City & State NY _ Albany Risingstars 2016 by City & State

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New York’s Hospitals and Doctors Have the Nation’s Highest Medical Malpractice Costs—That Makes No Sense Despite fewer adverse events and scoring high on numerous quality measures, New York’s world-class hospitals and doctors spend billions annually on medical malpractice costs—by far the nation’s highest. It’s stark proof of a deeply flawed system. Let’s not make things even worse. We urge the NYS Legislature to reject any bills that would increase medical malpractice costs and weaken the ability of doctors and hospitals to deliver high-quality care.

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Contents 6 … JAKE ADLER 7 … LOREN AMOR 10 … GREG BIRYLA 11 … DANA CAROTENUTO RICO 13 … RON CASTORINA, JR. 14 … KATIE CODEY 16 … APRIL M. CORRIGAN, ESQ. 17 … GABRIEL COWLES 20 … KRISTEN E. CURRAN 21 … JOSEPH DEROSA 24 … KEVIN EITZMANN 26 … DAVID FRIEDFEL 27 … JASMINE GRIPPER

EDITOR’S NOTE Everyone knows who the three men in the room are. A top prosecutor has become wellknown for targeting public corruption. And any number of elected officials, advisers, advocates and reporters have made names for themselves in the halls of the state Capitol. In this issue, we shift the spotlight to a lesser-known group: Albany’s next generation of leaders. Our annual list of the state’s most promising young political talent is as impressive as ever, featuring top aides, key lobbyists, young entrepreneurs and more – all of them under the age of 40. Who knows? One of them might be the next governor. Another could rise to lead the Senate or the Assembly. In the decades ahead, many of them are sure to become influential players in state politics and government. So without further ado, we present this year’s Albany 40 Under 40 Rising Stars. —Jon Lentz, senior editor

30 … MATTHEW HAMILTON 31 … SCOTT HOBSON 32 … MORGAN HOOK 33 … JAHMILA JOSEPH 36 … LACEY R. KELLER 37 … JESSICA LADLEE 38 … HEATHER LEIBOWITZ 39 … SONIA LINDELL 40 … JONATHAN S. MCCARDLE, ESQ. 42 … KRISTEN MCMANUS 43 … THOMAS MEARA 44 … ADAM MOREY 45 … JOSÉ M. PAULINO 48 … HILLARY PECKHAM 49 … JOSEPH POPCUN 50 … DAVID PREVITE 52 … CASSIE MARIE PRUGH 53 … KYLE R. SEELEY 54 … REID SIMS 55 … STEVEN A. TOFF 56 … CANDIS TOLLIVER 57 … NICOLE L. WEINGARTNER 60 … KRISTINA WIENEKE 61 … JAIME WILLIAMS 63 … MAUREEN WREN 64 … VIVIAN YEE 66 … MARIE ZIMMERMAN

Profiles by JEFF COLTIN, SAMANTHA GROSS, ASHLEY HUPFL, JON LENTZ, GABE PONCE DE LEÓN, DAN ROSENBLUM, JUSTIN SONDEL and SARINA TRANGLE

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EDITORIAL editor@cityandstateny.com Editorial Director Michael Johnson mjohnson@cityandstateny.com Senior Editor Jon Lentz jlentz@cityandstateny.com Albany Reporter Ashley Hupfl ahupfl@cityandstateny.com

City & State is the premier multimedia news organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy. Our indepth, non-partisan coverage serves New York’s leaders every day as a trusted guide to the issues impacting New York. We offer round-the-clock coverage through our weekly publications, daily e-briefs, events, on-camera interviews, weekly podcast and more.

Buffalo Reporter Justin Sondel jsondel@cityandstateny.com City Hall Reporter Sarina Trangle strangle@cityandstateny.com Managing Editor Ryan Somers Associate Copy Editor Sam Edsill Web/Engagement Editor Jeremy Unger

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Vol. 5 Issue 23 June 13, 2016

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Jake Adler

NEW YORK DIRECTOR FOR POLICY, ORTHODOX UNION

Birthday: 5/29/1986

Twitter: @jakeaadler

Where did you go to college? Touro College What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? I’ll take the liberty of changing that to “politicians.” I think the framers had a good sense of compromise, and much of life, certainly in Albany, is about compromise.

AKE ADLER IS one of those adrenaline junkies who counts the budget slog among his favorite aspects of working in Albany. For Adler, who spearheads policy work in New York for the advocacy group Orthodox Union, the season starts in earnest when the governor releases his executive budget. Adler said he parses through the figures and immediately knows what the legislative session will be like. “In March, when you’re there every day, all day, and you go home at God knows what hour and you don’t see your family, and that final week, where they pass the bill, and they have to stop the clock – and it’s really April, but they’re going to say it’s still on-time – I love that,” he said. “It’s kind of a sick pleasure.” Adler left the New York City Council and joined Orthodox Union in 2013. At the end of 2014 he jumped at the chance to lead the group’s policy advocacy, which in New York centers around promoting legislation and budgets that benefit parochial schools, which Adler recalled his parents budgeting for during his formative years. “We’ve been able to put non-public schools on the map, and not in a bad way, in a good way,” Adler said, noting that he was particularly proud of successfully pushing for a New York City law requiring the city to pay for at least one security guard at religious and other non-public schools with 300 or more pupils. “That was historic.”

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D Loren Amor

POLITICAL DIRECTOR, DEMOCRATIC SENATE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE

Birthday: 10/28/1988 Twitter: @Loren_Amor Instagram: lamor1028 Where did you go to college? B.A., Harvard University, class of 2010 What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Barack Obama. He doesn’t get enough credit for what he’s accomplished, especially given the circumstances he faced. I think over time he’ll be viewed as one of our great presidents.

E M O C R AT S A R E optimistic that they’ll take the state Senate this fall. If they do, it’ll be a victory for Loren Amor. As political director for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, Amor works with an array of elected officials, candidates, staffers and supporters to win as many Senate seats as possible. “I feel great about our chances in the fall,” Amor said. “Presidential years tend to be better for Democrats overall. You have more people voting in New York, and that means more Democrats voting, more women, more younger people, a more diverse electorate, all groups who Democrats in general tend to perform well with.” The Queens native got his start right out college, when he helped reelect U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney. Amor then served as chief of staff for Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas before managing Grace Meng’s historic election as the first Asian-American member of Congress from New York. He then began working on state Senate races, which led him to his current position. But it’s not just about politics for Amor. “Politics is fun and exciting and running campaigns is exciting, but at the same time you’re trying to elect people who are going to do some in their communities and in our state,” he said. “Living my whole life in Astoria, Queens, and growing up here and being part of this community and watching the neighborhood and the city change throughout my entire life, I really wanted to do something where I could come back home and make an impact.”

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Q: WHAT’S ONE ISSUE THAT DOESN’T GET ENOUGH ATTENTION IN THE CAPITOL? We didn’t have enough space to show you every answer we received from our Rising Star honorees, but here are our favorites:

ETHICS

U P S T A T E

E C O N O M Y

PRISON REFORM

H OWB A D the taxi service

A COAT CHECK DURING WINTER MONTHS PUBLIC AUTHORITIES AND

in Albany is

THEIR POWER OVER STATE MONE Y

THE CITY OF ALBANY ITSELF

REALIT Y

W O M E N ’ S I S S U E S

THE L ACK OF QUALIT Y FOOD

OP TIONS IN THE CONCOURSE

Property Tax

Relief

Jeez...where DoI

Start?

TH E FAC T THAT LOB BY I ST S HAVE TO WAIT IN LINE FOR SECURITY WITH THE GENERAL PU B LIC R ATH E R THAN HAV ING A SPECIAL, EXPEDITED ENTRANCE INTO THE CAPITOL

Liberty

The lack of quality food options in the concourse

CONGRATULATIONS EXECUTIVE MPA CLASS OF 2016 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Empowering graduates to build strengths and contribute to organizational growth for more information, visit

www.baruch.edu/spa/empa

Johanna Arteaga Leydy Avila Sarah Axelson Laura Bauer Sharon Brooks Anthony DiRuggiero Leah Hebert Maria Karlya Dena Libner Jason Loughran Danilo Parmegiani Dennis Pilla Samantha Schmidt Sara Sullivan Alicia Walton Matthew Weiler Erica Wszolek

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Q: WHO WILL BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?

Hillary Clinton

Donald Trump

81%

Don’t know

Caution Needed on Clean Energy Standard Costs B Y H E AT H E R B R I C C E T T I

There is little doubt that with a greater understanding of any issue New Yorkers can make better choices. With that spirit in mind, it should be noted that in a short period of time, The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) will make a series of decisions regarding the Clean Energy Standard (CES). The PSC’s ultimate determination will shape the future of not just New York’s energy policy, but our state’s economy. The CES requires that 50 percent of New York’s electricity be generated by renewable sources by the year 2030. New York currently generates just under 26 percent of its energy from renewable sources – ranking behind just three other states.

