40 Under 40
The 2025 40 Under 40
Rising Stars of New York
City & State presents the 2025 40 Under 40. Municipal Credit Union; Colin Hull, IamColinHullVisuals; TLS Shoots LLC
If there’s anywhere young people can make their mark, it’s New York. Politicians like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elise Stefanik rapidly achieved a political status that once took decades to attain. Polls suggest New York City is on track to elect Zohran Mamdani, who would be the city’s youngest mayor in over a century. Lesser-known but equally talented young New Yorkers are on the rise in politics and in other areas too, from advocacy to the innovation economy.
City & State’s 40 Under 40 list of Rising Stars features a remarkable cohort of young leaders from all across the state. The annual list puts a spotlight on 40 exemplary individuals, all under the age of 40, who have already achieved transformative changes. The list includes a Staten Island state senator who never expected to run for elected office, an upstate Republican who’s helping shape health care policy in Albany and an independent-minded Manhattan lawmaker who’s aiming to be the next speaker of the New York City Council – along with other standout policymakers, reformers, builders and communicators.
We’re pleased to introduce the 2025 New York 40 Under 40.
Jared Augenstein
Growing up the son of a radiologist and a social worker, Jared Augenstein always had an interest in health care – but he charted his own course.
Augenstein had been on a pre-med track at Vassar College, but as he took all of the required science classes, he began adding on other technology and policy-related coursework.
“I sort of quickly realized that I didn’t want to be in the practice of medicine,” he says, “but was really fascinated by how health policy and health economics and good management practices could be brought to bear to improve our health care system, which is in desperate need of improvement.”
He was in part drawn to the health economics field by the passage of the Affordable Care Act and resulting litigation over the landmark law. His interest in health technology was spurred by the impact that innovations, such as the use of telemedicine, can have.
Following graduate work in health policy and economics at Yale University, Augenstein joined Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, where he has worked on public health policy issues, such as Medicaid. He has delved into the state’s 1115 Medicaid waiver, population health issues in New York City’s public hospital system and the expansion of technology in the health industry. Augenstein now leads the Health Tech Practice at Manatt.
Looking ahead, Augenstein can see artificial intelligence improving health care.
“I think that AI and other advanced technologies offer the promise of leveling the playing field in terms of outcomes,” he says.
– John Celock
Kyron Banks
Kyron Banks learned firsthand the importance of government at age 11. After his mother died, his family received Social Security benefits, which helped his father care for Banks and his sister. Getting this support made Banks feel that someone was looking out for him and other families who were struggling.
“I felt special,” he recalls. “I was like, ‘OK, somebody thought about me very intently.’ I became interested in government very young and what government can do for people to change the shape of life.”
This experience shaped Banks’ career, including his current work as the deputy political director for the influential building service union 32BJ SEIU. In his role, which he started in January, he drives political strategy and vision for the union, advocating for legislation, building governmental relationships and campaigning for candidates that will benefit members.
One of his biggest wins since joining 32BJ SEIU was helping get the Healthy Terminals Act passed in the latest state budget. The law sets standards for airport workers’ benefits, including time off.
After the June primary, the union endorsed Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race, citing his focus on working-class priorities like raising wages, building more affordable housing and improving public transit.
“My trajectory really is just building power within, for and with working people to help shape New York City to be even more of a city for the working class,” Banks says, “not just a city where dreams are possible, but also it’s affordable.”
– Amanda Salazar
Emily Baumbach
On a recent project, Kinetic Communities Consulting shared with residents proposed updates to their community, including new trees, benches and stormwater infrastructure. Emily Baumbach was struck by the community members’ excitement for how the small green improvements could improve their lives. It served as a reminder of why the energy and affordable housing consulting firm, also known as KC3, does what it does.
“By listening directly to residents, we learned how design choices could foster pride in public spaces, improve health and build trust between the community and the institutions investing in it,” she says. “The built environment becomes more resilient and equitable when shaped not only by engineers and planners, but also by the people who call these neighborhoods home.”
At KC3, Baumbach manages policy and data analysis and oversees utility, green infrastructure and stormwater management contracts. She has always loved nature and the environment, and previously worked at government agencies and nonprofits doing strategic planning focused on water quality, habitat restoration and resiliency.
A focus for her current organization is connecting disinvested communities with affordable clean energy. Central to this mission is including community voices in every project.
“It’s not about checking boxes or just reaching out and getting feedback from folks because it’s a project requirement,” Baumbach says. “That’s front and center for any project that we’re doing. We want to hear from people who are in the community every day and what makes what will be most beneficial to them. That’s what we prioritize in our work.”
– A.S.
Emily Contillo
Emily Contillo is the director of strategy at Hollis Public Affairs, a government relations firm serving a range of clients, including nonprofits and technology and security organizations.
Contillo came aboard in January after the firm where she had been working, The Wright Group NY, merged with Hollis.
Since then, she has been operationalizing the merger and overseeing the client service delivery model for the company’s nearly 100 clients. This means aligning how lobbyists provide services.
“There’s never going to be a shortage of organizations that need help navigating New York City and New York state government, and there’s never going to be a New York City and state government that doesn’t need help navigating and supporting the communities that they represent,” Contillo says. “That need is always going to exist.”
She got her start in politics working on Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, going on to serve as a congressional aide for two lawmakers. Contillo later spent four years working for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.
Contillo’s experiences have shown her how government and nonprofits can work together to serve the public.
“A lot of people feel like they’re only seeing the negative sides of government, and I think that’s a tragedy,” she says. “I feel very motivated by using what I think is, as Americans, one of the greatest services that we have, which is our government. I feel really motivated by making sure that more people are able to see all the good that it can do.”
– A.S.
Matthew Creegan
Matthew Creegan has helped shape the future of New York City by working for some of its most iconic institutions – and now wants to keep America rolling along.
Creegan recently joined General Motors as director of media relations, following a tenure at the highest levels of the Ford Foundation, which included serving as head of executive communications for the foundation’s outgoing president, Darren Walker.
