Power Lists
The 2025 Women Power 100
Leaders determining the course of New York politics and government.
City & State presents the 2025 Women Power 100. Senate Photography; Mike Groll, Office of Governor; Kyle O’Leary
Women aren’t just having a moment in New York politics – they’re making gains and locking them in. Gov. Kathy Hochul already made history as the state’s first woman governor, and if she faces Rep. Elise Stefanik in the 2026 general election as expected, it would be the first time neither major party gubernatorial candidate in New York is a man. State Attorney General Letitia James and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins followed ceiling-shattering elections of their own with headline-grabbing records in office. This year, women held on to a majority in the New York City Council and are likely poised to once again elect a woman speaker – which would make it the only citywide or statewide post in New York that has been held by more women than men.
City & State’s Women Power 100 puts a spotlight on these and many other influential women in the world of New York politics and policy. This year’s edition adds dozens of new names, including the incoming mayors of Syracuse and Albany, the leader of one of the state’s most powerful labor unions and key advisers to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. This ranked list also features top government appointees, business executives, nonprofit heads, advocates, experts and many other movers and shakers.
1. Kathy Hochul
A trailblazing politician with a knack for being everywhere, Gov. Kathy Hochul is firmly in charge in her fifth year as governor. This year, she passed her signature school cellphone ban, tweaked the state’s discovery laws and sent out surplus checks to New Yorkers as part of her affordability agenda. She dropped Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado as her running mate for next year, as he now pursues a primary challenge against her. Hochul has pushed back against President Donald Trump, while finding ways to get what she wants. Hochul is also gearing up for another competitive general election race next year.
2. Andrea Stewart-Cousins
The first woman to lead a state legislative chamber in New York, state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has notched another string of victories in Albany this year. She led the Senate in passing the state’s first Medical Aid in Dying Act (although it’s unclear if the governor will sign it), along with negotiating a budget that preserved school aid, invested in mass transit and created a housing voucher pilot program. However, Stewart-Cousins saw MGM Resorts’ Empire City Casino drop its bid for a full casino license in her district, a proposal she had backed.
3. Letitia James
New York’s state attorney general is in a unique position as the prosecutor who is being prosecuted. State Attorney General Letitia James was indicted by a federal grand jury in Virginia on mortgage fraud charges after President Donald Trump replaced a U.S. attorney who would not prosecute James. James pleaded not guilty and has refuted all of the charges, denouncing them as politically motivated. (James brought a high-profile civil fraud case against Trump.) The indictment has not hurt James’ approval with Democrats, who have rallied around her.
4. Elise Stefanik
Rep. Elise Stefanik’s bid to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was scrapped, but she has pivoted to positioning herself as the early front-runner for the Republican nomination for governor. President Donald Trump has helped to clear the field for Stefanik, who’s already a power broker in the North Country and in Washington, D.C., where she’s the House Republican Leadership chair. Stefanik has ramped up her criticisms of Gov. Kathy Hochul and recently listed her Washington, D.C. town house to spend more time upstate. Stefanik’s gubernatorial candidacy could set up New York’s first gubernatorial election – and just the 11th in American history – to feature two women as major party nominees.
5. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Fresh off her national “Fighting Oligarchy” tour with Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the subject of heightened speculation about her plans for 2028. Reports have her weighing a bid for president or mounting a Democratic primary challenge to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. During the federal government shutdown, Vice President JD Vance even accused Schumer of basing his budget strategy around fear of a primary challenge from Ocasio-Cortez. She has forged a cautious alliance with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, another charismatic young democratic socialist shaking up Democratic politics in New York City and nationally.
