Meet The Team
Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, ME, LLM - Executive Director & President
Monroe, born in Port Chester and a graduate of King Street Elementary School, went to middle school and high school in Maine, and then college in the south and DC, graduating from Franklin College in Lugano, Switzerland, where he learned how to speak French and Italian. From there, in a condensed version, he became a professional actor, wrote or co-wrote 8 books (one of which was a BN.com #1 bestseller), was nominated for a bronze star for combat service in Iraq (resigning as a Captain, Intelligence), became a lawyer, worked as a public defender in Westchester, and then taught English in Shanghai, China for a year, where he also learned how to 对啊，我会说汉语啊 quite well！ He also co-wrote, produced, co-directed, and co-starred in the horror-comedy feature film, "You Can't Kill Stephen King" that got sold at Cannes in France to over 15 international territories (including the USA), volunteered in Haiti as an EMT after the earthquake, spoke at organizations and schools around the world in more than five countries, and became an Ostrich riding champion in South Africa. Monroe recently earned his PhD in psychology from Capella University and is now the executive director of Break Diving, Inc., a not-for-profit with one mission: helping individuals find success in life. He continues to practice law as a sole practioner, focusing on entertainment contracts for actors, producers, musicians, models, and other entertainers, and recently studied hard to become a Ruby on Rails web developer and coder (he coded this site). His latest mission? Returning the historic Tappan Zee name to the bridge that rightly deserves it. Monroe's adventures around the world have taught him that a people's history is one of the most important parts of its culture and identity. He believes wholeheartedly that no name more deserves to be on our new Tappan Zee than... Tappan Zee!
Christopher McCormick, Vice-President & Secretary
Christopher grew up in North Salem in Westchester County. Educated at Rochester Institute of Technology with a BFA in Industrial Design, he is a creative, insightful problem solver, and a passionate family man. Today, using his creativity to solve problems and seeing the tangible results of his efforts is what he most enjoys. His design experience is eclectic, to include business entrepreneur and owner, working in the special effects industry for movies and television in Hollywood, working on major holiday window displays in NYC (as well as other cities), various graphic design projects, building residential homes, managing construction projects, consulting on capital projects, operating heavy equipment, and working as a highly skilled carpenter and master high end custom concrete fabricator. He has traveled to Europe and Asia for both business and pleasure and has lived/worked in CA, FL, CT, and NY. Besides his perpetual appetite for all things creative and design, Christopher enjoys time with his wife and son, exploring/hiking the local areas, sports, and motorcycle riding. He also has an avid interest in history, especially the extremely ancient history of our planet (think: megalithic structures).
James Dorato, M.B.A. - Treasurer
Jimmy grew up in the Albany area, but his adventures in undergrad and business school took him to NYC on a regular basis, and each time, he'd drive over the Tappan Zee Bridge. Jimmy is passionate about business, and is currently working in that field, but he is now also passionate about preserving history for future generations. He believes that it is imperative that we know about the people that came before us, recognizing the shoulders on whom we now stand, and learning about the world in which we grew up through the living history that still stands before us. In his free time, Jimmy enjoys traveling, scuba diving, and golfing... and snowboarding when it gets too cold to be out on the course!