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In the past ten years, and at the direction of the PSC, the state has added approximately 2,000 megawatts of renewable electricity projects – a laudable figure. These projects combined produce about five million megawatt hours of electricity annually, which is impressive. But to meet the CES goals, the state would need to add that same amount every two years for the next 14 years, something that is simply not practical. The CES is extremely ambitious and, if implemented, would change the wholesale power markets and increase the cost of electricity in New York. How much will this ambitious plan cost? Unfortunately, we don’t know – and that’s part of the problem. This past April, staff at the PSC released a cost study that was both inadequate and incomplete. The study’s shortcomings are further highlighted by the fact that in 2011 NYSERDA released a detailed and comprehensive 465-page report analyzing the development

of just 5,000 megawatts of solar – a significantly lower number than the PSC was tasked with examining. The cost study has been criticized by many due to its limited scope and lack of transparency. In May, The Business Council of New York State called upon the PSC to revisit and reissue a proper cost study. We believe the PSC commissioners owe it to the public to refuse to act upon the CES until the commission staff conducts a proper study. Once that is done, the state can make an informed determination as to whether or not the potential CES ratepayer impacts are just and reasonable. About the Author: Heather Briccetti is the President & CEO of the Business Council of New York State, a business advocacy organization representing the interests of large and small firms throughout the state. SPECIAL SPONSORED SECTION

WWW . A R E A - A L L I A N C E . O R G

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Greg Biryla EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNSHACKLE UPSTATE Birthday: 12/6/1983

Twitter: @UnshackleNY

Where did you go to college? St. Bonaventure University What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Teddy Roosevelt

REG BIRYLA’S JOB TITLE has been a lifetime in the making. The lifelong Western New Yorker speaks of his home region with great pride, and the inclination to fight to make it a better place to live and do business comes naturally, he said. “I take it very personal, what I do and what I’m trying to do, which is improve the economic climate for upstate New York, which will in turn stem the brain drain in upstate New York and stem the outmigration of population,” Biryla said. Bi r yl a h ad a n “eye op en i n g” experience in working on the hardfought, but ultimately unsuccessful, state Senate bid of Jack Quinn in 2010, and since then has followed his passion for politics, working for state Sen. Patrick Gallivan before coming to his current position, he said. Having been able to remain in New York state has been great for Biryla, he said, but he’s seen too many friends move to other parts of the country for opportunity. Working for Unshackle Upstate, he is trying to change that sit uat ion. Upstate has i m men se potential, but policy changes need to come about for that to be realized, he said. “All of these communities have so much to offer,” Biryla said. “What’s holding them back in a lot of ways and what has held them back for the last 50 years is Albany and a state government that makes this a very difficult place to do business.”

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Dana Carotenuto Rico CHIEF OF STAFF, NEW YORK STATE SENATE INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATIC CONFERENCE

Birthday: 10/24/1976

Where did you go to college? Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Brooklyn Law School What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Sen. Jeff Klein (of course!)

ANA CAROTENUTO RICO has worked her way up the ranks over the nine years she’s worked for state Sen. Jeff Klein. After graduating from Georgetown University and Brooklyn Law School, she started out as Klein’s district representative. Within one year, she was promoted to deputy chief of staff and oversaw his whole district operation. She also became his lead negotiator on housing policy, particularly during the foreclosure crisis. When the Independent Democratic Caucus was created in 2009, Carotenuto Rico began to travel to Albany and became policy director for Klein and the IDC. After this year’s budget was passed, she was promoted to chief of staff. Like many in politics, Carotenuto Rico enjoys being able to serve the public. “I think that the ability to affect people’s lives and see the effects you’ve had in their lives is probably one of the most rewarding things you can get out of life,” she said. “You know, you’re not making millions of dollars but I think that’s just as rewarding and that’s why I’ve stayed in politics and I’ve stayed with Senator Klein.” When not working in Albany, she enjoys staying close to home with a good book, and spends most weekends on her back porch reading. She’s also close with her family, who all live within five blocks of her. Carotenuto Rico and her husband also enjoy going out for nice dinners in the city. “That’s our guilty pleasure, I guess I’d say,” she said.

The City University of New York Congratulates

City&State and distinguished honorees Reid Sims, Director of Executive Chamber operations, Office of Gov. Cuomo (City College of New York) Jaime Williams, NYS Assembly Member (Kingsborough Community College – B.A.; Fordham – Masters Degree) Jasmine Gripper, Legislative Director, Alliance for Quality Education (Hunter College)

On the occasion of

Albany 40 Under 40 Event June 14, 2016 Benno Schmidt

CHAIRPERSON, BOARD OF TRUSTEES

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James B. Milliken CHANCELLOR

CUNY.EDU CUNY TV-Channel 75 6/10/16 5:01 PM

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Where did you go to college? JD SUNY at Buffalo School of Law, Buffalo, New York; BA, Saint Francis College, Brooklyn, New York What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Theodore Roosevelt

Ron Castorina Jr. ASSEMBLYMAN Birthday: 11/29/1979

IKE MANY WHO get involved in politics, Assemblyman Ron Castorina was first drawn in by public service. While working as an attorney he engaged in litigation on a pro-bono basis on public interest issues he felt strongly about. When New York City took away school bus service for seventh and eighth graders, Castorina successfully sued the city and the mayor to restore the service. He also successfully brought an action in federal court against the governor to compel him to call for a special election to fill former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm’s seat. “I don’t consider myself a politician and it’s not even politics that draws me - it’s the public service. I care very deeply about public service. I have a certain fire in my belly for helping my community and an opportunity arose where there was a vacancy (in the Assembly) and I decided to seize upon it.” Castorina, who also previously worked as a law clerk for judges and was a former Board of Elections commissioner in Richmond County, was elected in April to replace former Assemblyman Joseph Borelli in the 62nd Assembly District. When not litigating or legislating, he enjoys taking his boat out on the water. As an Assembly member, Castorina wants to focus on the heroin epidemic plaguing Staten Island and the rest of the state and education issues, such as the retooling of the Common Core standards.

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Katie Codey

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF STATE OPERATIONS, OFFICE OF GOV. ANDREW CUOMO

Birthday: 5/5/1980

LTHOUGH KATIE CODEY grew up in a politically active Irish American family, she wasn’t always convinced that she would end up falling in line. “As most teenagers do, I was pretty stubborn and rejected that,” Codey said. She went to law school and worked as a law clerk, but eventually the politics bug worked its way back into her life. “When I ended up in finance for a year, while I was there I kind of had this epiphany that I wanted to get into government,” she said. Codey went back to school, earning her master’s in public administration from the University of Georgia, but knew she wanted to return to the Northeast. Coming to New York City, she landed a job with former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn before coming on with the Cuomo administration in a policy role. Now she works on a number of levels, helping to shape policy, but also to work the political levers to get lawmakers on board with those policies. Codey, who describes herself as “allergic to inaction,” said she was drawn to city politics because of the visible and tangible impact that can be realized with local policies. That feeling has continued in her work on the state level, she said. “I feel really privileged to be as young as I am and get to do all the different things that I get to do,” Codey said.

Where did you go to college? Dartmouth College (college) Brooklyn Law School (JD) University of Georgia (MPA) What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Harry Truman

Unshackle Upstate’s Leadership Team Congratulates Greg Biryla and All of 2016’s “Rising Stars”

UNSHACKLEUPSTATE.COM

Connect With Unshackle Upstate

UNSHACKLE UPSTATE @UNSHACKLENY

FORDHAM UNIVERSIT Y congratulates

all of this year’s 40 Under 40 Rising Stars Albany award recipients including

Fordham University graduates JAIME WILLIAMS Member, New York State Assembly Graduate School of Social Service | Class of 2012

and

THOMAS MEARA Principal, Kivvit Gabelli School of Business | Class of 2010, 2011 eeo

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April M. Corrigan, Esq. ATTORNEY, CORDO AND CO. Birthday: 4/11/1989

Where did you go to college? Albany Law School, J.D. 2013, magna cum laude; The College of Saint Rose, B.A. Law/History & Political Science 2010, magna cum laude What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? John Adams

PRIL CORRIGAN’S FIRST exposure to lobbying came as a legislative intern at the Civil Services Employee Association Political Action Fund during her senior year at The College of Saint Rose. An Orange County native, Corrigan would return to the capital to attend Albany Law School and, in 2011, began interning at Cordo & Co. Now serving as counsel at the firm, Corrigan represents clients before the Legislature, executive offices, and various state agencies in areas such as workers’ compensation, state contracts, labor law, and the health, education, pharmacy and gaming industries. Since 2013, Corrigan has been working closely with CVS Health on advancing legislation authorizing limited-services health clinics located at CVS pharmacies that offer walk-ins and extended business hours. She also played a key role in passing language in the state budget that allowed Nassau OTB video lottery terminals to be opened at Resorts World New York City Casino. More recently, she has been working with the NYC District Council of Carpenters throughout the 421-a renewal process. “I may work on the same issue for years – and for some clients I have – but every day is different, and always interesting,” Corrigan said. Lobbying can be a tough business, and Corrigan said learning to be resilient is a must for those who take it up. Still, it never hurts to have a little moral support nearby, particularly during those late nights at the office. That’s where her beloved pug, Oscar, comes in. “He provides us therapy in the office,” Corrigan said.