“But when Darren announced he was stepping down this year, it just seemed like a natural time to kind of explore more options.” Creegan says. “So I got this job at GM, which I’m really excited about.”
Creegan joined the Ford Foundation after serving as a communications adviser for former Mayor Bill de Blasio and working in Georgia as deputy communications director for Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. He also previously served in New York City government as communications director for the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Creegan assisted Columbia University on community relations tied to the school’s Manhattanville expansion.
After handling a number of issues impacting New York City and the world, Creegan considers his work on creating and producing the Ford Foundation’s conversation series with columnist Charles Blow, formerly of The New York Times, to be his proudest achievement. He says the series has featured discussions on a number of pressing issues.
“What we offered was to shed light on those issues that people might not be paying attention to, but to bring us to the forefront,” he says.
– J.C.
Marianela Diaz
What drives Marianela Diaz in her efforts as part of Human Services Council’s #JustPay campaign, which aims to better fund human service nonprofits? Talking to her mother about her time as a social worker.
Her mother recalled feeling like she could do more for her clients and herself if her organization had adequate funding and paid fair wages. So Diaz decided to leverage her own governmental experience to advocate for social workers.
“I wanted to bridge that gap between workers and the Legislature so they could see that these workers are in their districts and are doing amazing work, but are not being funded properly to do that work,” she says.
The former state Senate staffer oversees strategy for the #JustPay campaign, mobilizing more than 10,000 workers fighting for better pay in government contracts. She provides support for other efforts by the Human Services Council, which represents 170 member organizations.
Recently, the organization has notched some wins. In New York City, the Adams administration has funded over $1 billion in wage increases for human services workers. The state has paid for cost-of-living adjustments as well.
“It is truly helping the front-line staffers that are out there risking their physical bodies every day and their emotional capacities every day, but yet still showing up for New Yorkers in need,” Diaz says. “That is the thing that motivates me the most, is being able to highlight those voices and hearing those stories of how much it makes a difference.”
– A.S.
Lee Fabiaschi
Lee Fabiaschi was led to the world of grantmaking as part of a deep commitment to give back to society.
“I was on the receiving end of a lot of community support growing up, so I feel like I have a debt to pay off,” Fabiaschi says. “And I’m really lucky that I’m in a career that I get to support community impact. And so for me, it’s always been more than a job. It’s always been very personal.”
Fabiaschi started her career in finance before making the move to philanthropy, first working with a corporate foundation focused on community volunteering.
“And then in my current world, I joined to build the global volunteer program, and then I moved into a new role where I’m supporting the capacity building of our grantee partners,” she says.
Fabiaschi is director of learning communities at Ares Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of global alternative investment manager Ares Management.
As Fabiaschi has navigated the sector, she has brought both boots-on-the-ground nonprofit experience as well as the 35,000-foot perspective of grantmaking foundations. This holistic approach to her career has driven her professional growth and satisfaction.
Going forward, Fabiaschi sees herself focused on the nonprofit world.
“I have not had a linear career path, and so I think the evolution of the work, the fact that there’s always more to uncover, there’s more that we can think about,” she says. “Refining or repurposing or iterating feels really motivating to me.”
– J.C.
Rose Fathers
Rose Fathers followed in her dad’s footsteps, who got his start in construction and found a pathway to a successful career.
Now, she is the director of business services at Building Skills NY, a nonprofit that trains people for jobs in construction and connects them to companies ready to hire. The organization helps people gain employment and, in turn, supports their families and communities.
“You help one person out, you help out a family, help out a community,” she says. “We’re not just impacting one person.”
Last year, Building Skills NY was able to facilitate almost 300 job placements. This year, it’s on track to get close to 400. The focus is on jobs that provide real opportunity to learn, grow and advance.
“We’re making great fits happen,” she says.
Fathers credits this success, in part, to the organization’s quarterly “mini hiring fairs,” which are more intimate settings to connect subcontractors and candidates. The construction training that Building Skills NY and community colleges provide also prepare candidates before they’re introduced to potential employers.
Looking ahead, Fathers and the team are trying to figure out how to expand Building Skills NY’s model to cover related industries, like maintenance and green jobs.
“We’re very organized with these great systems,” she says. “We’re very good at what we do, and how we take that to possibly other similar industries is something we talked about. We want to repeat what we’ve done really well with construction with similar industries.”
– A.S.
Casey Fenton-Marvell
In the world of Albany lobbying, Casey Fenton-Marvell is truly a marvel.
Fenton-Marvell is a vice president at Ostroff Associates, a lobbying firm that guides clients through New York’s complex legislative and regulatory environments. Having started out at Ostroff as a legislative analyst after college, Fenton-Marvell now supports the firm’s CEO, chief operating officer and senior vice presidents on client portfolios, strategizing with clients and working with legislators and their staffs. Her work focuses on advancing clients’ goals with government entities.
One of the clients she is most proud of working with is Philips, a health technology and appliance company, on maternal health care and ways to improve outcomes for mothers via tech.
“The U.S. maternal mortality rates are really bad and troubling, and New York is troubling as well on its own, and there’s some really commonsense solutions out there,” she says. “It’s been really great to partner with them … and just work on solutions for that.”
Fenton-Marvell hadn’t originally planned on working in politics or policy, but she switched her major to political science during college and never turned back. She ended up delving into policy, which led to a lobbying career.
The University at Albany alum sees her future as growing and is cementing herself in her role at Ostroff.
“I’ve always had a lot of interest in U.S. history and politics, and I think that working in policy is a really interesting way to be a part of a small part of history,” she says.
– A.S.
Danielle Filson
Government jobs are often challenging, but few government staffers have faced a gantlet like Danielle Filson has over the past five years.
In that time, Filson has served as deputy press secretary and press secretary at the New York City Department of Education, where she managed school communications during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was Mayor Bill de Blasio’s press secretary for the final four months of his second term, a period marked by an uptick in coronavirus cases and planning for the city’s reopening.
Then, as communications director for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, she handled communications relating to the historic criminal trial of President Donald Trump.
