School of Law. She speaks Russian and Spanish, and frequently volunteers for various not-for-profit organizations.

The NYC-ARECS General Counsel's mission is to advance the mission and objectives of the organization by providing sound judgment, thoughtful analysis, and constructive legal advice through effective communication. Our General Counsel supports the administration of NYC-ARECS for the benefit of both the team and the people we serve in New York City.


The organization is comprised of many of the people that make up the melting pot that is New York City. Not only English, but team members speak Spanish, Italian, Greek, Hebrew, German, Russian, Arabic and Yiddish. Our members are from various backgrounds including Irish, Scottish, Puerto Rican, Chinese, German, Venezuelan, Greek, Ukrainian, Russian, Egyptian, Israeli and Italian.

      * Charles J. Hargrove also serves as Vice-President for the borough of Staten Island


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