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Where did you go to college? Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? FDR

Gabriel Cowles PROGRAM MANAGER, BUILD SMART NY, NYPA Birthday: 5/27/1982

Twitter: @gmcowles

S A STUDENT at the University of Vermont, G abr iel C owle s wa s intrigued by a course on sustainable design. When he graduated, he found himself working for a nonprofit energy consulting firm. He took calls from businesses seeking to improve their energy efficiency. As he spoke with small-business owners about t hei r da i ly operat ions, he realized how much he enjoyed learning about the nitty-gritty details of each enterprise. Every story was different, and the challenges presented by each business were invigorating. Now, almost a decade later, he is doing the same kind of problem-solving for state agencies. As the program manager for BuildSmart NY, he is helping agencies formulate and institute plans to improve their efficiency by 20 percent by 2020. “It’s a position that requires technical knowledge and also business sense and personal skills, an understanding of the politics of state agencies and what can and can’t be done,” he said. “One of the biggest challenges is the buy-in for this,” Cowles said. “It’s an executive order, so obviously you can’t say no, but at the same time we’re talking about significant financial commitments we’re asking people to make. There are no incentives or grants that are set aside for this type of work, so agencies have to make hard decisions.” Helping agencies overcome the barriers they’re facing gives Cowles a sense of satisfaction and purpose. “It’s what happens to make me tick, I guess,” he said.

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Q: WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE FICTIONAL CHARACTER? Our Rising Stars’ favorite characters hailed from across the literary spectrum, from erudite classics to comic books to the latest TV hits.

Congratulations to our Rising Star

Kristen Curran

and to all the 40 Under 40 Honorees Robert A. Ungar Associates, Inc. Government and Media Relations Consultants Main Office: 200 Garden City Plaza Suite 201 • Garden City, NY 11530 • 516-227-2400 Albany Office: 150 State Street • 5th Floor • Albany, NY 12210

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APRIL M. CORRIGAN Frank Reynolds from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” GABRIEL COWLES Tyrion Lannister from “Game of Thrones” KRISTEN E. CURRAN The Dowager Countess from “Downton Abbey” JOSEPH DEROSA James Bond

JAKE ADLER Tony the Tiger or the Dread Pirate Roberts from “The Princess Bride.” It’s honestly a toss-up.

KEVIN EITZMANN Jon Snow from “Game of Thrones” DAVID FRIEDFEL Miss Havisham from “Great Expectations” JASMINE GRIPPER Storm from “X-Men”

GREG BIRYLA Peter Venkman from “Ghostbusters” DANA CAROTENUTO RICO Elizabeth McCord, from “Madam Secretary”

SCOTT HOBSON Capt. John Yossarian from “Catch-22”

KATIE CODEY Leo McGarry from “The West Wing”

HEATHER LEIBOWITZ Athena from “The Odyssey” by Homer SONIA LINDELL Donald Trump JONATHAN S.

LOREN AMOR Tyrion Lannister from “Game of Thrones.” People think it takes political chops to navigate Albany. Try King’s Landing.

RON CASTORINA Willy Loman from “Death of a Salesman”

JESSICA LADLEE Leslie Knope from “Parks and Recreation.” She’s ambitious and she’s there to make positive change for her community.

MATTHEW HAMILTON Frank Underwood from “House of Cards”

MORGAN HOOK Jack Torrance from “The Shining” JAHMILA JOSEPH Cookie Lyon from “Empire” LACEY R. KELLER Olivia Benson from “Law & Order: SVU”

MCCARDLE Perry Mason KRISTEN MCMANUS Elaine Benes from “Seinfeld” THOMAS MEARA Omar Little from “The Wire” ADAM MOREY Hank Scorpio from “The Simpsons” JOSÉ M. PAULINO Superman HILLARY PECKHAM Matilda JOSEPH POPCUN Indiana Jones DAVID PREVITE Winston Smith from “1984” CASSIE MARIE PRUGH Sydney Bristow from “Alias” KYLE R. SEELEY Batman

REID SIMS George Smiley from the John Le Carré novels STEVEN A. TOFF Mac McLeod, from Steinbeck’s “In Dubious Battle” CANDIS TOLLIVER Maleficent - the Angelina Jolie version. NICOLE L. WEINGARTNER Peter Rabbit KRISTINA WIENEKE Eilis Lacey (played by Saoirse Ronan) in movie “Brooklyn” JAIME WILLIAMS Dumbo MAUREEN WREN Shakespeare’s Falstaff VIVIAN YEE Mary Garth from “Middlemarch,” Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as imagined by Tom Stoppard ... or Ann Shirley. MARIE ZIMMERMAN Over time my favorite fictional character was Ariel from “The Little Mermaid,” then Nancy Drew, then Aladdin to Harry Potter.

The New York State AFL-CIO congratulates our own Kevin Eitzmann, as well as his fellow Rising Stars from the Labor Movement Jahmila Joseph of AFSCME DC 37, Jessica Ladlee of CSEA, Candis Tolliver of SEIU 32BJ, Cassie Marie Prugh of UFT and Steven Toff, NYSNA.

Best wishes to all of this year’s honorees.

New York State Mario Cilento, President Terrence L. Melvin, Secretary-Treasurer 100 South Swan Street, Albany, NY 12210 phone: 518-436-8516 50 Broadway, 35th fl, New York, NY 10004 phone: 212-777-6040 www.nysaflcio.org | connect with us on

AFL-CIO

Helping Working Families Achieve A Better Life

CityAndStateNY.com

Where did you go to college? Siena College Albany Law School What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Ronald Reagan

UST A FEW years out of law school, Kristen Curran found herself already jaded and bored. As a civil litigation lawyer, she was immersed in what she calls the “stuffed shirt” culture of “everybody suing everybody.” “I felt like I was living that bad reputation that lawyers have,” she said. She started searching for a job that would bring her a sense of meaning. She found that purpose at Robert A. Ungar Associates. “My clients are absolutely what drive me,” Curran said of the firefighters, police officers and correction officers she represents. “They’re some of the most passionate and real people I’ve ever met in my entire life. They all really treasure their careers. … They serve such important roles in our communities.” “Feeling like I can do what I’m capable of doing to help them get what they deserve and what they need for themselves and for their families … I feel like, even if it’s small, I make a positive impact in that way,” she said. In just three years, Curran has gone from knowing nothing about labor law to being fully immersed in the ins and outs of drafting legislation and persuading Albany lawmakers to get behind the measures, she said. The second-generation Albany native has worked on pension issues, and she has helped law enforcement officers secure the ability to continue to carry their weapons after retirement.

Kristen E. Curran ATTORNEY, ROBERT UNGAR AND ASSOCIATES

Birthday: 6/5/1986

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Joseph DeRosa LOBBYIST, BOLTON-ST. JOHNS

Birthday: 9/5/1983

OR JOSEPH DEROSA, politics was always in the family. It would turn up at the dinner table, or on a long car ride, which should come as no surprise considering it was DeRosa’s father, Giorgio, who in 1996 opened the Bolton-St. Johns Albany Office where DeRosa now works. In 2007, a founding partner of the firm asked DeRosa, then an intern, what interested him most. His response: clean energy. Since opportunities in that area were then limited, DeRosa went to the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority, where as a project manager he implemented clean energy policy. Now that the state has amped up its commitment to clean energy with the Reforming the Energy Vision initiative, DeRosa is well positioned to assist clients in working through the framework when a new programs is launched. “Clean energy is a huge opportunity to solve our environmental issues and at the same time strengthen the economy,” he said. DeRosa has already helped secure funding in the state budget to create a program, adm inistered by t he NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, which encourages municipalities to site hydrogen fueling stations to support zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The scope of DeRosa’s work, however, is not limited to clean energy. For instance, he recently helped a client successfully register for the state’s new medical marijuana program. In fact, one of DeRosa’s tips to political novices is: don’t be afraid to participate. “Government has a lot of moving parts, and can be intimidating, but if you invest in learning how things work, you may be amazed at what can be accomplished,” DeRosa said.

Where did you go to college? Indiana University, School of Public & Environmental Affairs What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? FDR

CityAndStateNY.com

Q: WHAT ONE WORD WOULD YOU USE TO DESCRIBE ANDREW CUOMO? We asked our honorees the one word they’d use to describe the governor. Here’s how they responded. (The bigger the word, the more honorees picked it.)

UNYIELDI

AUTO EFF

CONTROLLING IMPRESSIVE PRECARIOUS AGGRESSIVE BULLY

CALCULA

PRAGMATIC

RUTHLESS

DEDICATE

RESILIENT

POW ERFUL

HANDS-ON

KNOW WHAT TO DO Visit NYC.gov/knowyourzone or call 311 to find out what to do to prepare for hurricanes in NYC. #knowyourzone

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LDING

LEADER HEAVY-HANDED

TOCRAT FFECTIVE

DELUSIONAL

ATED

BOLD

MOTIVATED PETTY

EXECUTIVE

SOCIOPATH

DETERMINED

TRUE POLITICIAN

GRANDMASTER SMOOTH

ATED CUNNING

STRONG-WILLED

ENTERPRISING

CityAndStateNY.com

Kevin Eitzmann

DIGITAL DIRECTOR/ASSISTANT FIELD COORDINATOR, NEW YORK STATE AFL-CIO

Birthday: 12/11/1979

Where did you go to college? Empire State College What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Rep. Paul Tonko

Twitter: @nysaflcio

HEN KEVIN Eit zma n ta l ks about his outreach ca mpa ign s, he sometimes fights the perception that it’s all about social media. “It’s a small aspect of it,” Eitzman said. “It’s really about coming up with an entire comprehensive plan around what we’re doing.” Since he started there four years ago, Eitzman has grown his role to encompass a range of digital messaging. He helped increase the AFL-CIO’s Facebook followers from fewer than 800 to more than 30,000, expanded its email list from 1,200 to 65,000 and introduced text messaging campaigns. He also helped use technology to improve the ground operation for political races and other campaigns. After determining it would be cheaper to replace canvassers’ paper-based lists with iPhones, Eitzman’s team began to track responses almost immediately, which saved time, money and staff hours. The merger of union organizing and technology is a is a natural culmination to his former career at Verizon, where he started working in 2003, and became a shop steward and vice president of his Communications Workers of America local. “I started off digging ditches and climbing poles, and from being involved in the union and realizing we needed to do a better job of reaching our members where they are in their homes and on their computers and their phones, I started getting involved in the digital aspect of the work,” he said.