Filson considers the demanding assignments part of her career development.
“Honestly, I’ve learned something from each job, and it’s carried me to the next and helped me excel in that role,” she says. “So I kind of feel like it’s all led to this, and I can’t really imagine it any other way.”
Looking back at her accomplishments, Filson is proud to have collaborated with all of the people that she worked with in tackling high-profile issues.
A West Hartford, Connecticut, native, Filson is now focusing on her career and life in New York City.
“I would say at this point, it’s safe to say New York City is my forever home, so anything I do next will need to be a part of what makes the city so great,” she says.
– J.C.
Marquis Harrison
Marquis Harrison had originally planned to go to law school. But after his brother died in a car accident, he decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps and become a teacher.
Harrison’s path did not stop in the classroom. A desire to help the Harlem community, advance the teaching profession and address broader challenges in schools led to his involvement in the United Federation of Teachers, where he’s now a political action coordinator.
“A big drive from my college years and organizing with labor unions there, and really a sense of wanting to be politically involved as an educator, was really what drove me to get involved in the teachers union,” he says.
Labor union advocacy isn’t the only avenue for his political involvement. He’s active in the NAACP in New York City, where he oversees education-related efforts. He also chairs Manhattan Community Board 10 in Harlem.
Harrison counts the late Hazel Dukes as a mentor, noting that she helped nurture his civic and political engagement and helped him overcome a challenge last year when he successfully sought reelection as community board chair. He appreciates all that Dukes taught him, including how to speak up for the community.
“To lose her, where I feel like she was still on fire and doing work, it hurts,” he says of Dukes. “But it’s also very humbling, because I know at the end I can say I had this legend teach me, support me and push me.”
– J.C.
Kels “Kelvin O. Howell Jr.”
Kels “Kelvin O. Howell Jr.” plays a key role at Somos Inc., the nonprofit that organizes the popular, twice-a-year Somos Conference in Albany and Puerto Rico in conjunction with the state Legislature’s New York Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force.
Kels has onboarded two executive directors over the past year. During a two-month transition, Kels helped run the nonprofit, earning a title change from operations manager to deputy executive director.
While Somos brings together Hispanic constituents and leaders with government officials and lobbyists, the most impactful part for Kels is the organization’s scholarships for Latino students.
“When we see our young people get their scholarships to go forth and be great, that is the moment for us,” says Kels, who is Afro-Panamanian.
Providing support to the next generation inspires her, as she knows the impact that a mentor or institution can have. Kels credits mentors for helping her get to where she is today, calling herself “a product of a village.”
As a young person, she experienced hardships, including transphobia and homelessness, which pushed her to take “lived experience and traumas” and turn it “into triumph.”
“What drives me now is knowing that these hardships still exist and people are going to continue on,” Kels says. “It’s just my hope, when I walk in these rooms, that those that are already there continue to make space for the next generation, and then those that are to come will see that it’s doable to change circumstances, in spite of how hard it may be.”
– A.S.
Josh Jensen
Long before he was elected to the Assembly, Josh Jensen was inspired by his father and grandfathers volunteering as firefighters. Their selflessness helped shape Jensen’s commitment to service, or what he calls “the overriding mission of my entire adult life.”
The Monroe County Republican has carried his desire to serve others to his time as a student at Niagara University and his work as a state Senate staffer, a town board member in Greece and now as a state lawmaker.
“When people need help, they need help,” he says. “They don’t necessarily care if it’s a Republican or Democrat helping them, and whether or not they’re a Democrat or Republican doesn’t matter – when somebody needs help, they need help.”
First elected in 2020, Jensen is defining himself in the role of ranking member of the Assembly Health Committee, mastering the intricacies of complex health policy. Jensen has established a working relationship Democratic Assembly Health Committee Chair Amy Paulin.
Years ago, Jensen was one of the last interns in President George W. Bush’s White House, serving in the Office of Strategic Engagement and External Affairs and supporting the creation of the world’s largest marine reserve. He then moved to the White House chief of staff’s office, helping to wind down the administration.
Jensen is now thinking closer to home – and about his role as a father of two – when he looks to the future.
“You never know what the future holds,” he says, “but it’s not a future that I’m actively seeking.”
– J.C.
Bryan Lesswing
The National Lieutenant Governors Association likes to note that lieutenant governors are more likely to become governor than any other officeholder. Bryan Lesswing knows this firsthand.
Lesswing served as communications director to Kathy Hochul while she was lieutenant governor, and he was often seen by her side when she moved up to the governorship. Then, as Hochul’s senior adviser, Lesswing helped guide her through her first year in office.
“She is truly just a workhorse in general. She has been as governor, and she’s also just a savvy tactician.” Lesswing says of Hochul. “She knows how to navigate the rough and tumble of New York politics. And I learned so much working for her.”
Lesswing, who’s now the head of the Albany office for the communications powerhouse SKDK, came up in politics working on campaigns across the country. Immediately prior to joining Hochul, he was communications director for Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s successful 2018 reelection campaign, his first statewide race.
Lesswing considers his tenure under Hochul to be one of his proudest accomplishments.
Lesswing also credits another legendary woman New York politician, former Rep. Louise Slaughter, for his commitment to public service. Slaughter, the first woman to chair the powerful House Rules Committee, was well known in her Rochester district for her constituent work.
“There’s the politics of just helping people, you know, make their lives better on the ground,” he says. “Congresswoman Slaughter’s office really taught me that, and it really was an inspiration.”
– J.C.
Ademi Levenson
One of Ademi Levenson’s first days as an intern at The Advance Group was eye-opening. She supported a rally for ranked choice voting – a common staple in New York City politics, but a first for Levenson. Born in Kazakhstan, she grew up in Dubai and attended college in Russia.
“When I came here and started interning at The Advance Group and got exposed to all this political work in real time, I learned that a lot of things I’ve been taught or told were not true, and propaganda is a real thing,” she recalls. “And seeing just how real elections work was something that really changed my vision and everything, because coming from a post-Soviet country, every candidate wins way before they even announce their candidacy. So coming here and seeing, wow, people actually run political campaigns and they put a lot of work into it.”
