State Welcomes New and Diverse Class
New York Secretary of State
Cesar A. Perales today announced the 2015-2017 class of Empire State Fellows.
The program, now in its fourth year, recruits mid-career professionals from the
public and private sectors to serve as the new generation of New York State
government leaders. The 10 new Empire State Fellows were chosen from a
competitive pool of outstanding candidates for their professional experience,
leadership potential, creativity and commitment to public service.
“The diverse backgrounds of
these Empire State Fellows are an asset to the challenges faced by our State
government,” said Secretary Perales, who oversees the program for Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo. “We welcome the new class and look forward to their service
and contributions to the people of New York.”
Governor Cuomo appoints each
Empire State Fellow to work closely with senior administration officials and
participate in the policy-making process. During their Fellowship, the Fellows
also engage in educational and professional development programs, including
completion of a unique, interactive curriculum developed specifically for the
program by the Rockefeller Institute at SUNY Albany in consultation with
Cabinet-level officials.
The Empire State Fellows program
continues its tradition of selecting outstanding leaders from diverse
backgrounds to enter public service. Members of the new class bring expertise
from various professional fields, including law enforcement, not-for-profit
management, the armed forces, education, and the legal profession.
“We are proud to welcome this
new group of leaders into the ranks of State government,” said Jorge I.
Montalvo, Deputy Secretary of State for Economic Opportunity. “The Empire State
Fellows program has proven to be a successful vehicle to recruit the best and
brightest to serve at the highest levels of New York State government and we
look forward to another stellar class.”
The 2015-2017 Class of
Empire State Fellows
Amir
Bassiri Amir Bassiri comes to the Empire State Fellows program after
four years at Urban Upbound, a not-for-profit organization committed to
breaking cycles of poverty in New York City. As Director of Development, Amir
oversaw a variety of the organization’s financial, strategic and operational
matters. During his time at Urban Upbound, Amir developed several
public/private partnerships, including one that led to the creation of a
worker-owned cooperative. Additionally, Amir led and managed the creation of a
living financial model to assess program and contract profitability and to
guide strategic decision making. A California native, Amir graduated from the
University of California, Davis with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Economics and
Psychology (Double Major), before earning a Master’s in Social Enterprise
Administration (M.S.W) from Columbia University. Amir is also fluent in Farsi.
Placement: Executive Chamber
Luana
Y. Ferreira Luana Y. Ferreira joins the Empire State Fellows program
with a background in education and professional development in diversity
affairs. She began her career as a New York City Teaching Fellow, working with
school districts as a teacher, staff developer and data specialist. An advocate
for closing the achievement gap, Luana has also worked for Summer on the Hill,
the I Have a Dream Foundation and Alianza Dominicana’s Summer Youth Employment
programs, all not-for-profit entities that support student success. Luana was a
research assistant for the Research Institute for the Study of Languages in
Urban Settings (RISLUS) in New York, where she helped develop and administer
diagnostic tools to assess English proficiency levels of immigrant Students
with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE). Additionally, she served as a lead
for strategic planning and implementation of diversity and inclusion
initiatives, presenting at the National Association for Independent Schools (NAIS)
and the National Dominican Student Conference at Wharton. Luana received her
B.A. from SUNY New Paltz, her M.S. Ed. from the City College of New York and a
Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics from the CUNY Graduate Center. Recently, Luana
taught at CUNY Lehman and Teachers College. She speaks Spanish, French and
Portuguese and was born and raised in Washington Heights, New York. Placement:
Department of State
Dora Fisher Dora Fisher
brings a decade of experience in aging and public health to the Empire State
Fellows program. She joins us following her role as the Director of Older Adult
Programs for Oral Health America, overseeing the aging strategies for this
national organization and conceptualizing community-based public health aging
programs implemented across the country. Prior to that, she held a research
position as a gerontologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, writing
and researching peer-reviewed publications on aging and disability health
promotion. Before her role as a gerontological researcher, she oversaw health
programming for older adults at a community health center in Chicago, worked in
advocacy for senior centers in New York City, and was a policy analyst for the
Office of the NYC Public Advocate. She has a Master of Public Health from the
University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence
College. Dora originally hails from Connecticut and the Boston area, and she is
excited to return closer to home after many years in Chicago. Placement: Office
for the Aging
Daniel
Friedman Daniel Friedman joins the Empire State Fellows program
following a career in political consulting and communications around the
country. Daniel was a campaign manager and communications director for
candidates for public office and institutions in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and
Southwest. As a campaign manager, Daniel helped candidates build winning
organizations from the ground up, including fundraising, organizing and
communications strategy. As an advisor to policymakers and political
candidates, Daniel wrestled with politically sensitive policy matters in a
variety of high-stakes settings, including health care, transportation and
immigration law. Daniel earned his Bachelor's in Political Science at American
University and his Master's in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of
Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University where he studied
management and public finance. Placement: Empire State Development
Aaron
Gladd Aaron Gladd comes to the Empire
State Fellows program as a former Active Duty United States Army Officer and
combat Veteran whose service included Operation Enduring Freedom. Assigned to
the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry
Division, Aaron served as a Sapper Platoon Leader where he led 41 Soldiers in
Counter Improvised Explosive Device Operations throughout Eastern Afghanistan.