The 39,000 nurses of the New York State Nurses Association congratulate

Steve Toff Honoree of the 2016 City & State’s “40 Under Forty Rising Stars” Award We applaud his extraordinary accomplishments organizing working people and building unity in our communities. Keep up the good work!

nysna.org

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nynurses

@nynurses

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WHERE DID YOU GO TO COLLEGE? Touro College

David Friedfel

WHAT POLITICIAN, LIVING OR DEAD, DIRECTOR OF STATE STUDIES,DO YOU MOST ADMIRE? Barack Obama. He doesn’t get CITIZENS BUDGET enough credit for what he’s COMMISSION accomplished, especially given the circumstances he faced. I think over time he’ll be viewed as one of our great presidents. Birthday: 8/8/1980 Twitter: @davefriedfel

Where did you go to college? Bachelors of Arts, Public Policy and Political Science from Rockefeller College, UAlbany. Master of Arts in Public Policy, Rockefeller College, UAlbany. What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? FDR

OVERNMENT WORK IS in David Friedfel’s blood. “I grew up talking about state government with my parents,” Friedfel said. “My dad worked for the Department of Labor for 30 years. That was a pretty big influence.” In his role at the Citizen Budget Commission, Friedfel – who has previously worked for the Assembly, the state and Albany County – is now on the outside looking in, keeping tabs on what’s going on in Albany. Friedfel enjoys the broad lens that he gets to examine state government through in his current position, something he says can be more interesting than the attention to detail that needs to be paid to the everyday tasks at the local government level. In his work with the budget commission, he is able to step away from the politics of the Capitol and look at budget issues in an independent way, he said. “We look in a very objective way at the budget,” Friedfel said. “We just try to point out and make recommendations for those things we think aren’t being done in the most efficient and most effective method for taxpayers.” Friedfel said that while the state’s overall financial position has been improving in recent years, he and his colleagues at the commission still have plenty of work to keep them busy. “The state seems to be in a much better financial position,” Friedfel said. “We still haven’t made all those investments and those changes that we should be in order to really secure the state’s financial position going forward.”

CityAndStateNY.com

Jasmine Gripper LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR, ALLIANCE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION

Birthday: 10/4/1983

Twitter: @jasgripper

ASMINE GRIPPER CAME UP through the New York City public school system, and when it came time to choose a profession she envisioned a long career in the classroom. But after a couple years teaching first graders in Brooklyn, Gripper came to realize that “a lot of policies that affect the classroom are often made by decisionmakers who have no idea what it’s like to actually be inside a classroom.” In 2012, she moved to Cleveland to work as a field organizer for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. “That really opened my eyes to grassroots organizing, community building and advocacy,” Gripper recalled. After the election, she found a position that perfectly matched her talent for grassroots organizing with her love of education. The Alliance for Quality Education, a statewide advocacy group focused primarily on equity in education funding, was born out of a 1993 lawsuit brought by a group of New York City parents, in which the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that the state was failing to provide students with their constitutional right of a “sound basic education” or “meaningful high school education.” “The state has made some incremental increases in education funding, but it still owes billions of dollars to our schools,” Gripper said. For Gripper, the highpoint of every year is AQE’s annual advocacy day, which brings hundreds of parents from across the state to the capital to advocate for the public schools. “It’s always great when you have the people who are directly impacted by the schools coming up,” she said.

Where did you go to college? Hunter College-CUNY What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? John Lewis

CityAndStateNY.com

Q: WHAT ONE WORD WOULD YOU USE TO DESCRIBE PREET BHARARA? In our Power 100 list, City & State ranked the U.S. attorney the second most powerful person in Albany. How do our honorees describe him? (The bigger the words, the more people picked it.)

PRAISEWORTHY ANTAGONIST

REFORMING

DRIVEN

DETET

ARROGANT

CRUSADE AMBITIOUS DELIBERATE

PALADIN

THOROUGH RELENTLESS

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OVERBLOWN

AGGRESSIVE

TIGHT-LIPPED

PROSECUTOR BADASS

ERMINED TENACIOUS

UNAFRAID

CALCULATED

PRAISEWORTHY

MOTIVATED INCORRUPTIBLE

DELUSIONAL

HUNTING

SHERIFF

JUSTICE EFFECTIVE

This Year, Our New York State Policy Director

Jake Adler is one of City & State’s

“Albany Rising Stars: 40 Under Forty” We Congratulate Jake on This Well-Deserved Recognition and are Proud of the Critical Work He Does Every Day

OU-Teach NYS - A Project of the Orthodox Union OU-Teach NYS is the leading advocate for New York’s Jewish day school community

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Matthew Hamilton

REPORTER, ALBANY TIMES UNION

Birthday: 7/25/1992 Twitter: @matt_hamilton10

ID YOU KNOW Lake Champlain was once considered the sixth Great Lake? Or that Plattsburgh was a strategic point in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812? Matt Hamilton does. While he’s proud of his North Country home, this history buff has found the perfect office. “It’s just crazy that I get to go to work every day in the New York state Capitol that was built in the 1800s with marble hallways and these great staircases and chambers,” he said. “I don’t think a lot of people can say that where they work is a living museum.” Hamilton’s own history in the Capitol started with City & State, where he worked before joining the Times Union. While he loves the gamesmanship of politics, he’s best known for longer work, like his examination of how a pending Supreme Court case could affect Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos. “I’m most proud of when I get to have some fun with political analysis and break down how things happened and what it means going forward,” he said. Being one of the youngest reporters in the LCA has its challenges, with Hamilton admitting he has to work extra hard at building relationships. “To build the trust and to prove that you can keep ‘offthe-record’ off the record, that you can write a fair story when the time comes,” he said. “That’s what I strive to do above all else. People may not like what I’m writing, but I want them to recognize that it’s a fair story.”

Where did you go to college? SUNY Plattsburgh What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? FDR

CityAndStateNY.com

Scott Hobson

NEW YORK STATE GRASSROOTS MANAGER, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY Birthday: 2/20/1986

Where did you go to college? M.P.A., Rockafeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. B.A., SUNY Buffalo What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? There are certainly politicians I admire, but the person I think I admire most is Bill Nye for his activism in support of science, education, environmental protection and critical thinking.

HEN SCOTT HOBSON was hired by the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York in 2010, he was meant to be a generalist, helping the small organization on a variety of fronts. But once he was exposed to the legislative and lobbying work the group was doing, he was hooked. “I saw opportunity, really. The bottom line is this is how societies change. This is how people are given a voice. This is how our priorities as a culture are shaped,” he said. Hobson had always been interested in big, complex systems and understanding how they work, so the challenge of cracking the code of Albany fascinated him. Hobson now co-manages the state government program at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. In that role, he works on reducing cigarette use and increasing funding for cancer research. Right now, the organization is fighting to ban the use of e-cigarettes in indoor public spaces. “The mission is so incredible, and the work we do is so rewarding,” Hobson said. “It’s such a horrible disease. It’s such a terrible thing for anybody to go through. That’s really what gets me fired up. The fact that I love public policy and the fact that I like the day-to-day lobbying and working with people, that’s kind of just the icing on top.”

CityAndStateNY.com

Morgan Hook SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, SKDKNICKERBOCKER Birthday: 8/9/1977 Twitter: @morganhook

TIME OF DISARRAY

in Albany led to Morgan Hook’s personal ascent, he says. Wit h t he ra n ks of G o v. E l i o t S p i t z e r ’s staff thinning in the final weeks of his administration, Hook landed a job in the governor’s press office. Suddenly he found himself in a new administration, a nd fol low i ng more resignat ions he ultimately became Gov. David Paterson’s communications director. “Nobody benefitted personally from all those scandals more than I did, except for Andrew Cuomo,” he jokes now. Hook says he got a crash course in crisis management and public relations for a statewide figure. He is proud that he emerged relatively unscathed, he says. Hook went on to become assistant vice chancellor for communications at SUNY’s Office of the Chancellor. Now he is at SKDKnickerbocker, where he has represented clients from The Nature Conservancy to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. While many of Hook’s colleagues seem reluctant to leave New York City, he says he is very happy in Albany, where he can both work in a media center and live in a community with clear quality-of-life benefits for his three children. However, Hook says he often finds himself dismayed by what he calls Albany’s “chauvinistic,” male-dominated culture. The thing Hook loved about his former life as a journalist is the same thing he loves about his job now, he said. “It’s not the same thing every day,” he said. “You never know what you’re going to get.”

Where did you go to college? Boston University What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Barack Obama. In New York, Eric Schneiderman.

CityAndStateNY.com

Jahmila Joseph

ASSISTANT ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, DISTRICT COUNCIL 37

Birthday: 11/17/1985

HEN BILL DE BLASIO reached out to Ja h m i l a Joseph to see if she would join in him the New York City public advocate’s office, she jumped at the chance.