6. Karen Persichilli Keogh & Kathryn Garcia
Unlike her predecessors in Andrew Cuomo’s administration, Karen Persichilli Keogh prefers a behind-the-scenes approach to her role as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s top adviser. Yet Persichilli Keogh has quietly flexed her political muscle to advance Hochul’s agenda, steering everything from a $254 billion budget to approving local speed limit changes. Kathryn Garcia, the de Blasio administration’s famed commissioner for everything and a onetime candidate for New York City mayor herself, now oversees the operations of over 70 state agencies and is preparing for any disaster that could hit New York. Among her recent accomplishments are implementing congestion pricing, overseeing the state’s largest expansion of inpatient psychiatric beds in decades, developing a new bus terminal in midtown Manhattan, starting the Gateway Development Commission and awarding contracts for the I-81 overhaul in Syracuse.
7. Liz Krueger
The powerful chair of the state Senate Finance Committee, Liz Krueger is taking on a famous former constituent: President Donald Trump. Krueger, who says Trump’s controversial policies warrant a strong response, has proposed to withhold New York’s share of federal taxes from the federal government. The Manhattan lawmaker, a longtime opponent of legalized gambling, recently notched a win when all the casino bids in the borough failed to advance. Krueger is also continuing her clean energy push, introducing legislation to permit balcony solar panels, opposing a new gas pipeline and raising concerns about the governor’s push for nuclear power.
8. Kristen Gonzalez, Michelle Hinchey, Rachel May, Shelley Mayer, Julia Salazar & Toby Ann Stavisky
State Senate Education Committee Chair Shelley Mayer has been shaping New York’s education policies, perhaps most notably in her successful push last year to fully fund the state’s Foundation Aid formula. She is also seeking an investigation into the Success Academy Charter Schools rally that canceled classes. Outside of education, she wants clarification on whether campaign funds can be used for security purposes. The Yonkers lawmaker also chairs the Ethics and Internal Governance Committee.
State Senate Vice President Pro Tempore Toby Ann Stavisky is focused on the state’s colleges and universities in her role as Higher Education Committee chair. In addition to preventing tuition increases at SUNY and CUNY, the Queens lawmaker has been addressing professional licensing issues. Stavisky and Mayer have reportedly been part of the state Senate’s influential Working Rules group.
State Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Michelle Hinchey got her Universal Schools Meals Act into the state budget this year, bringing free breakfast and lunch to students. The Hudson Valley legislator has also increased state investment into agriculture and farmland protection.
Consumer Protection Committee Chair Rachel May, who represents a Syracuse-area district, has had a productive year, passing 27 bills through both houses – including legislation granting school librarians control over their collections, expanding access to dental care and promoting walkable community development. May also chairs the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources.
State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez is the only senator to chair two policy committees: Internet and Technology as well as Elections. She has been targeting artificial intelligence, passing a new oversight measure this year. Gonzalez has called for reform of the state tax code to increase revenue by $20 billion to address federal cuts.
Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee Chair Julia Salazar led the Senate in passing a comprehensive prison reform package this year. She was arrested with other elected officials while trying to observe immigration detention conditions at 26 Federal Plaza and is pushing legislation that would restrict government agencies from cooperating with federal immigration agents.
9. Kirsten Gillibrand
As the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is at the center of the Democrats’ tough fight to win back control of the U.S. Senate next year. On the policy front, Gillibrand introduced the Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act to fully cover childbirth costs. A Senate Armed Services Committee member, Gillibrand has criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent comments on military capability and ban on anonymous complaints, arguing that his moves could silence complaints about sexual assault and harrassment.
10. Jessica Tisch
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch has followed an unusual path: Born into a family of wealth and privilege, she toiled for over a decade in relative anonymity at the NYPD before serving as the city’s sanitation commissioner and then, a year ago, becoming police commissioner. She has tackled corruption, reduced the press office size, targeted quality-of-life crimes and presided over a decline in shootings. Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced in the closing weeks of the election that he plans to keep Tisch as police commissioner, a priority for the business community, although she has yet to publicly say whether she will accept the appointment.
11. Betty Rosa
Betty Rosa is on a mission to revamp New York education. The state education commissioner is implementing a new framework on what students need to know when they graduate. At the same time, she has been examining statewide diploma requirements. Rosa expressed concerns about Gov. Kathy Hochul’s school cellphone ban, saying she believes in local control and that the timing was wrong given the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement. President Donald Trump also removed Rosa from her post on Puerto Rico’s financial control board.