In 2023, she married The Advance Group’s Scott Levenson in a ceremony officiated by New York City Mayor Eric Adams. She rejoined the firm in 2024 and has been working to bring a Korean preeclampsia drug to the American market and with New York Communities for Change on climate and clean energy.
Looking back on the passage of ranked choice voting, Levenson wants to continue to make a difference. “That’s just another example of something I actually worked on part of became a law,” she says, “and that just doesn’t happen in other countries, not the countries that I lived in, certainly.”
– J.C.
Shawn Ma
Shawn Ma is embarking on a new chapter. He resigned as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s senior director for constituency affairs in August to study law at New York University.
Originally from China, Ma moved to Canada as a teenager. While at the University of Toronto, he interned for Justin Trudeau’s prime minister campaign.
“There was this sense of purpose, this shared belief that people, even young people like me, could contribute to something bigger,” he says. “That campaign office didn’t just introduce me to politics, it introduced me to belonging.”
After graduation, he worked in the New York City Mayor’s Office, where he was “thrown into a vibrant chaos of city governance.” In 2023, he joined the Hochul administration as a special assistant, later becoming Asian American affairs director.
His time in Albany had meaningful moments – supporting the creation of a statewide Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission and the addition of Lunar New Year and Diwali to the public school calendar – but one stands out. When a student group was visiting the state Capitol once, one Asian teen asked him if he worked there. When Ma responded “yes,” the boy looked at him with “part surprise, part wonder, part hope.”
“I saw something in his face, this spark, this realization that maybe, just maybe, someone like him could belong here, too,” Ma says. “That’s when I knew my presence mattered as much as my position. He saw himself reflected in me, and that’s why I do this work. It’s not just about policy, it’s about possibility.”
– A.S.
Virginia Maloney
Listen to Virginia Maloney long enough, and she’ll start to sound more like a technology wonk than an aspiring politician.
That may be because Maloney is a tech geek at heart who is looking to take that wonkiness to elected office. Maloney, a Meta product manager and the daughter of former Rep. Carolyn Maloney, is a New York City Council Democratic nominee who’s all but guaranteed to win an open seat on Manhattan’s East Side.
“On the tech sector in particular, I do think we’re going to see shifts in AI, and that will change the way our economy works,” Maloney says of her overlapping professional and policy interests. “And I think that we’ve seen not a lot of leadership coming out of D.C., but we’ve seen some leadership coming out of the state level, and I’d like to see that coming from the city level on regulating that technology.”
Maloney has been in the tech sector for a decade, following a stint at the New York City Economic Development Corp. working on the city’s public Wi-Fi program. Before that, she was a Deloitte consultant focused on issues like high-speed rail and patient-centered health care.
Maloney credits both of her parents for sparking an interest in public service. Her late father, Clifton Maloney, served on various civic boards.
“So that value system of giving back to your community and public service is something I grew up in, of course, that influenced my path and my direction,” she says.
– J.C.
Frank Marallo Jr.
Frank Marallo Jr. is an attorney at the law firm Windels Marx, where he specializes in nonprofit lending and affordable housing.
Many of the projects he works on reshape New York City – not by adding skyscrapers to the skyline, but through creating badly needed affordable housing and shelters. He also supports nonprofit organizations that help homeless or formerly homeless people.
“We at Windels are facilitators of a lot of good that’s going on in the city and around the city in terms of creating affordability,” Marallo says.
Some of that good includes a new initiative Marallo has worked on with the New York City Homeless Services Department and the Human Resources Administration to create “rehabilitated residential buildings” that will serve people transitioning from homeless shelters to living on their own.
Marallo likes advancing projects where he can see the physical results and how they help people.
“When you’re there, you recognize the need,” he says. “And you have the opportunity to see tangible benefits, to be walking around or driving through neighborhoods that you’ve worked on. You see the tangible impact, and it means something.”
That tangible impact is one of the things that make Marallo the most proud of being at Windels Marx – collaborating with people who care about issues facing New Yorkers.
“I’m grateful for finding this group that helps give this platform, where you know the work is exciting and you’re rowing in the same direction for the greater good and not just the big, fancy stuff,” he says.
– A.S.
Christopher Marte
New York City Council Member Christopher Marte had a great summer.
In June, he won a contested Democratic primary to continue serving his lower Manhattan district, even as opponents raised massive amounts against him. He’s expected to win the November general election.
And the Elizabeth Street Garden, a community garden in his district that was slated to become senior affordable housing, was spared from development in favor of other locations – an outcome Marte had been seeking.
“I think that just shows that you can have both,” he says. “You can have deeply affordable housing in lower Manhattan, where they say is one of the hardest places to build affordable housing, but you can also preserve your green space.”
The former tenant activist has made it a point to protect working-class residents. He also helped organize and file lawsuits over a scuttled plan to privatize New York City municipal retiree’s health care under Medicare Advantage.
A goal of his for the coming months and his expected next term is to get his No More 24 Act passed in the City Council, which would cap home health aides’ shifts at 12 hours. He also introduced a bill that would ban artificial turf from public parks. He’s mounting a campaign to be the next council speaker as well.
“We’re living at a time where our democracy is at stake, where people are losing faith in government because of the ever growing inequalities,” he says. “That’s what motivates me, to make sure that people can trust in government again and be successful.”
– A.S.
Paola Martinez
Paola Martinez handles government relations for the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, which provides social services to vulnerable populations in New York City and surrounding counties.
“We pretty much are able to touch every aspect of the needs that people can have, from mental health services, addiction prevention and provide support for infants and care for the more vulnerable, like seniors and homeless people,” she says.
In her role, Martinez drives Catholic Charities’ policy agenda and advocacy with government entities. A large part of what the organization does outside of direct services, Martinez says, is advocating for the needs of New Yorkers and pinpointing how the government can address them.