Joseph, who was working at the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators at the time, already knew that de Blasio was gearing up for a run for mayor. “Bill plucked me from there,” recounted Joseph, who became de Blasio’s chief of staff. “He said he was getting ready to do big things. I said, ‘I know, I read the blogs.’ And he asked me to come over, and I really believed in him as a candidate, and this is when we were at 6 percent, so that’s real love there. I went over, and the rest is kind of history.” During de Blasio’s transition to City Hall, Joseph then took on a role as executive director of intergovernmental affairs for New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. But the pull of union work proved too be too strong, and last year she took a job at District Council 37, New York City’s largest public-sector union, where she oversees political and legislative affairs. “It is wonderful to be working for working people,” she said. “I come from a working-class family, and the issues that we care about are the issues that were in my household growing up. It’s very easy for me to relate and to advocate for this group of people.”

Where did you go to college? The New School What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Nelson Mandela

CityAndStateNY.com

Q: IN ONE WORD, DESCRIBE THE STATE CAPITAL CULTURE. It’s a fact of life. Some people love where they work. They wake up in the morning and can’t wait to start the day. Others loathe it. Our honorees told us what they really feel about Albany and its culture.

BOOZY CALCULATED

INTERESTIN DIVERSE SM

COMPLICATED

AMBITIOUS BYZANTINE

ENDURING VACILLATING

RELAXED

PROGRESSIVE

CHAUVINISTICVOLATILE

CONTROLLING

DA N N Y D O N O H U E , P R E S I D E N T

Congratulations to Cs CsEa’ sEa E ’s own JESSICA LADLEE and all of th thE othEr 40 undErr 40 honorEEs rEprEsEnting rEprEsE Enting thE nExt gEnE gEnEration Eration of Ew York lE lEadErship EadErship. Ead nEw

9238_7.25X4.75Jessica Ad CS.indd 1

5/24/16 11:13 AM

CityAndStateNY.com

REBOUNDING

FRUSTRATED

HETEROGENEOUS

TING SMALLBANY DYNAMIC

CESSPOOL

SLEAZY

MYSTICAL

FRAT

COZY INVIGORATING

TROUBLINGUNPREDICTABLE INSTITUTIONALIZED

COMPLEX ECLECTIC INCESTUOUS VIBRANT SLOPPY OPAQUE

CONGRATULATIONS

TOM MEARA and all the 40 Under 40 nominees!

KIVVIT.COM

HANDS-ON

@TEAMKIVVIT

/KIVVIT

CityAndStateNY.com

Lacey R. Keller DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND ANALYTICS, OFFICE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC SCHNEIDERMAN

Birthday: 11/17/1985

ACEY KELLER DIDN’T set out to be a data analyst. In fact, most people would never have guessed that she would end up doing that kind of work, she said. “If you would have asked my family if I would be doing data work today they would have laughed at you,” Keller said. “I was not a detail-oriented kid whatsoever.” But after going to work in the Service Employees International Union’s analytics department she became captivated by the usefulness of data in telling and supporting a narrative, she said. “I really realized the power of data there,” she said. Now she uses the skills she developed while working with the union to help the Attorney General’s office support its positions in enforcing the laws of the land. “With every case we’re being asked to generate leads or tell a story, with the data,” Keller said. And in that work, Keller finds exciting the opportunity to synthesize the office’s findings into an analysis, rather than just reporting back the data. “You’re a librarian if you’re just returning answers,” Keller said. “Researchers tell good stories. That’s what we’re doing.” In the Attorney General’s office, Keller is able to do engaging work that can really make a difference in people’s lives, she said. “If I can make sure that my team helps the attorneys do their job better and faster and to be more effective at their jobs, then that’s what we want to do every day,” she said.

Where did you go to college? Washburn University, BBA in Economics; The New School, MA in Economics

CityAndStateNY.com

Jessica Ladlee

COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST, CSEA

Birthday: 6/26/1980

ESSICA LADLEE’S CAMPAIGNS aren’t often the type you’ll read about in the big papers, but she loves them just the same. “You’re helping the little person,” she said. “We’re bringing the message of the members on the ground up to Albany.” Representing civil servants in seven counties in the Hudson Valley, Ladlee can be found up and down the river, campaigning for initiatives like the Veterans Equality Act. A big win for CSEA, the new law will get all veterans working in government the chance to retire earlier with pension credits. While Ladlee has been with CSEA for 12 years, her roots run even deeper. Growing up in the Hudson Valley, she saw firsthand how great a civil service job had been for her grandmother. “She was the child of Norwegian immigrants and she wasn’t able to finish high school,” Ladlee said. “She was still able, as the mother of several children, to apply through Rockland County, take a civil service test and go to work in the Rockland County Department of Mental Health.” Inspired by her own family, Ladlee has found a second family at CSEA. With them, she can work – and celebrate. “There’s a huge thrill of victory when we do win a campaign and we’re able to save jobs, preserve services, there’s a lot of satisfaction that comes with that,” she said. “I’ve stayed here 12 years because I love what I do and I love the people I work with.”

Where did you go to college? Boston University What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

CityAndStateNY.com

Heather Leibowitz

STATE DIRECTOR, ENVIRONMENT NEW YORK

Birthday: 5/27/1987 Twitter: @HLeibowitz_

EATHER LEIBOWITZ learned the importance of the environment by goi ng to t he Au st ra l ia n Outback. Then an anthropology major, she traveled there during a study abroad program and stayed with an Aboriginal family. “It really became apparent to me while I was there that there were various environmental concerns, including conservation issues, where the land that was not only very beautiful but also culturally significant was being threatened,” she said. She wanted a job where she could address those challenges and enrolled in law school, where she became involved in environmental issues at a global and national level. Through her program, Leibowitz helped represent the Dominican Republic in the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, and interned with the criminal-enforcement wing of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Now she focuses more locally as state director for Environment New York. There, she coordinates resources, builds coalitions with other groups and works with the press to share the 15 reports it releases in a typical year. She’s worked on campaigns to fight waterway pollution, reduce greenhouse emissions and promote renewable energy. “Whenever we reach out to New Yorkers, they really do care about some of these issues,” she said. She said she remains optimistic and partially credits her determination to ice skating and playing ice hockey, beginning as a toddler. “I think that being involved in sports so competitively since I was young helped set me up to succeed later in the sense that I was just very determined,” she said.

Where did you go to college? Pace Law School What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Mahatma Gandhi

CityAndStateNY.com

Sonia Lindell MANAGER OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF NEW YORK STATE

Birthday: 8/22/1982

OR SOMEONE WHOSE voice is heard in the corridors of Albany, Sonia Lindell, a manager of government a ffa i rs for t he Busi ness Council of New York State, had to overcome something surprising: a fear of public speaking. “I used to be extremely shy and I would get terrible anxiety at public speaking, even on a conference call. It was bad,” she said. She’s since made a statement at the Business Council, which represents thousands of firms across the state. She started there in 2011 after working in communications and as a researcher at the state Assembly. Now in government affairs, the SUNY Albany graduate focuses on writing legislative memos, calling lawmakers, setting up meetings and providing testimony. Lindell specializes in contract procurement, consu mer issues a nd educat ion/ workforce development, and said she’s also excited to expand the “InternShop” initiative that connects SUNY students to internships with BCNYS members. Lindell said a personal highlight is seeing legislation she worked on pass the State Legislature and get signed into law. One such example was a change to contract procurement law that standardizes debriefings for unsuccessful bidders that was included in this year’s state budget agreement. “It doesn’t happen that often,” she said of helping get new laws passed. “But when it does it’s a rewarding feeling.”

Where did you go to college? SUNY Albany What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Nelson Mandela

CityAndStateNY.com

Where did you go to college? Siena College, 2007; Albany Law School, 2013 What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Theodore Roosevelt

Jonathan S. McCardle, Esq. ATTORNEY, FEATHERSTONHAUGH, WILEY & CLYNE Birthday: 3/19/1984

LBANY IS WHERE Jonathan McCardle grew up, where he stayed for both college and law school, and (naturally) where he is now making his mark as a lawyer and lobbyist. Representing clients in Featherstonhaugh, Wiley & Clyne’s government relations as well as its legal practice, McCardle, who specializes in litigation and administrative law, has found that the work he does for each practice ultimately complements the other. “I’m often dealing with the state agencies and determinations that state agencies have made in relation to private business interests,” he explained. One of his career highlights, for instance, has been successfully litigating the New York City soda ban lawsuit. “The case taught me that there are three separate branches of government, and each one has a separate and distinct function that should not directly interfere with another branch’s role,” he said. A s a lobby i st , Mc C a rd le h a s represented clients in the areas of racing and gaming, as well as financial services. One of the most important functions of a lobbyist, in his view, is educating elected officials about their clients’ interests. “Finding something that you really enjoy learning about and getting to the point where you can educate others is critical,” he said. For McCardle, the racetrack is one venue that encapsulates a passion both personal and professional. In the eyes of this Albany lifer, nothing can beat spending a summer day at the historic Saratoga Race Course. “I proposed to my wife in the winner’s circle two years ago,” he recalled.

