NEWS + INSIGHTS

The 2025 Westchester Power 100

The most influential leaders of the suburban county.

Westchester County doesn’t fit neatly into simple categories. Known for its leafy residential communities, it’s also where several Fortune 500 companies have their headquarters. Elected officials and real estate developers have prioritized the creation of more affordable housing in recent years, and yet experts say the lack of adequate housing remains a crisis. Once an overwhelmingly white enclave, Westchester is now home to large numbers of Black and Hispanic residents – including such political power brokers as state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Ways and Means Committee Chair J. Gary Pretlow. And while the county is largely dominated by Democrats, much of it is represented by Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican.

City & State’s Westchester Power 100 identifies and ranks the key power brokers in the county, including politicians, business CEOs, hospital executives, university presidents, nonprofit leaders and other movers and shakers. The list, researched and written in partnership with journalist Aaron Short, also highlights some newcomers, including the new district attorney, the recently promoted head of the Metro-North Railroad and, of course, the new county executive.

We’re pleased to present the Westchester Power 100.

35. Dean Bender, Elizabeth Bracken-Thompson & Geoffrey Thompson

Newspaper industry veterans Dean Bender, Geoffrey Thompson and Elizabeth Bracken-Thompson have built Thompson & Bender into a public relations, marketing and advertising powerhouse in Westchester. The firm helped to brand Yonkers as “Hollywood on the Hudson” as Lionsgate opened a new studio in the city. When the Westchester Parks Foundation needed to raise public awareness for its fundraising efforts, the firm launched a “Parks Need You” campaign. The firm also helped to run Westchester Magazine’s annual Food & Wine Festival. Bender, Thompson and Bracken-Thompson are veterans of Gannett newspapers, giving them deep knowledge of how Westchester works.

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