She has also been advocating for those working in the broader human services sector, supporting a 2024 New York City cost-of-living adjustment for human services workers.
When Martinez first came to Catholic Charities, she served as director of social services in the South Bronx, running a program at the New York City Housing Authority’s Betances Houses to address resident issues.
Years after moving on from that position, Martinez still hears from old clients or sees them when she visits, and they tell her how much they’ve progressed since she first began working with them. It’s conversations like those that remind her of the real importance of her organization’s work.
“Those are the things that really, really warm my heart and make me feel good about the work I do every every day,” she says. “That’s the reason why I always feel motivated to do this work.”
– A.S.
Caroline McGraw
For Caroline McGraw, the desire to effect positive change in New York is nothing new – she has been doing it for years.
The Niskayuna native created the state’s first municipal solar pollinator garden in 2016 as a project that won her the Girl Scout Gold Award, the organization’s highest honor. McGraw’s efforts to promote pollination did not stop there. McGraw followed up her work by successfully lobbying the state Legislature to provide $300,000 for pollinator research and to pass the Pollinator Friendly Solar Act of 2018.
“It was using that massive amount of space that the solar panel fields really do take up, and making sure the land underneath it wasn’t just to ruin,” McGraw says of her efforts.
McGraw is currently the labor relations project manager for the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association. In this role, she works on educational programs and creating a more inclusive workplace.
McGraw was the youngest woman delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention and New York’s youngest woman delegate to last year’s convention. McGraw looks back to the convention as a highlight of her budding career.
“It was an atmosphere that I really can’t compare to anything, just everything about it, from the different committee meetings we had in the morning to actually being on the convention floor at night and listening to everyone speak, and it was very powerful,” she says. “I don’t really have the words to put how amazing it really was.”
– J.C.
Adam Morey
All Adam Morey wanted to do was to let the wine store he managed sell wine online to other states. While trying to change a state law to allow that, he ended up finding a new career.
Morey soon made a transition to a full-time advocacy position, taking a job as public affairs manager for the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York. He now spends most of his time developing public campaigns that aim to expand the state’s innovation economy.
“I learned a lot from that, you know that even this type of work exists,” he says about his original foray into public affairs. “How you need to get folks together and build a coalition and work with the media and lawmakers in order to make a change.”
Morey is drawn to the innovation economy because of his initial work in the wine industry but also as a way to support small businesses and open new avenues for consumers. This includes exploring ways to prevent overregulation from hurting new innovative businesses and reducing lawsuits against smaller companies entering the market.
A passionate advocate for technology in business, Morey sees many ways technology will continue to help small businesses across New York. This includes providing new avenues for companies to grow and reach new markets.
Now with J Strategies, Morey credits the relationships he has made as one of his top accomplishments.
“For me, it’s the building and networking and maintaining those relationships that is the most important,” Morey says.
– J.C.
Diane Ong
When Diane Ong was 8, her father took her canvassing for a presidential candidate named Barack Obama. Four years later, when Obama was running for reelection, Ong’s father signed her up to be a poll greeter.
This early introduction to politics sparked her interest in government affairs, including her current work at the lobbying firm O’Donnell & Associates.
“I grew up seeing politics and government as something we all have a sense of duty to participate in,” she says. “In some way, I definitely think that’s a reason for why I was so interested in it and wanted to choose it as a career.”
Ong held roles in organizing, government and nonprofits early in her career, which led her to her current job.
“I really wanted to be able to do something where I felt like I was getting to see real results and results quickly,” she says.
Ong recently advocated for the RAISE Act, a state artificial intelligence safety measure, and helped the American Museum of Natural History increase its educational impact and resources statewide. She also served as an operations manager for the Harris-Walz presidential campaign, managing a volunteer team.
Looking ahead, Ong wants to deploy her skills in the aftermath of the Trump administration.
“I hope to be a part of advocating for people who are suffering losses under the current administration, sort of like helping people remain whole,” she says. “And once this current administration is over, being a part of building back what’s being lost.”
– A.S.
Katie Paniagua
When Katie Paniagua was in her early 20s, she worked in retail. She and her colleagues were having a bad experience in the workplace – but when they reached out to their human resources team about it, they got their hours cut.
At that moment, Paniagua decided she wanted to be able to support employees in a way she hadn’t been.
“One day I said, ‘I’m going to be a better HR manager than this person that works in this company,’” Paniagua recalls. “You’re dealing with staff that might have different issues, or they find the job rewarding and they love what they do, but they need to be supported, they need to be advocated for.”
Now, Paniagua manages human resources at Lutheran Social Services of New York, which provides resources for mental illness and homelessness across much of New York City and Long Island. She handles benefits, onboarding, strategic planning and improving company culture.
She and her small team have recently expanded company medical benefits to include weight loss and fertility treatments and launched a staff newsletter to highlight achievements, birthdays, work anniversaries and company news.
Paniagua is also working on earning a Senior Professional in Human Resources certification and hopes to one day advance to the chief human resources officer level.
“I find the work rewarding,” she says. “I have an interest in social work, and I feel like working in HR in a social services agency allows me to help the staff that support all of these different populations.”
– A.S.
Anna Pycior
Anna Pycior didn’t set out to be a crisis manager, but crises often find their way to the person willing to step up.
While working for then-Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh, Pycior grappled with the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. As chief of staff in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs under former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, she was on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeting these challenges led to some of her proudest accomplishments.
“Working on Open Streets during COVID, that was wonderful,” Pycior says. “It was literally a team at (the city Department of Transportation), myself and local electeds trying to identify, on the go, streets that could become desperately needed open space across the city.”
Pycior has also had policy-oriented stints with Citi Bike in New York and in local and state government in Oregon, but her career keeps returning to addressing the most pressing issues. Now at Empire State Development, she’s working with cities, towns and villages statewide to address the lack of new housing.
“In early days in my career, I was helping people with property tax concerns and MTA oversight and environmental preservation. And then it pivoted to crisis management,” she says. “And now I get to step back and do a bit of a combo, which is, there is a housing crisis, but I am getting to look at it from a more proactive, less sort of reactionary approach, but rather how are we going to get ourselves out of this long term.”
