The New York Racing Association today announced the appointment of Hal Handel to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, effective September 10.

Handel, 60, departs Greenwood Racing of Bensalem, PA, where he has been Chief Executive Officer since 1998. In that role, he oversaw the renovation of Philadelphia Park’s grandstand in 2000 and the development of New Jersey’s first off-track wagering facility, "Favorites," which opened in Vineland in 2007.

Previously, he held leadership roles at the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority’s Meadowlands and Monmouth Park, where he was General Manager from 1986 to 1991 and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from 1991 to 1998. During his tenure he facilitated the transition in 1986 of Monmouth Park from a public company to a state-owned racetrack operated by the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority. Handel also furthered development of the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands and Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park into benchmark racing events.

Handel, a graduate of Rutgers University, earned his law degree at Seton Hall University in 1972. During his four years as Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey Organized Crime & Special Prosecutions Unit, Handel supervised the investigation of the Tony Ciulla race fixing case. Handel joined the New Jersey Racing Commission in 1977, serving first as Counsel, then Deputy Director and finally as Executive Director from 1983 to 1986.

“I have known Hal Handel for more than 20 years and consider him one of the very best racing executives in the country,” said NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward. “Hal brings to NYRA a broad portfolio of experience including account wagering, off-track betting, horsemen’s relations and strong leadership skills. He will be a huge addition to the NYRA management team.”

Handel has served in a variety of other leadership roles in horse racing as well. He was formerly a trustee of the American Horse Council, Chairman of the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau, Director of Harness Tracks of America and has been a director of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations since 1986, including a two-year term as the organization’s president.

“I am honored to join the superb management group NYRA has put together,” Handel said. “Through the leadership of Chairman Steve Duncker, an activist Board of Trustees, and CEO Charlie Hayward, NYRA has reinvented itself at the very highest levels of accountability and integrity and has a brilliant vision for leading the racing industry in the United States. I share their commitment to make that vision a reality.”

Handel’s wife, Sheila, is a licensed diabetes educator and RN at Princeton Medical Center. Their son, Matt, is a senior at Haverford College in Haverford, PA. The Handels have residences in Cranbury, NJ, and New York City.