Aaron also served as his Battalion’s dismounted tactics Master Trainer, with
training oversight of over 400 Soldiers. Before enlisting in the service, Aaron
ran legislative and budget operations in the New York State Senate under the
Deputy Leader and was a New York State Senate Graduate Fellow. Aaron also
worked for U.S. Congressman Michael McNulty. A native of Saranac Lake, Aaron
holds a B.A. in Public Law from the University at Albany, an M.P.A. in Local
Government Management and Finance from the Nelson Rockefeller College of Public
Affairs and Policy, and is a graduate of the United States Army Infantry School
and the United States Army Engineer School. Placement: Department of State
Omar
J. Herrera Omar J. Herrera comes to the Empire State Fellows program
from his role as Trustee & Deputy Mayor of the Village of Ossining, NY,
in Westchester County. As Trustee, he and his colleagues adopted a “Complete
Streets Policy” which ensured that all future roadways are strategically
designed to consider pedestrian safety, access and equitable mobility for all.
Omar also voted on a successful resolution supporting Governor Cuomo’s “Raise
the Age” initiative to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18; restored the previously censored video recording and airing
of public comment section during board meetings making the actions of the Board
more transparent; and, launched virtual and mobile office hours for
community outreach. Prior to his work in public office, Omar was a legislative
assistant at the Westchester County Board of Legislators, where he worked on
constituent affairs, case management, legislative research and community
outreach. In addition, he served as the Public Relations Director for the
Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce and was a small business owner of an event
management firm. Omar received his Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Media
from Pace University Dyson College of Arts & Sciences. Placement:
Executive Chamber
Giancarlo
Pellegrini Giancarlo Pellegrini comes to the Empire State Fellows program
from Sidley Austin LLP, where he served as an Associate in the firm’s
Litigation practice. During his five years in private practice, Giancarlo
primarily represented financial institutions in federal investigations related
to the trading of equities and fixed-income products. Giancarlo also has
handled pro bono cases in an array of areas including tenants’ rights, voter
fraud protection, immigration asylum claims, veterans’ benefits, and advocacy
at the United Nations related to alleged war crimes. Giancarlo holds a
Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Lehigh University where he
graduated magna cum laude with departmental honors, and a Juris Doctor
from Harvard Law School. Giancarlo is admitted to practice law in New York, the
District of Columbia, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Giancarlo is
also a member of the American Bar Association and is proficient in Italian.
Placement: Executive Chamber
Michael-Sean
Spence Michael-Sean Spence joins the Empire State Fellows program
after a career as an Assistant District Attorney for the Queens County District
Attorney's Office in Queens, New York. As a criminal prosecutor, Michael-Sean
led various inter-agency investigations into organized tax evasion, organized
commercial theft, identity theft and related crimes. During Michael-Sean's
tenure, the Crimes Against Revenue Unit collected more than $3 million in
restitution for State and local governments, as well as seized evidence valued
in excess of $4.5 million. Michael-Sean is a regular speaker to youth and
community organizations to help the community better understand their rights
and the criminal justice system. Michael-Sean received his Bachelor of Science
in Marketing from the University of Maryland-College Park and his law degree
from Howard University in Washington, D.C. Placement: Division of Criminal
Justice
Allison
Weingarten Allison Weingarten served as
program director of the Queens Community House (QCH). In the face of
severe financial challenges to the organization and after school program,
Allison skillfully kept the program open and led an effort to successfully
restore government funding in 2015. Prior to working for QCH, Allison served as
Legislative Director of the Subcommittee on Workplace Safety under its Chair
Assembly Member Rory Lancman (now, a New York City Councilman). Allison
earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Cornell University, School of Industrial and
Labor Relations and a master’s degree in Social Work at the Silberman School of
Social Work at Hunter College. Allison has spent the last ten years of her
life in Ithaca and Queens, New York and she is excited to return to her
hometown of Niskayuna, New York. Placement: Division of the Budget
Ron
Zacchi Ron Zacchi joins the Empire State Fellows from a position as
the Assistant Director of Communications and Development for the Center for
Urban Community Services (CUCS). Before joining CUCS, he worked at the Center
for Social Inclusion on initiatives designed to dismantle structural racism.
Ron served as Executive Director for Marriage Equality New York (MENY) where he
led a successful statewide grassroots campaign for equal marriage rights in New
York State. Before moving into the not-for-profit sector, Ron worked for nearly
a decade in the private sector as a marketing executive. Ron received his Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from
Baruch’s Executive Program in the School of Public Affairs and his Bachelor’s
degree from Hofstra University School of Communications. Placement: Office for
Temporary and Disability Assistance
The Empire State Fellows
program is one of the three parts of Governor Cuomo’s New NY Leaders Initiative
that prepares a new generation of leaders to serve in State government. The
Excelsior Service Fellowship Program brings highly talented recent graduates to
serve throughout the State government, and the New NY Leaders Internship
Program offers hundreds of college students an opportunity to work in State
government. Information regarding the Empire State Fellows program is available
here.
Source: Press Office, Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo
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