42 CityAndStateNY.com
October 11, 2021
10 IN THEIR 20s Twenty-somethings doing big things in NYC politics and government.
F
OR OVER a decade, City & State has put the spotlight on rising stars in city and state politics with lists highlighting 40 remarkable individuals under the age of 40. With more and more young people having an impact on politics and policy in New York, we decided to recognize the achievements of an even younger cohort this year. In addition to our traditional New York City 40 Under 40 list, we’re pleased to introduce our inaugural list of 10 vicenarians who have already made their mark in New York politics – and who will keep rising in the years ahead.
By Jon Lentz
craft and implement press strategy. During COVID-19, she was also deployed to assist the state’s COVID-19 Pandemic Response Task Force. According to a colleague, Hass “has infused vitality and transparency into the mighty, but little known, Office of the MTA Inspector General.”
A self-described “young queer Hood Black woman originally from the Bronx,” Anuru also has her own consulting firm, Dream Keep. “She is an unapologetic voice for valuing the lives and legacy of Black youth,” one person writes in nominating Anuru, “and shares her paradigm-shifting framework throughout the field.”
REBECCA ANURU
Project Manager Vibrant Emotional Health/ The Coordinated Children’s Services Initiative One adverse effect of the coronavirus pandemic is increasing mental health struggles in young children – and that’s where Rebecca Anuru comes in. Anuru manages The Coordinated Children’s Services Initiative of New York City, a partnership with government agencies and community providers through the New York City-based mental health organization Vibrant Emotional Health. Anuru, 29, assists Vibrant’s work with the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development too.
DANIELLE BLUSTEIN HASS
Assistant Director of Communications and Public Affairs Office of the MTA Inspector General With a multibillion-dollar budget and more than 75,000 employees – and a tendency of politicians to deny they actually control it – the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is often in need of oversight. The Office of the MTA Inspector General, where Danielle Hass has worked since 2019, does much of that work, whether it’s rooting out fraud and abuse or pushing for greater transparency. As a key communications and public affairs staffer, Hass, 27, helps
speaking Jewish refugees that fled to America in 1992. One person who nominated him writes, “Dennis’ podcast is an underrated gem in the sea of political broadcasting flooded nowadays by overhyped sensationalist takes.”
MAURA HARRIS DENNIS FUTORYAN
Senior Policy Manager Primary Care Development Corp.
Dennis Futoryan had just resigned as an attorney at the New York City Administration for Children’s Services when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Instead of panicking, Futoryan took the opportunity to chase a dream: creating his own podcast. In August 2020 he launched “The 25th Hour,” a recap of the latest in news and politics for busy listeners. Futoryan, 28, brings plenty of institutional knowledge to the podcast, having had stints with The Advance Group and with then-Rep. Eliot Engel. His work is also informed by his experience growing up in a family of Ukrainian Russian-
Since coming on nearly two years ago at the Primary Care Development Corp., Maura Harris has managed and expanded PCDC’s local, state and federal policy initiatives, including efforts to invest in primary care across New York – work made all the more important by COVID-19. As a colleague writes in nominating the 28-year-old Harris, “Over the past year and a half, as COVID has impacted everyone’s lives and ravaged communities of color (and) also deeply impacted the delivery of health care to communities, Maura has taken the lead on developing the relationships and expertise necessary to champion
CEO and Founder “The 25th Hour”
