Past Albany 40 Under 40 honorees have reached new heights

City & State’s annual Albany 40 Under 40 list highlights Rising Stars on the ascent in the state Capitol. It’s not meant to predict who will go on to greatness later in their careers, but it’s often no surprise when they do. First debuting in 2012, here are 10 past Albany 40 Under 40 honorees, including the year they made the list, and the notable accomplishments they’ve achieved since becoming Rising Stars.

Laura Kavanagh (2012)

At the time, Laura Kavanagh was vice president of campaigns and elections at The Advance Group, working on electing Rep. Yvette Clarke and a host of state lawmakers. Since then, she worked for the Obama and de Blasio campaigns, and then spent a decade at the New York City Fire Department, culminating in a historic moment in 2022 when she became the first woman to lead the department.

Tania Dissanayake (2012)

At just 22, Tania Dissanayake was the legislative director at Wilson Elser, once Albany’s top lobbying shop. After six years working in New York City government, Dissanayake joined Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration as deputy secretary for housing in 2022. This role puts her at the center of some of the most important policy debates in the state.

Amanda Lefton (2013)

Amanda Lefton has come a long way since her time as a policy associate at The Nature Conservancy in New York. She rose up the ranks of the organization, then moved on to environmental roles in the Executive Chamber and the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. After some time in the private sector, Lefton now holds the state’s top environmental post leading the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Andrew Garbarino (2013)

Long Island Republican Andrew Garbarino succeeded Phil Boyle in the Assembly back in 2013, and then took over former Rep. Pete King’s 2nd Congressional District after a win in 2020. Last year, Garbarino took on an important national role, especially on immigration enforcement, as the chair of the Homeland Security Committee.

James Skoufis (2013)

In 2013, James Skoufis was fresh off a win that made him the youngest member of the Assembly. The Orange County Democrat won a state Senate seat in 2018 and even ran an unsuccessful long-shot bid for Democratic National Committee chair last year. Some of the prolific and outspoken lawmaker’s bills have been shot down recently by Hochul’s veto pen.

Nantasha Williams (2015)

Former Assembly staffer Nantasha Williams made the Albany 40 Under 40 as the then-interim executive director of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus. Since then, she was a key manager in the JFK Airport redevelopment for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and she was just elevated to deputy speaker of the New York City Council this year after winning her council seat in 2021.

Jasmine Gripper (2016)

The longtime legislative director and then executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education, Jasmine Gripper established herself as one of the state’s foremost education advocates. In 2023, she was named a co-director of the New York Working Families Party, leading the progressive third-party into its next chapter. Very recently, she began leading the organization solo.

Jahmila Edwards (2016)

Jahmila Edwards spent more than a decade in a top role at New York City’s largest municipal union, District Council 37. She’s also part of a power couple with government relations pro Khari Edwards. Now, she’s taking on a new challenge as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s director of intergovernmental affairs, a key position in the effort to get the mayor’s agenda approved in Albany.

Ed Ra (2017)

Ed Ra is leading Assembly Republicans into their next era. The chamber’s new minority leader took over for Will Barclay last month. He first won election to Legislature in 2010 and spent time as the ranking member of the Education Committee. The Long Islander is also a co-chair of the bipartisan New York Future Caucus of younger leaders.

Zohran Mamdani (2021)

Has he done anything of note in the past year? Hmm, must be an oversight on our part to include him here.