The United Federation of Teachers SALUTES SALUTES

City & State ON ON ITS ITS

40 under 40 Rising Stars We We join join in in celebrating celebrating this this year’s year’s honorees, honorees, including including our our own own CASSIE CASSIE PRUGH, PRUGH, UFT UFT Assistant Assistant to to the the President President

for for their their work work improving improving New New York York through through government, government, politics politics and and advocacy. advocacy.

United United Federation Federation of of Teachers Teachers Michael Michael Mulgrew, Mulgrew, President President

52 52 BROADWAY, BROADWAY, NEW NEW YORK, YORK, NY NY 10004 10004 •• WWW.UFT.ORG WWW.UFT.ORG CS0016_FP.indd 1

6/10/16 12:24 PM

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Kristen McManus

LEGISLATIVE ANALYST/ POLITICAL STRATEGIST, AARP Birthday: 5/28/1985 Twitter: @kristenmcmanus

Where did you go to college? B.A., SUNY Albany What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Eleanor Roosevelt

RISTEN MCMANUS k nows f u l l wel l t he reputation that Albany has: impenetrable, slowmoving, baffling. All the more reason, she says, to work there. “Because it is so difficult to navigate, and I think the average citizen doesn’t rea l ly f u l ly gra sp eit her what’s happening or how they can effect change in the state Legislature, I almost take it on as my responsibility to be able to look out for the average consumer, for the average everyday New Yorker, and try to do everything I can to make sure that their voices are being heard,” she said. In her more than five years in the office of Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, McMa nu s worked on con su mer protection measures and efforts to spur renewable energy development. Since joining the AARP, she has helped make New York paid family leave a reality, and she’s working to expand access to retirement savings programs. At first glance, these seem like issues most relevant to her peers, but they are also primary concerns of the older adults who care for family members, she said. McManus felt drawn to the mission of AARP because of its connection with social justice, she said. “Agism is one of t he forms of oppression that people forget,” she said. “This is a form of discrimination that every single person is going to face at some point in their life.”

CityAndStateNY.com

Thomas Meara

PRINCIPAL, KIVVIT

Birthday: 10/15/1988

Twitter: @tmeara27

Where did you go to college? Fordham University Graduate School of Business What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Joe Crowley

HOMAS MEARA GOT his start volunteering on campaigns in his home borough of Queens, where his family had been active in local politics. Soon he was reading the blogs, newspapers – all the political news he could find. “It’s the bug that people catch when they work on campaigns,” Meara said. “It becomes something you can’t live without.” Public affairs, however, is Meara’s second career. After graduate school, he was a tax consultant for Deloitte. “But politics was where my heart was,” said Meara – whose heart is also in Bayside, the Queens neighborhood he grew up in and still calls home. Meara ultimately found a niche at the intersection of politics, business and media. He said he’ll never forget his first day at Kivvit, then M Public Affairs, where reading those clips was part of the job. “That’s when I knew I’d made the right career choice,” Meara said. At Kivvit, Meara applies that media expertise to amplify a message. Recently, he’s been working on the Up4NYC campaign for prevailing wages in 421-a developments. Any number of variables can influence a policy outcome, some inevitably beyond one’s control. Meara’s advice to political newcomers, therefore, is to focus on what you can control. “There are a ton of really smart people that work in this industry, so there are not going to be too many rooms where you walk in and are the smartest person,” Meara explained. “But what you can do is make sure you outwork everyone else in that room, make sure you know the most (about an issue).”

CityAndStateNY.com

Adam Morey

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS SPECIALIST, LAWSUIT REFORM ALLIANCE OF NEW YORK Birthday: 12/27/1986

S GENERAL OPERATIONS manager of Albany’s Empire Wine & Spirits, Adam Morey purchased stock and handled marketing. When the state Liquor Authority threatened the store’s license because it was shipping alcohol to states where such transactions were banned, he got a firsthand education in the workings of Albany. While many have the perception that New York’s legislative process is slow, Morey saw stakeholders quickly spring into action over the regulatory issue, and he found himself immersed in an entirely different world. When the opportunity presented itself this year, he joined the small team at the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York. There, he puts the skills he built in retail marketing and customer service to very different use, he says. But just as he did representing Empire Wine & Spirits, at LRANY he is fighting to make New York’s business climate more friendly, he says. Morey particularly appreciates the new kinds of interactions and challenges that are now part of his daily work. It’s a far cry from helping someone select the right chardonnay. “There’s more human variables to it than selling products,” he said.

Where did you go to college? SUNY at Albany

CityAndStateNY.com

José M. Paulino

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SOMOS EL FUTURO

Birthday: 7/6/1979

Where did you go to college? State University of New York at Binghamton, MPA What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo

T 15, JOSÉ PAULINO left a small town in Orange County and went to Albany, where he participated in a mock legislative session as part of a Latino youth leadership program. At the time, Paulino was in awe of the architecture. Years later, he would work for the state Senate Democrats, firms lobbying the state and now Somos el Futuro, the nonprofit he credits with exposing him to the power of politics by funding the youth leadership initiative. “A lot of it was way above my head - I felt politics was something that old people spoke about. I never knew how much it really affected every aspect of my life when I was 15,” Paulino said. “But I was a product of Somos, really.” Last August, Paulino took the helm of Somos, which is dedicated to supporting Latinos in New York through biannual conferences and the internships, scholarships and apprenticeships funded through these events. Although Paulino would like the conferences to pivot more toward positive and proactive topics, he said the events often focus on issues facing Latino communities. For instance, the upcoming spring gathering will draw attention to the fiscal crisis in Puerto Rico, which Paulino said will have ramifications for New York. “Somos is more than just a conference,” he said. “Our workshops are very important to open up a dialogue when it comes to issues of housing, health and the community and education, higher learning.”

CityAndStateNY.com

Q: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT OR BAR IN ALBANY? Wondering where to catch a bite, throw back a beer and hobnob with Albany’s up-and-comers? Here are the most popular spots among our honorees.

ALBANY

THE CITY BEER HALL

42 Howard St.

THE ORCHARD TAVERN

68 N. Manning Blvd.

THE POINT RESTAURANT & LOUNGE 1100 Madison Ave.

YONO’S AND DP, AN AMERICAN BRASSERIE

25 Chapel St.

CityAndStateNY.com

MCGEARYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S IRISH PUB

4 Clinton Square

THE HOLLOW BAR & KITCHEN

79 N. Pearl St.

CAFE CAPRICCIO

49 Grand St.

NEW WORLD BISTRO BAR

300 Delaware Ave.

PALAIS ROYALE

164 Jefferson St.

CityAndStateNY.com

Hillary Peckham

COO, CO-OWNER AND FOUNDER, ETAIN, LLC Birthday: 6/12/1991 Twitter: @etainLLC

Where did you go to college? Hamilton College, B.S. What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Former state Sen. Tarky Lombardi

HEN HILLARY P E C K H A M ’s grandmother was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease and was approaching the end of her life, she was put on one medication after another and little attention was paid to her quality of life. So when New York legalized medical marijuana in 2014, Peckham and her mother were inspired to create a company in the hopes of improving care, primarily for elderly patients. “This is something that can really help a lot of people who are on 20 medications go down to about two medications, (so they) can sleep through the night and can function better during the day,” Peckham said. “So this is something that provides quality of life – something I felt that my grandmother wasn’t given.” At age 18 Peckham temporarily lost the use of her legs after a failed hip surgery, and she still deals with chronic pain. But she didn’t want the addictive opioids or other drugs her doctors prescribed, and medical marijuana offered the chance of an alternative with fewer side effects. Peckham, who studied pre-med and biochemistry, helped launch Etain in 2014. Last year it was one of five companies (out of 43 applicants) to win a license, and in early 2016 it began to sell its products. Now the company serves 100 to 125 people a week.

CityAndStateNY.com

Where did you go to college? Doctoral program in Political Science at Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, University at Albany Master of Public Administration (MPA), Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, University at Albany Bachelor of Arts (BA) in International Relations, Syracuse University, Maxwell School and College of Arts & Sciences What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Robert F. Kennedy

Joseph Popcun POLICY ADVISER, PUBLIC SAFETY, OFFICE OF GOV. ANDREW CUOMO

Birthday: 12/8/1987 Twitter: @jpopcun

OSEPH POPCUN’S JOB is to keep New Yorkers safe, but he carries out that mission while keeping in mind the governor’s emphasis on progressive change. One example is the administration’s focus on re-entry for those exiting the corrections system. Popcun touted the governor’s Council on Community Re-Entry, which has made recommendations on issues like access to housing and health care. “A lot of that is channeling the best and the brightest ideas and people from the advocate field and having them propose ideas that will make life better for people who are returning from incarcerated status,” he said. “Really removing barriers has been fulfilling and at times challenging in understanding how bureaucracies function and especially how they interact with the public, and a vulnerable population at that.” Popcun’s job, at the intersection of policy and operations, entails interacting with senior administration staff, law enforcement and criminal justice and homeland security agencies. In the aftermath of the upstate prison break last year, Popcun helped deal with changing some of the oversight protocols and procedures for the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. A Syracuse native, Popcun spent time in Washington, D.C., as a Department of Homeland Security research analyst. He returned to New York to get a master’s degree at the University at Albany, and an internship with the governor’s office led to a permanent job. “It turned into a fellowship, and I’ve been there over three years now, in three main roles, the most recent on being policy adviser for public safety,” he said.

