About Sunnyside Shines

Sunnyside Shines is a business improvement district (BID) covering all properties fronting Queens Boulevard from 38th Street to 50th Street, as well as Greenpoint Avenue from Queens Boulevard to mid-block between 42nd and 43rd Streets.

Dirk McCall de Palomá is the Executive Director of Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District.  Previously, Dirk served as the Director of Civic Engagement for Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and as the Director of External Affairs to Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. 
 
He has an over thirty year career in government, non-profits and political activism, and has worked in such roles as Director of Communications at Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Executive Director of the Bronx Community Pride Center, Executive Director of the Greenwich Village-Chelsea Chamber of Commerce (GVCCC) and as Chief of Staff to NYC Councilmember Alan Jay Gerson. 
 
In his political work, Dirk served as the President of the Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC, the largest LGBTQ club in NYS State, and has been a member of their Board of Directors for more than 30 years.  Dirk ran the campaign of NYC Councilmember Mark Weprin in 2009, and served as Deputy Campaign Manager for Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney in 2010. 
 
Married to a Colombian, Dirk is engaged with the Latino communities of NYC and serves on the board of Somos New York, and on the Advisory Board to Casa de las Americas at LaGuardia Community College.  A transplanted Southerner living in NYC for decades, Dirk was raised in a military family, growing up on Army bases throughout the South. A longtime resident of Astoria, in Western Queens, Dirk was one of the Grand Marshalls for the 2005 Queens Pride Parade and still coordinates AstoriaCentric and Out Astoria.

Evelyn Chango was born and raised in Sunnyside, Queens, the neighborhood she serves as Deputy Director of the Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District. Raised in a bilingual Ecuadorian family, she is deeply connected to her roots and community. She lived through the transformation of Western Queens into a diverse community, over 50% Latino with large pockets of various Asian communities.

A graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, she has a passion for public service and works with the merchants of Sunnyside to help them overcome language barriers that prevent them from seeking support from the city, the state, the federal government, and various support programs from banks and other lenders. She is adept at social media and has grown the Sunnyside Shines social media footprint from 4K to 12K in one year on Instagram. She writes and curates the What’s In Sunnyside weekly newsletter and handles the merchant bulletins, which feature local business people and their establishments. Evelyn started as a part-time assistant at the BID and was soon promoted to Program Manager, and then in June 2023, to Deputy Director.

Daniel Flores Alvarado is a multi-faceted professional with a diverse background in the culinary and creative industries. Daniel thrives in his current role as a Marketing Manager in the Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District, with innovative ideas to increase local foot traffic and a technologically advanced approach in multiple channels. Daniel assumes various roles including Beverage Director and Brand Manager for De Mole restaurants in NYC, as well as founder of Super Pixels LLC. He thrives in dynamic environments where he can blend his passions for design, hospitality, and brand development. Accredited in Graphic Design at NYU SCPS Certification. Daniel's journey has led him through various roles, from content creation to web design, each contributing to his versatile skill set.

He has had the pleasure of immersing himself in the intricacies of graphic design for the local non-profit Sunnyside Shines while simultaneously shaping the brand identity and marketing strategies for De Mole restaurants. Daniel’s experience has equipped him with a holistic understanding of both the visual and strategic aspects of brand management.