Secretary of State Rossana Rosado today announced the appointment of
Shoshanah Bewlay as Executive Director of the New York State Committee
on Open Government. After an extensive search by the Committee on Open
Government, Ms. Bewlay was selected for her wide range of experience and
depth of knowledge regarding the Freedom of Information, Open Meetings
and Personal Privacy Protection Laws.
“With more than 20 years of broad experience in both the public and
private sectors, Ms. Bewlay will be an asset to the Committee on Open
Government,” said Secretary of State Rosado. “We are
fortunate that Ms. Bewlay is bringing her robust expertise to this role
to continue to enhance and educate New Yorkers about transparency within
our government. Thank you to Kristin O’Neill and the Committee for
their exceptional work over the past several months during this
transition period.”
Committee on Open Government Executive Director Shoshanah Bewlay said,
“It is an honor to be selected by Governor Cuomo and the Committee on
Open Government to serve as the next Executive Director. Open and
transparent government is a priority of Governor Cuomo and I look
forward to working with the Committee to continue to highlight the
importance of the Freedom of Information, Open Meetings and Personal
Privacy Protection Laws.”
Ms. Bewlay previously served as the General Counsel and Chief Legal
Officer at the NYS Office of Information Technology Services, where she
oversaw the agency’s legal department, providing advice and guidance on
legal and regulatory compliance, information security and data breach
response, legal and technical eDiscovery compliance for the New York
State executive agencies, New York State IT policy and strategy
alignment, IT procurement and contracting, and New York State public
ethics. Prior to serving as the General Counsel, Ms. Bewlay served as
the agency’s Records Access Officer and Personal Privacy Protection
Officer.
Ms. Bewlay joined ITS in 2014 after seven years with the NYS Office
of the Attorney General, where she managed that Office’s eDiscovery
program. Prior to joining the Office of the Attorney General, Ms. Bewlay
had more than 10 years of private practice experience in New York City
and San Francisco, in which she specialized in the defense of large
corporations in securities and tender offer litigation. Ms. Bewlay is a
member of the New York, Connecticut and California State Bars and is a
graduate of Vassar College and the University of Connecticut School of
Law.
The Committee on Open Government, housed in the Department of State,
oversees and advises the government, public, and news media on Freedom
of Information, Open Meetings, and Personal Privacy Protection Laws. The
Committee offers guidance in response to phone inquiries, prepares
written legal advisory opinions, and provides training to government and
other interested groups. Recommendations to improve open government
laws are offered in an annual report to Governor and the State
Legislature.
Source: NYS Department of State