– J.C.
Tomas Ramos
When Tomas Ramos was in college, he visited 13 countries across five continents through a program called Semester at Sea. Seeing families living in devastating poverty in countries such as India and Vietnam made him want to tackle poverty back home, providing direction at a time when he was trying to chart out his future.
“That really sparked my mind,” Ramos recalls. “I studied finance, and that’s when I decided I did not want to work on Wall Street, that I wanted to do more for my community.”
He did just that. Ramos launched Oyate Group, an anti-poverty nonprofit serving youths and small businesses.
Oyate Group, which Ramos founded in 2018 and made operational by 2020, has unique models and programs that do not rely on government funds. The organization has awarded over $200,000 in scholarships, vaccinated more than 40,000 Bronxites and granted more than $1 million to small businesses.
“My purpose in life is to eradicate poverty and provide opportunities for every single child born in the wealthiest country,” he says.
Prior to forming Oyate, Ramos worked at an international school, where he realized he wanted his impact to be centered on future generations.
“That’s when I really started falling in love with working with young people,” he says. “Once I realized that I can actually impact people’s lives, especially people that look like me – Black and brown young people in our community – that’s what I dedicated my life to.”
– A.S.
Josh Rosenfeld
Years ago, Josh Rosenfeld’s parents knew something about him that he didn’t.
While in high school in New Jersey, Rosenfeld was obsessed with playing soccer, but his parents saw his advocacy ability and encouraged him to join student government.
“I had no interest in doing that. I really didn’t, I didn’t really find it interesting” he recalls. “It wasn’t something I wanted to be involved with. But from a college application standpoint, to be totally honest with you, I was like, ‘Yeah, I guess I’ll check it out, on top of athletics.’ And I really got into it.”
Rosenfeld played soccer and was class president at Goucher College, a liberal arts college in Maryland. After college, he pursued a career in politics, serving as an aide to New Jersey state Sen. Linda Greenstein before moving to New York government roles, first as a press officer at the state Department of Labor and then as a deputy press secretary for then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Since 2019, he’s been with what's now Avoq (formerly Kivvit) focusing on issues advocacy.
Much of Rosenfeld’s work is centered on social justice, including leading communications for the Independent Rikers Commission, addressing child poverty statewide and obtaining more funding for language access for immigrant communities.
He plans to continue this type of work.
“Anything that, truthfully, is going to move New York forward and better the people of New York are the kind of campaigns that I want to work on,” he says.
– J.C.
Racquel Saddler
Caucus Weekend is one of the biggest gatherings on New York’s political calendar, one where relationships are made and policy proposals are discussed and prioritized. For a young Racquel Saddler, the annual event hosted by the New York State Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislators was an entryway into politics.
Saddler’s mother was chief of staff to a former New York City Council member and a state senator, and she would bring her along to events, including Caucus Weekend.
“That experience really left an indelible impression on me and just sparked my determination to be a part of the process in any way, shape or form,” Saddler says.
Saddler went on to work for then-state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery, who chaired the Children and Families Committee.
Now at Mercury, Saddler assisted Dorcey Applyrs’ successful Democratic primary run for Albany mayor this year, connecting the candidate with key faith leaders in the city. She also advised Albany County Family Court Judge Jillian Faison’s campaign.
Saddler’s efforts in the state Senate on juvenile justice reform and other issues have led to her being recognized by the Brooklyn chapter of Church Women United, a special honor for her.
“Because I have a very deep rooted faith and belief in Jesus Christ, to be noted for my professional work in the faith-based community was just very, very important to me,” she says. “It’s a reminder that service, advocacy and faith are all connected.”
– J.C.
Jessica Scarcella-Spanton
State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton’s path to being a nurse kept being interrupted by Albany.
She had studied nursing in college, but an Assembly internship sparked a love for policy. Later, as district director for then-state Sen. Diane Savino, Scarcella-Spanton went back to school to complete a nursing degree, but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed that plan.
Savino, Scarcella-Spanton’s mentor, had her own ideas.
“And she actually would say to me, ‘You should run for my seat one day,’” Scarcella-Spanton says of Savino. “And I would tell her she was insane because I was young and I had two little kids, and she was like, ‘You’re crazy, you should run.’”
Now, her studies influence her legislative priorities. For example, she secured seed money to create a midwifery program at CUNY. She speaks passionately about midwifery.
“I was actually trying to go back to school while I was working for Sen. Savino to get my prerequisites for nursing to eventually become a certified nurse midwife,” she says.
Her work as the chair of the Senate Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee is also shaped by being an Army spouse. Her husband, Josh, deployed twice to Afghanistan, in 2012 and 2014.
“I really try to bring the perspective for military families,” she says. “You know, there’s a lot more that we could be doing, I think, as a state, to help support both veterans and their families, because when a family is supported, a veteran’s also going to be supported.”
– J.C.
Jarrod Schaeffer
Jarrod Schaeffer has already shaken up the power structure in New York.
While an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, Schaeffer led the prosecution of former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, which led to Benjamin’s resignation and the appointment of Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. The corruption case against Benjamin was dropped following the death of a key witness.
Schaeffer, now a partner at Abell Eskew Landau, or AEL, worked on other key cases as a federal prosecutor.
“I also did work with a complex fraud and cybercrime unit, and one of the cases I did with them was taking down an illegal wildlife trafficking ring that was one of the largest in Africa, and we arrested four or five people, including the leader of that ring,” Schaeffer says.
Now as a defense attorney, Schaeffer represents high-profile clients, including Linda Sun, the governor’s former deputy chief of staff.
Amid changes at the U.S. Department of Justice in recent months, Schaeffer says he is not pleased by what he sees is a politicization of the department by the Trump administration. He noted a key thing he learned as a federal prosecutor.