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Where did you go to college? Potsdam College, BA; University of Pittsburgh Grad School of Public Health, MPH; University of Pittsburgh School of Law, JD What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Abe Lincoln

D David Previte

PARLIAMENTARIAN AND SENIOR COUNSEL, NEW YORK STATE SENATE REPUBLICANS

Birthday: 6/25/1977

AVID PREVITE ALWAYS knew he wanted to work in the New York State Legislature. After earning his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh, he moved to Albany to work with the state Republican Party. “I served for five years as general counsel and COO, but I always had the intention and desire to work with the Legislature,” Previte said. “I enjoy almost all aspects of working for the Legislature, I really do, except for some of instances of staying up late; I find most of the work I’m involved with very interesting, and it’s all meaningful in its own way.” Previte has a particular interest in health policy, though he has expanded his policy responsibilities since joining the state Senate Republican conference as parliamentarian and senior counsel. In addition to his law degree, Previte also earned an MPA in health policy from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. “In my mind it’s always been interesting more so than other markets because it’s an imperfect market in terms of the common laws of supply and demand don’t really apply,” he said. “You’re trying to place a value on health and what an individual or society has to pay for those services and at the same time you have a need to control costs, and normal market principles don’t really apply to that equation, so it creates a dynamic that’s unique.” When he’s not working, Previte enjoys golfing or fly fishing.

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The Must-Read Morning Roundup of New York Politics and Government As an advertiser, an advocacy campaign including City & State First Read provides a targeted way to reach New York State’s most influential leaders and political professionals.

Contact Tom Allon at tallon@CityandStateNY.com for more information.

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Cassie Marie Prugh ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT, UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS

Birthday: 1/17/1978 Twitter: @cassieprugh

Where did you go to college? The College of Saint Rose Albany Law School What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Shirley Chisholm

ASSIE PRUGH DID NOT end up teaching, as many of her relatives do, but she didn’t stray far from education. Fresh out of law school, Prugh worked as the New York State United Teachers’ legislative representative in Albany. After working for the Assembly, a number of political campaigns and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Prugh took a position as assistant to United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew. “I come from a family – especially on my father’s side – of teachers,” she said. “So from the beginning, for me, I went to work for NYSUT very proud of the fact that I was representing folks like my family members, and moving onto the UFT this past year has sort of been like coming home.” Day-to-day, Prugh said she advises Mulgrew on politics and policy, covering everything from electoral strategies to lobbying legislators on matters of importance to educators. She closely monitors measures that would impact teachers as they head to legislative committees as well as the state budget – which this year she described as an accomplishment for the UFT. “You’ve seen record education funding, so that’s money going to schools and teachers and students, which is a very positive thing,” Prugh said. “This year, overall, has been a very good year for labor, and in particular for teachers, you know, you’ve seen victories like paid family leave and the $15 minimum wage.”

CityAndStateNY.com

Where did you go to college? Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Minor in History, Binghamton University, State University of New York What politician do you most admire? Tie between Robert F. Kennedy, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

KYLE R. SEELEY

SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE CHIEF OF STAFF AND SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER, OFFICE OF STATE COMPTROLLER THOMAS DINAPOLI

Birthday: 1/10/1989

Twitter: @krseeley

Y THE TIME he was 24, Kyle Seeley had already worked on city and congressional campaigns and put in time in the office of U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer. Still, it was an honor to be asked to take on the role of deputy mayor of Binghamton. Within months of taking the job, Seeley had an encounter with state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli that changed everything. In the course of helping to set up a joint press conference for the mayor and DiNapoli, Seeley briefed the comptroller. That night at another event, DiNapoli walked up to him, handed him a business card and told him to send over a resume. “Just that one little second of interaction ... led to a job running his campaign in upstate New York,” said Seeley, who is now working to expand the comptroller’s reach throughout the state. Seeley says he is thrilled to be in Albany. “There’s a lot of people who go out to Washington at this age and are answering phones until they’re 30 years old,” he said. “You can be a big fish in a small pond in Albany,” he added. “You can do a lot at an early age and do very important work for the people of New York, and that wouldn’t happen anywhere else, including New York City.”

CityAndStateNY.com

REID SIMS

DIRECTOR OF EXECUTIVE CHAMBER OPERATIONS, OFFICE OF GOV. ANDREW CUOMO

Birthday: 4/18/1985

F YOU’VE SEEN a man in a suit lugging a podium up a staircase ahead of one of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s events, chances are it was Reid Sims. No job is too small for Sims, who has been an advance staffer for Cuomo since his 2010 campaign. He handles all kinds of logistics and details for events ranging from last-minute press conferences to the gubernatorial whitewater rafting excursion that’s part of the Summer Adirondack Challenge. Sims says he loves the variety of his job and the chance to think creatively to solve problems big and small. “I get to meet more people than probably anyone in the governor’s office,” he said. “I’m rarely at my desk, which suits me well.” As a volunteer with the campaign, someone showed Sims how to work a speaker and microphone. Since then, his work has become far more complex. More recently, Sims helped arrange multiple redundancies to ensure the governor’s PowerPoint presentation for the State of the State address went off without a hitch. Perhaps his most harrowing work tale stems from Hurricane Irene, when he and his colleagues had to enlist the help of a Department of Transportation escort to back up along the shoulder of Route 88. They then had to navigate around a mudslide before ultimately reaching the site of the governor’s anticipated arrival, where they readied the venue with the help of inmates from the county jail.

Where did you go to college? City College of New York What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Teddy Roosevelt

CityAndStateNY.com

Where did you go to college? Northeastern Law, JD - 2014 Unicamp (Brazil) & Universitat Kassel (Germany) MA in Global Political Economy - 2008 SF State University - 2001 What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Fidel Castro

STEVEN A. TOFF DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC CAMPAIGNS, NYSNA

Birthday: 6/27/1978 Twitter: @nynurses

TEVEN TOFF FOUND his calling at an early age. As a teenager working full-time at a pizzeria while he finished high school through an alternative program, something felt wrong. “I was still naive enough to believe that your working life should be more rewarding and you should have more control over your life,” he said. “I refused to accept that that was ... working people’s lot in life to suffer that way.” His time living in San Francisco at the end of the dot-com boom, when the stark differences between the very wealthy and very poor were on harsh display, only reinforced his sense that economic injustice could be addressed through labor issues, he said. From his bachelor’s degree in labor studies, to his stint as a law clerk in the Human & Trade Union Rights Department of the International Trade Union Confederation in Brussels, to his work with the AFL-CIO and nursing unions, Toff’s career has been built around representing working people. Now, as the director of strategic campaigns for the New York State Nurses Association, he is working to ensure safe staffing levels in hospitals and to advocate for single-payer health care, and helped achieve passage of the New York Health Act in the state Assembly. He also focuses on environmental justice issues.

CityAndStateNY.com

CANDIS TOLLIVER DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR, 32BJ SEIU Birthday: 12/28/1982 Twitter: @CandisLynnt

Where did you go to college? BA Political Science - Norfolk State University; MA Urban Policy - Milano, The New School What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Barack Obama

ANDIS TOLLIVER WAS one of the strongest forces – in one of the state’s most powerful unions – fighting for a minimum wage increase that gained national attention. “We worked ... really hard to make sure the $15 minimum wage was a reality,” said Tolliver, the deputy political director at 32BJ. “I remember being on the phone with senators and Assembly members at midnight on the 31st, just talking about why this is important and why they should make sure that this happens.” But the minute a minimum wage hike made it into the budget deal, Tolliver was already thinking about her next move. “By raising the state minimum wage, it helps us when we negotiate contracts for our workers even in Long Island or Westchester,” she said. “Even in New York City, that standard, that minimum helps us maintain salaries for our workers who have a lot of experience and have been on the job for many years.” As big as that minimum wage push was, it’s just a small part of Tolliver’s work in Albany. Any given day she could be lobbying lawmakers, meeting with candidates looking for an endorsement or planning rallies. It’s busy, but it’s the perfect job for the liberal lion, who spent time at Planned Parenthood and the New York Civil Liberties Union before joining 32BJ. “I always thought that if we work together, we can organize, we can strategize, and we can change policies and practices that affect people’s lives,” she said. “That’s always been what I’m working towards.”

CityAndStateNY.com

Nicole L. Weingartner STATE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COORDINATOR, DAVIDOFF HUTCHER & CITRON

Birthday: 5/10/1987 Twitter: @nlaurenrusso

T WAS THE summer after her college graduation, and Nicole Weingartner had just been laid off for the second time. Concerned about leaving a gap on her resume, she applied for an internship in state Sen. Kemp Hannon’s community office, which turned into a fulltime job – and a springboard into politics. Now the state government relations coordinator at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP, she is responsible for an array of administrative duties across the firm’s government relations groups at the local, city, state and federal level. She serves as co-chairwoman of the Young Professionals Committee and on the board of directors of the Women’s National Republican Club and as the Young Republican Liaison to the New York State Federation of Republican Women. She was recently elected to the board of governors of the Women’s National Republican Club. “I’m just happy to be a part of the process instead of complaining about it,” Weingartner said. Through her club affiliat ions, Weingartner has had the opportunity to meet a great many “individuals who care about their country and want to find ways to help the political process.” One of those people, Jason Weingartner, the executive director of the New York State Republican Committee, she would later marry. “When I met my husband we decided that when we were together, we wouldn’t talk about politics,” Weingartner said. “That lasted all of 10 minutes.”

