Jeff Greenfield, a lifelong resident of Rockville Centre and business owner in Lynbrook for about 40 years, is a man of many titles. He has held positions with numerous Long Island organizations, including the Rockville Centre Board of Zoning Appeals, the Nassau County Planning Commission (of which he has been chairman for the last six years) and the Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce. In December, Sen. Dean Skelos appointed Greenfield to the Long Island Power Authority Board. LIPA took much scrutiny for the way the it responded to customers in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, but Greenfield thinks he can help make improvements.

He recently sat down with the Herald to discuss his new position and what he hopes to accomplish.

When were you approached to become a member of the LIPA Board?
Sen. Skelos approached me in early fall [pre-Sandy] because he had a vacancy to appoint and I declined at that point. I appeared at the Moreland Commission hearing [in December] as the vice president of the Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce to express our collective frustration with the 12 days of no power in downtown Atlantic Avenue in Lynbrook, and I gave them a number ideas on lessons learned.

The day after the Moreland Commission I called Sen. Skelos and asked him if his offer to be appointed was on the table because now I was interested. I wanted to help, I wanted to make a difference and I also knew the new [LIPA] Chairman [Lawrence Waldman].

What was your initial reaction?
I was flattered.

What did you know about the position going in?
I went on the website and spoke to the chairman[Waldman] before calling back Sen. Skelos after the Moreland Commission. I also kept up with all the press accounts.

What does your position on the LIPA board entail?
The chairman [Waldman] has appointed me the to chair of the Energy and Renewable Resources Committee and I sit on the Transition Committee. So I will guide the future of LIPA, post-Sandy.