“I think the proudest lesson that I can come away with from working there is that we never shied away from a difficult case if we thought that the evidence was there, and we never shied away from a case just because it was going after a powerful or dangerous person,” he says.
– J.C.
Jon Sege
Four and a half years ago, the front-line clinical staff and leadership at White Plains Hospital were collecting data in spreadsheets that they could utilize later to learn more about the care they provided. The process, however, took them away from their patients.
Jon Sege, the hospital’s assistant vice president for data management and analytics, was brought in to lead an analytics team, freeing up the clinical team to focus on medicine.
Now, Sege and his team have implemented automated data reporting processes that help leadership understand the quality of care provided: what was missed, what could have been done better, how support can be continued after a patient gets discharged and so on.
“We are tasked with supporting the hospital in understanding what we’re doing well and what our opportunities are,” he says. “Our team’s job is to help take all the crazy data we collect and make it understandable for our leaders so they know what they need to really focus on and get better every day.”
Before coming to the hospital, Sege did work related to environmental science and climate change, in part assessing how climate impacts health. This eventually morphed into an interest in health care.
“What really drives me is trying to help people, particularly people who have been marginalized or don’t have resources, be as healthy as they could possibly be, whether it be through a healthy environment or a good health care system that could be there if things do arise,” he says.
– A.S.
Toni-Ann Sforza
For Toni-Ann Sforza, her professional work is all about serving people.
The chief operating officer of the Municipal Credit Union, Sforza got her professional start at 14 as a file clerk at a law firm. She jokes about being the “worst file clerk” because her curiosity led her to read all the cases.
Sforza then moved over to human resources and climbed the professional ladder, moving into key HR leadership roles at Amalgamated Bank, Apple Bank and Jackson Lewis.
“I think every position, every line of business, starts with people,” Sforza says in describing her philosophy and how a background in HR has helped her move up in the world of financial services.
At Municipal Credit Union, a financial cooperative serving over 600,000 New Yorkers, Sforza has helped upgrade operations to benefit members, including limiting customer wait times in branches, opening new branches and reducing call volume, as well as utilizing technology to enhance the customer experience.
Sforza is quick to highlight the impact credit unions have on local communities, including through the affiliated MCU Foundation, where she is a board member. She is focused on the foundation’s partnership with Ronald McDonald House.
Sforza says MCU’s mission aligns with her belief about putting people first.
“For us at the Municipal Credit Union, our focus is the member, the hardworking New Yorkers,” she says. “And that’s my background. That’s me, that’s my family. So I have a true affinity to the mission.”
– J.C.
Zachary Steinberg
Zachary Steinberg caught the political bug early – though it’s hard not to, when there’s a quadrennial outbreak. A native of Iowa City, Iowa, Steinberg grew up with parents active in the famed Iowa caucuses.
“I know this sounds quaint, but you know you could literally go to a union hall or to another sort of meeting place and sit in a room with a presidential candidate and 20 other people for two hours,” Steinberg says.
After completing his studies at Wesleyan University, Steinberg went to Washington, D.C., to work for then-U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, first in Harkin’s office and then on the staff of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. He then came to New York City, serving as deputy policy director for then-City Comptroller Scott Stringer before joining the staff at the Real Estate Board of New York.
Having handled everything from federal labor policy to shaping new city and state housing regulations, Steinberg points to a number of accomplishments: developing policies to reduce building emissions, spur housing construction and reform federal procurement.
Steinberg says he’s happy with the variety of policy issues that he has worked on.
“I’ve been lucky that I’ve never been sort of pigeonholed into one thing, like, it’s never been, ‘Oh, Zach works only on taxes,’” he says. “I’ve always had the ability to work on a broad range of things, which I think has been helpful for my particular interests and the way my brain works.”
– J.C.
Anna Swanby-Laisne
There are many ways to have a good time at the YMCA – and Anna Swanby-Laisne is using data to ensure the venerable nonprofit organization keeps it that way.
Swanby-Laisne oversees the YMCA of Greater New York’s program evaluation, impact measurement and data analysis, which allows the organization to identify areas where it needs to improve and to track how it impacts both individuals and communities at large.
“Each individual story only goes so far, so what inspires me every day is being able to pair that with our analytics so we are able to tell the full story of that impact, and we’re able to measure ourselves, both to tell the impact but also to hold ourselves accountable and to ensure that we are really providing the best experience for everyone,” she says.
Late last year, the organization was awarded an AWS Imagine Grant to launch a swimming skills tracking application. This software will help instructors better understand how well 40,000 annual swim students are improving and learning, allowing them to alter lessons as needed and easily share information with parents.
“The Y is here to help people find their purpose, their people and their place – and our goal in our department is to help analytics do that better,” Swanby-Laisne says. “It’s been able to have that true intersection of the programs, of the community and of the data that has led us to kind of transform the work we’re doing.”
– A.S.
Devlyn Tedesco
Sitting on 28 acres of Long Island City, Queens, waterfront property is the hulking Ravenswood Generating Station, a power plant that may be transitioned into a renewable energy hub powered by offshore wind.
Devlyn Tedesco last year joined Rise Light & Power, which is behind the renewable power plan, bringing more industry know-how to the effort.
Tedesco provides legal expertise on compliance, regulations, permitting and other day-to-day industry matters. She got into energy law while at Albany Law School, where she decided she wanted to study a complicated area of law that would challenge her.
Energy law “is so nuanced, and there’s so many different layers to it and it’s constantly evolving,” Tedesco says. “I really liked the idea that it was very dynamic, and the fact that it does good is an excellent benefit.”
One of the biggest projects of her career was when she helped handle the permitting for South Fork Wind, New York’s first offshore wind project.
“I think just happening to be an associate with some free time when that project was brought to our law firm really allowed me to catapult my career, because I learned so much through that and made so many connections,” Tedesco says.
She looks forward to continuing to advance New York’s clean energy goals.
“I think now more than ever, we understand the impacts of climate change and what actions we can take as individuals and as companies to be trying to slow down some of those impacts,” she says.
– A.S.