Where did you go to college? Monmouth University (2009) - Bachelors of Arts: Interdisciplinary Studies in Music Industry & Criminal Justice, Vaughn College of Aeronautics & Technology (2015) - Bachelors of Science: Airport Management & Air Traffic Control What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? State Sen. Kemp Hannon. He has always been a kind man and a leader in my life and I am forever in debt to him for teaching me so much over just two years.

CityAndStateNY.com

Q: WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? Our 40 Under 40 honorees hail not just from all over New York, but from all over the world. Here’s where they all grew up (except for the one wiseguy who told us, “On the shoulders of giants”).

Los Angeles : 1 County Cork, Ireland : 1

Cambridge, Massachusetts : 1 Singapore : 1 Trinidad : 1

Topeka, Kansas : 1

Summit, New Jersey : 1

Brussels, Belgium : 1

CityAndStateNY.com

Morrisonville: 1

Rome: 1

Saratoga Springs: 1

Buffalo: 1 Syracuse: 1

Malta: 1

Fabius: 1 Delmar: 1

Dryden: 1

Albany, New York: 1

East Greenbush: 1 Cortland: 1 Middletown: 1 Minisink Valley: 1

Highland Falls: 1 Putnam Valley: 1 Long Island: 8

New York City: 7 Westchester: 1

CityAndStateNY.com

Kristina Wieneke DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC POLICY, AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION

Birthday: 9/21/1990 Twitter: @Kristina_Stina_

SCHOLARSHIP WON in her native Ireland led Kristina Wieneke to a life immersed in Albany politics. She had thought her interests lay in international law and policy, but once she won a university scholarship that gave her an internship in the state Assembly, she became fascinated by the world of local American politics. In Albany, it seemed to her, interested citizens had the power and the passion to influence the legislative process. And Wieneke herself found the work empowering: At the age of 21, she was being asked to take meetings and influence outcomes, she recalled. Wieneke transferred to the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany, where she graduated as valedictorian. Three years later, she has left her mark on multiple state agencies and moved on to tackle public health policy as a lobbyist with the American Lung Association of the Northeast. As an Excelsior Service Fellow, Wieneke has also helped speed up processes at agencies including the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. Now she is fighting to pass local measures making it illegal for people under the age of 21 to buy tobacco, and she is teaching others across the public health world how to push for government reforms.

Where did you go to college? University College Cork, Ireland: BSc Government and Law; Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, Albany: BA Political Science and Public Policy Valedictorian What politician, living or dead, do you mostadmire? Elizabeth Warren

CityAndStateNY.com

Jaime Williams ASSEMBLYWOMAN

Birthday: 8/23/1977

HEN JAIME Williams began to work for Assemblywoman Roxanne Persaud, she never expected that she would eventually be elected to Persaud’s 59th Assembly District seat. After Persaud decided to leave the Assembly and won her bid for the state Senate, Williams – who then was Persaud’s chief of staff – jumped at the chance to succeed her. Williams is originally from Trinidad and Tobago and came to the United States in 1999. She obtained her GED and eventually earned a master’s degree in social work at Fordham University. “I’m a social worker by education, and one of the things I’ve always done and has been the center of my career is advocacy,” Williams said. “So when this opportunity arose, it was a perfect fit, because, again, being an Assembly member, in general you not only work on legislation, but you also advocate on behalf of people who don’t have a voice or who need assistance.” She also founded Empowerment = Courage to Heal Inc., an organization devoted to raising awareness of domestic violence in the community. Williams won an overwhelming 82 percent of the vote during the special election to replace Persaud in April. She had the support of Brooklyn’s Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club and the Kings County Democratic Party. Williams is a mother of three and enjoys fishing at Canarsie Pier in Brooklyn.

Where did you go to college? Kingsborough Community College, BA; Fordham, Masters Degree What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Barack Obama and Alan Maisel

CONGRATULATES OUR COLLEAGUE

JONATHAN S. McCARDLE AND ALL OF ALBANYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 2016 CITY AND STATE

40 UNDER 40 RISING STARS

99 Pine Street, Albany New York

518-436-0786

Fax 518-427-0452

www.fwc-law.com

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CityAndStateNY.com

Maureen Wren

DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY, NEW YORK STATE SENATE REPUBLICANS

Birthday: 9/5/1976 Twitter: @mfwren

AUREEN WREN HAS worked all over state government. Before joi n i n g t he st ate Senate Republican conference five years ago, she also worked in the Assembly, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the state Office of Children and Family Services. Before movi ng to A lba ny, she volunteered for campaigns in Western New York, where she went to college. Early on, she volunteered for now-state Sen. Cathy Young’s first Assembly campaign. Wren said she loves politics, despite the fact she does not come from a political family. “Growing up, my parents were engaged in the community and with current affairs, but were proud ‘nonaffiliated’ voters and believed strongly in keeping their politics private,” she said in an email. “So I’m not entirely sure how I turned out the way I did.” One of the things she loves about politics is that it’s always interesting and brings something new every day. “It’s always something changing,” she said. “There’s always new dynamics to be considered. It’s never a constant, it’s always changing.” When not working at the state Legislature, she and her husband love to travel, whether it’s visiting Europe or taking road trips. With two young children, they don’t travel as they once did but enjoy visiting family in Long Island, especially during the summer, and Western New York. Wren added that she’d love Albany a lot more if there was a beach nearby.

Where did you go to college? B.A. from St. Bonaventure University, political science and history dual major What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Theodore Roosevelt. He’s not perfect, but he was a New Yorker who blazed his own path and left behind an incredible and lasting legacy as a conservationist.

CityAndStateNY.com

Vivian Yee

REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES

Birthday: 3/26/1990 Twitter: @vivianhyee

I V I A N Y E E I S just wrapping up her first session as an Albany reporter and still gets lost in the palatial building. “Constantly,” she says. Which may explain why her favorite story this year was reported not from the Capitol, but from prisons in across the Northeast. Reporting that article, on former lawmakers now behind bars, was interesting from start to finish, Yee said. “I’d never interacted with the prison system before,” she said. “And the interviews themselves, hearing their perspectives, how unique and also skewed they seem to be, it was totally fascinating.” Another reporter suggested the article be required reading for incoming lawmakers, as a deterrent. “I did have a couple people who are currently in the Legislature say to me, ‘that was just really, really, really depressing,’” Yee said. Yee is relatively new to Albany, but not to reporting, having worked on the Times’ metro desk for four years and at the Yale Daily News before that. Her biggest surprise about the new assignment? Being so close to the action. “You can wander around and bump into state Senator X in the hallway, or just walk onto the Assembly floor and tap on someone’s shoulder while they’re in session,” she said. “It’s crazy that it’s all within a five-minute walk.”

Where did you go to college? Yale College What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? William Seward

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Marie Zimmerman PARTNER, KPMG

Birthday: 5/23/1978

VERY YEAR, New York state receives tens of billions of federal dollars for health care, child care, education, and many other critical services. As the external auditor of those funds, it’s Marie Zimmerman’s job to ensure that the state continues to receive that assistance, which she does by working closely with state Division of the Budget and various state agencies to ensure they are compliant with federal regulations. Zimmerman also works with the Office of the New York State Comptroller to provide an opinion as the external auditor on the state’s comprehensive annual financial report. She additionally conducts audits of some state authorities, as well as the state’s health care exchange. Zimmerman began her career with Bristol-Myers Squibb before joining KPMG’s Boston office in 2001. She later relocated to the firm’s Fort Lauderdale office and began working in the government arena. “In South Florida, there were numerous counties and cities that I was auditing, and you could really see the benefit to your community,” she said. In 2012, Zimmerman, who grew up on a farm outside of Syracuse, joined KPMG’s government practice in Albany. As its audit partner, she’s worked to ensure that residents of her home state continue to receive access to the vital services made possible through federal funding. “You feel like there is a higher purpose to your work,” she said.

Where did you goto college? LeMoyne College What politician, living or dead, do you most admire? Ronald Reagan

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Patients don’t deserve to lose their rights just because they didn’t find out about medical negligence until it was too late. Doctors never told Lavern Wilkinson about her cancer until it was too late, despite an x-ray that showed a mass. Lavern was not properly diagnosed until the disease had metastasized. Lavern passed away in 2013, leaving behind a teenaged daughter with special needs.

Lavern Wilkinson isn’t alone.

June Dreifuss never missed a mammogram, but her doctors missed the early signs of breast cancer. When her cancer was discovered it was too late; she passed away in 2008.

Lissy McMahon is a 41 year-old single mom. After surgery in 2012 Lissy’s doctors never told her that 10 out of 40 pathology slides showed evidence of cancer. By the time she found out about the cancer it was already at an advanced stage.

Under New York’s antiquated statute of limitations, by the time Lavern, June and Lissy found out about the mistakes that harmed them, it was too late for them to hold the negligent healthcare providers accountable.

SUPPORT LAVERN’S LAW Under current law, the victims of a misread test—such as a mammogram, PAP smear or prostate test—or a botched surgical procedure often face fatal consequences. Uncaught or misdiagnosed, a curable disease can become an untreated symptom-free killer. When the symptoms do appear, the disease may be so advanced that treatment is futile. New York is one of only a few states (AR, ID, ME, MN, SD) that shields negligent doctors whose mistakes are undisclosed.

Pass Lavern’s Law S.6596 DeFrancisco / A.285A Weinstein

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