Jacques Jiha

Jacques Jiha is the Executive Vice President / Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer of Earl G. Graves, Ltd./Black Enterprise, a multi-media company with properties in print, digital media, television, events, and the internet. As COO & CFO, he implements the company’s operational and financial goals and allocates resources in line with stated goals; he is in charge of strategic planning, organizational operations, process engineering, new products and business development, and strategic partnerships; he is also in charge of all financial functions, including budget and financial reports; and he devises business-financing strategies, including financing arrangements through debt, equity, and private placements.

A staunch advocate of public service, Jiha serves on a number of government and not-for-profit boards. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors at Ronald McDonald House of New York and a member of the investment advisory committee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund, and also serves as the Secretary of the Board of Directors at the Dormitory Authority of New York State – one of the largest issuers of municipal debt in the country on behalf of public and private universities and medical institutions and the State of New York. Jiha is also a member of the advisory board of the Haitian Roundtable and The Haitian Times.

Prior thereto, Jiha served as Deputy Comptroller for Pension Investment and Public Finance in the Office of the New York State Comptroller. As the state’s chief investment officer, he managed the assets of the New York State Common Retirement Fund (CRF) – then the nation’s second-largest pension fund valued at $120 billion. He also oversaw the New York’s College Savings Program, with assets of $2 billion, and the state’s short-term investment pool of $5 billion. Jiha had decision-making responsibilities in all aspects of CRF investment strategy, including asset allocation, as well as CRF investment program in domestic and international equity, fixed income, real estate, and private equity. His role also included oversight responsibility of CRF investment operations, including custodial services and securities lending, and management of a professional investment staff, external investment managers, private-equity and real estate general partners, and investment consultants.

In the public finance arena, Jiha was in charge of all activities related to the issuance of New York State general obligation bonds, bond anticipation notes, tax and revenue anticipation notes, and certificates of participation. In addition, he reviewed and approved the terms and conditions of all private or negotiated sales of bonds undertaken by public authorities and localities throughout the state of New York. Jiha was also the Co-Executive Director of the New York State Local Government Assistance Corporation (LGAC). In that capacity, he managed all aspects of LGAC operations, including the refunding bonds, the ratification of swaps agreements, and the selection of financial advisors and auditors.

Jiha has previously served as Nassau County Deputy Comptroller for Audits and Finances in charge of monitoring and auditing all aspects of the county’s budget and finances, including the Nassau County Health Care Corporation and Nassau Community College. Prior to this appointment, he worked for the New York City Office of the Comptroller in increasingly responsible positions: first as Chief Economist and later as Deputy Comptroller for Budget, with oversight responsibilities over the city’s operating budget and four-year capital plan. Jiha also served as Executive Director of the Legislative Tax Study Commission of New York State and as Principal Economist for the New York State Assembly Committee on Ways and Means.

Jiha holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in economics from the New School University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Fordham University. He served as an adjunct Professor of macroeconomics at the New School’s Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy, and as an adjunct Professor of economics and statistics at the Long Island University. He is the author and co-author of many academic papers, including “A Note on Inflation in Haiti: Evidence from Co-integration Analysis” in Social and Economic Studies, March 1995; “The Growth and Stability Trade Off: An Application of the Markowitz Portfolio Theory to the New York City Employment Mix” in Research in Public Policy Analysis and Management (JAI Press, 1998); and “Misguided Policies and Economic Underdevelopment: A Case Study of Haiti, 1970-89,” Papers on Latin America # 41, The Institute of Latin American and Iberian Studies: Columbia University, 1996.

A frequent public speaker, Jiha has been quoted extensively in the Economist, The New York Times, The New York Daily News, The New York Post, New York Newsday, Crain’s New York Business, and the Bond Buyers. He is listed in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in America, and in Who’s Who in Finance and Industry. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his achievements, leadership, and community services, including the Manhattan Borough President Special Recognition Award, the Vice Chancellor’s Achievement Award from the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies, the Outstanding Achievement Award from The Haitian American Alliance, and the Haitian American United for Progress Achievement Award.