Anthony Trapasso
Anthony Trapasso considers himself to be a pretty risk-averse person.
Luckily, this mindset serves him well in his role as managing director at KPMG, where he focuses on risk management, regulatory compliance and grants management for public sector clients across the state.
KPMG is an international professional services firm that handles auditing, advising and tax support for its clients. Trapasso’s role involves helping New York clients identify and mitigate regulatory, fiscal and programmatic risks that can stand in the way of reaching their objectives.
“Really what we do is we help our clients work through their various initiatives, which ultimately help serve the citizens in the city and state,” he says. “It’s a pretty long-standing history of a variety of different types of offerings we’ve been able to provide our clients that ultimately supported their efforts.”
The Bronx native began working with public sector clients early on in his tenure with KPMG, which fit with his interest in current events and politics.
Trapasso says he has “an appreciation for what impacts people in everyday life and how we can help our clients support their initiatives through leveraging my analytical and CPA background and compliance skill sets to achieve and support their initiatives.”
Trapasso is looking to help expand KPMG’s footprint in the state.
“We do a lot more than what the perception might be,” he says. “We’re not just an auditor, we’re not just a technology adviser, but we’re an end-to-end service provider that can help them across their program life cycles.”
– A.S.
April Weeks
April Weeks has always had an interest in the environment and had long dreamed of making it her profession. Engineering became her pathway to pursuing her passion and making it a reality.
Weeks started her career with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, where she worked on a number of projects around the city. One of the reasons Weeks was drawn initially to working at the DEP was the agency’s objective to pilot the design-build model to help to deliver projects more efficiently.
“DEP was all-in on trying that out,” she says of the innovative project delivery method. “I thought that that was a good opportunity to see something new and to kind of help blaze that trail there. I got involved in understanding how the industry is doing it across the country.”
She’s now at Hudson Meridian Construction Group, which is part of a team advising the New York City Economic Development Corp. on the redevelopment of the Hunts Point Produce Market – and Weeks is applying her design-build knowledge.
“It’s another huge project that’s meant to serve New York City, and that’s really what made me leave the city agency and pivot over to my new company, but still with the same end goal in mind,” she says.
Weeks’ passion for public service is evident as she speaks with pride about all of the projects she has contributed to.
“It’s really a once-in-a-generation project,” she says of Hunts Point. “It’s critical infrastructure for the city.”
– J.C.
Austin Weihmiller
Austin Weihmiller took a meandering path from Hawaii to Manhattan, where he’s now knee-deep in advocating for the Grieving Families Act for the New York State Trial Lawyers Association.
Early in his career, Weihmiller supported Syrian refugees in Greece. He then worked on key campaigns in national battleground states like Nevada, North Carolina and Georgia. In New York City, he managed the campaign of New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher.
He even got to know another Manhattan – Manhattan, Kansas, where he supported Democrat Barbara Bollier’s unsuccessful 2020 U.S. Senate bid.
“I really, really enjoyed working on that race,” Weihmiller says of Bollier’s campaign. “It was a weird time. It was 2020, and so organizing in a pandemic certainly brought a lot of unique opportunities, but I think it was a great campaign that we ran.”
Weihmiller now works on compliance and assists in fundraising and event planning for NYSTLA. He knows the Amtrak ride between New York City and Albany well, traveling many times to get the Grieving Families Act across the finish line at the state Capitol. It has passed repeatedly in the state Legislature but hasn’t been signed by the governor.
Weihmiller is driven by his desire to fight for social justice and he pledges to do whatever it takes to get the Grieving Families Act enacted.
“We know that the fight for justice is never an easy one,” he says, “and I don’t think those of us in these roles ever expect that.”
– J.C.
Michela Wilson
Michela Wilson first visited the state Capitol as a child, when her mother brought her to a meeting of the Legislative Commission on Toxic Substances and Hazardous Wastes. Her mother advocated for a bill banning toxic chemicals used in gym floors, which eventually passed.
The experience demonstrated the importance of using one’s voice.
“She was like, ‘We have to go do this, our voices need to be heard,’” Wilson says. “It’s the whole point of one voice can help build a movement and you don’t have to be ‘somebody’ to make that happen – everyone could play a role.”
Wilson carries this lesson with her today in her work at Albany Strategic Advisors, a lobbying firm where she assists health care and tech clients.
Wilson has a background in social work, and the human impact of policy and systems is still at the core of her work. She started out at the state Department of Health’s Office of Health Insurance Programs on policy related to aging and early childhood, and later was director of the state Senate Health Committee.
“I’ve always been very interested in how people are shaping how we think and how we perceive our roles,” Wilson says. “Just bringing that human lens into policy.”
With health care policy constantly evolving, Wilson aims to remain nimble and flexible.
“Everyone is appropriately worried about what’s to come in health care in particular, but I think there’s lots of creative solutions that can come out of these sort of disastrous outcomes,” she says.
– A.S.
Camisha Worthy
Camisha Worthy takes care of the people that take care of New Yorkers.
She handles human resources at Housing Solutions of New York, a nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness through shelters, youth services and other social services programming.
“I take care of the most important part of our organization: the people,” Worthy says. “We can’t do what we do, all of the wonderful things, without our people.”
Worthy oversees hiring, promotions and other supports so that employees have a positive experience. This improves retention and provides career growth and stability for the workers.
Her team helped facilitate the organization’s growth from 200 to 500 employees. She was also involved in creating a Training and Development Department to promote a culture of learning and prepare staff for higher-level positions.
“I say that HR is like the social work of businesses, and for me, I’m all about empowering folks,” she says. “I’m all about ensuring that folks know that they can expand their lives and services.”
Worthy ran across human resources while exploring graduate school possibilities. She then started out doing HR for a couple of doctors’ offices before finding her footing in the nonprofit sector.
“I found a master’s in human resources and I looked it up because at that time I didn’t really know much, but in researching, I’m like, ‘This sounds like me,’” she recalls. “HR sounds like me. I’m all about policies, procedures and, more than that, I’m about empathy.”
– A.S.