Dr. Gerrard Bushell’s story began in Brownsville, Brooklyn and Mount Vernon New York, but his summers in Trinidad & Tobago shaped the foundation of his life’s work. As a young child, his mother, Shirley, an entrepreneur, sent him to Trinidad during summers to keep him out of trouble and off the streets of Brooklyn and Mount Vernon. When in Trinidad he was under the care of his grandparents Iris and Charles, the founders of Trinidad’s very own Charlie’s Black Pudding restaurant, where he learned far more than how to scrub floors or balance accounts; he learned discipline, resilience, and the pride that comes with ownership. Those early lessons instilled in him a conviction that hard work, when matched with vision, can transform lives and communities.
Guided by his mother’s wisdom and his grandparents influence, Dr. Bushell was given the opportunity to read and study the research of Dr. Eric Williams, the first Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, who led the country to independence. For Gerrard, Dr. Eric Williams became a model of scholarship, leadership, and service. Shirley reminded her children that success was not just personal; it carried a responsibility to uplift others and leave the world better than they found it.
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That ethos has defined Dr. Bushell’s career. Most notably, he was President & CEO of The New Terminal One (NTO) consortium where he lead the development, financing, and closing of the most complex infrastructure undertakings in the nation, a $9.5 billion, 2.4 million-square-foot international terminal at JFK Airport. Even in the face of a global pandemic, he renegotiated with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to deliver a transformative world class air terminal that has delivered thousands of jobs for labor and residents across Queens and New York. In addition, he has delivered more than $1.3 billion in MWBE partnerships and more than $600 million in local participation.
Dr. Bushell’s leadership spans finance, government, academia, and the arts. He has held numerous leadership roles. He raised billions in institutional capital at BNY Mellon, KKR, and Citi, and held senior roles in New York government and labor under Comptroller Carl McCall, Councilmember C. Virginia Fields, and District Council 37. He was also nominated and approved by the New York State Senate to serve as the President & CEO of DASNY, the nation’s largest issuer of infrastructure financing and construction.Â
Today, in addition to his leadership roles as a Senior Advisor & Operating Executive at Carlyle and Chair of CAG Holdings, Dr. Bushell is also as an adjunct professor of political science at Columbia University, and he proudly contributes to cultural life in New York as a member of the board at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
From his roots in Brooklyn and Trinidad and Tobago to the boardrooms and classrooms where he leads today, Dr. Bushell’s journey is defined by a consistent purpose: to combine scholarship, and leadership in the service of others, and build lasting institutions that strengthen communities and shape the future.