12. Crystal Peoples-Stokes
Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes is a power broker at the local, regional, state and federal levels. As majority leader, she represents the upstate contingent of the Assembly Democratic majority. This year, she secured state approval of a Buffalo hotel tax to shore up her hometown’s finances. Peoples-Stokes continues to monitor the implementation of legal cannabis, and she’s also serving on the national advisory council for the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum in Washington, D.C.
13. Amanda Farías, Crystal Hudson, Julie Menin & Selvena Brooks-Powers
New York City voters elected men to three influential offices this month, but this quartet of women is looking to ensure men don’t hold every citywide post come 2026.
New York City Council Member Julie Menin appears to be an early front-runner in the inside race for council speaker. The Consumer and Worker Protection Committee chair authored landmark legislation to provide transparency in hospital pricing, protect hotel workers and launched a free swim lesson program. A former lower Manhattan community board chair and past commissioner of several city agencies, she has been calling for full federal funding of the 9/11 health fund.
Menin’s top rival for the speakership appears to be Brooklyn Council Member Crystal Hudson, who enjoys support among the legislative body’s progressives. The Aging Committee chair is focused on making New York City an attractive and affordable place for senior citizens, particularly those looking to age in place. A former LGBTQIA+ Caucus co-chair, Hudson passed a new law requiring doctors and nurses employed by city government to complete annual training on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Council Member Amanda Farías’ elevation to majority leader nearly two years ago positioned her for a run at the speakership as well. As the Economic Development Committee chair, she has focused on creating jobs in the city and calling on the Adams administration to protect immigrant street vendors. The Bronx lawmaker has also targeted poor air quality caused by the Cross Bronx Expressway.
City Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers also is in the mix for speaker. The Southeast Queens lawmaker might be able to capitalize on her ties to Rep. Greg Meeks, who as Queens Democratic Party boss has some sway in the outcome. However, she was removed from the council’s budget team after alienating another key ally, outgoing Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, for endorsing Andrew Cuomo over Adams in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary.
14. Adrienne Adams
New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams had a busy year. She belatedly jumped into the Democratic primary for mayor, ending up in fourth place. She and her fellow council members have both clashed with the mayor, overriding his vetoes of legislation, and found some common ground on the City of Yes zoning reform, which began being implemented this year, and the city’s $116 billion budget for fiscal year 2026. Adams – the city’s first Black speaker – is weeks away from leaving office, but with Airbnb-backed legislation in play, she’s not a lame duck just yet.
15. Elle Bisgaard-Church
“Elle who?” That may have been the question for many New York City political insiders a year ago, but now it’s, “Can you get Elle on the phone?” The woman behind Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary is now the architect of his incoming administration. Mamdani’s chief of staff in the Assembly, Elle Bisgaard-Church moved over from campaign manager to chief adviser following the stunning primary upset. Bisgaard-Church, who will serve as Mamdani’s chief of staff at City Hall, is now one of the most powerful people in the most powerful city on earth.
16. Kathryn Wylde
Kathryn Wylde announced in May that she’ll retire from her position leading the Partnership for New York City next year, after connecting business executives to government officials for a quarter century. In her final year, Wylde has been grappling with a chaotic mayoral election, federal funding cuts and mass deportations that affect the city’s workforce. She has also facilitated meetings between wary business leaders and the mayor-elect, democratic socialist lawmaker Zohran Mamdani, and applauded Mamdani’s recent pledge to retain New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
17. Melinda Person
Former middle school teacher Melinda Person leads New York State United Teachers, having taken the reins of the nearly 700,000-member union in 2023. As NYSUT’s former executive and political director, she spearheaded the Member Action Center that advocates for union priorities and oversaw the creation of the Member Organizing Institute and Regional Political Organizer program. She teamed up with Gov. Kathy Hochul on several key initiatives over the past year, including a new law limiting student cellphone use in schools and implementing universal school meals.
18. Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, Catalina Cruz, Amy Paulin, Karines Reyes, Linda Rosenthal & Michaelle Solages
Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn wields power as a policymaker and a political leader. Last year, she was reelected as chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party. In Albany, she chairs the Assembly Subcommittee on Oversight of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises and champions Black maternal health. She quickly rallied behind Zohran Mamdani after he won the New York City Democratic mayoral primary.
Assembly Member Amy Paulin of Westchester is a productive legislator, both in terms of volume and impact. The Health Committee chair spearheaded the Medical Aid in Dying Act, which passed both houses but has not been acted on by the governor.
Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal chairs the Housing Committee. The Manhattan lawmaker passed a variety of measures this year: the Housing Access Voucher Program, which was in the state budget; a law preventing landlords from raising rents through algorithmic pricing; and a bill barring harmful chemicals in menstrual products, which awaits the governor’s signature.
Assembly Member Michaelle Solages of Long Island chairs the Local Governments Committee and the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus, which hosts the popular Caucus Weekend conference in Albany. She also co-chairs the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Standing Committees.
Assembly Member Karines Reyes leads the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, which runs the popular Somos conference in Puerto Rico. She has supported immigrant rights and sponsors the New York for All Act, which would prohibit local government cooperation on federal immigration enforcement.
Assembly Member Catalina Cruz of Queens has also pushed back against federal immigration enforcement, introducing a “Protect Immigrants, Defend NY” legislative package this year.
19. Yvonne Armstrong
Yvonne Armstrong defeated longtime 1199SEIU President George Gresham in the union’s internal election in May, one of the biggest union election upsets in years. Armstrong now heads up a labor union representing 450,000 health care workers and retirees along the East Coast. Some of the plans laid out during her campaign include settling contracts for in-house staff and developing strategies about artificial intelligence in health care. Prior to her election as president, Armstrong led the long-term care division at 1199SEIU, which is a force in state and city politics.
20. Stacy Lynch
Previously the governor’s chief of staff, Stacy Lynch is now a senior adviser on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s reelection campaign. Lynch spent three years in the Executive Chamber, during which she helped secure rental relief for New York City Housing Authority residents, investments for Brooklyn’s SUNY Downstate Medical Center and the establishment of the state’s Office of Faith and Nonprofit Development Services. Before that, Lynch was chief of staff to then-Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, deputy director of intergovernmental affairs for New York City and general counsel at her father’s law firm, Bill Lynch & Associates.
21. Twyla Carter
Twyla Carter is the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead The Legal Aid Society in its nearly 150-year history. The organization provides pro bono services to underserved communities, and recently won an injunction against the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport undocumented New Yorkers. Legal Aid also won a ruling requiring an independent official be appointed to oversee Rikers Island. Previously, Carter was a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union’s Criminal Law Reform Project and the national director of legal and policy at The Bail Project.
22. Nicole Malliotakis & Claudia Tenney
Reps. Nicole Malliotakis and Claudia Tenney have found themselves locked in debates over President Donald Trump’s tax and trade policies from their seats on the influential House Ways and Means Committee. Malliotakis, New York City’s only Republican member of Congress and a co-chair of the congressional Anti-Congestion Tax Caucus, hasn’t been able to halt the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s congestion pricing program so far. The Staten Island lawmaker said she opposes gerrymandering by either party. Malliotakis also serves on the Tax Subcommittee and is an assistant GOP whip. Tenney wants Trump to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She routinely nominates him and plans to launch a global campaign on his behalf, citing his deployment of the military to police the District of Columbia and other cities, along with his international endeavors. Tenney serves on the Trade Subcommittee, Intelligence Committee as well as the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
23. Yvette Clarke, Laura Gillen, Grace Meng & Nydia Velázquez
Rep. Nydia Velázquez is one of only two New York City members of Congress to hold a full committee leadership role as ranking member of the House Small Business Committee. She has used the post to champion small-business programs to assist entrepreneurs, while also expanding federal contracting opportunities and helping women-owned businesses. She has introduced the Landlord Accountability Act and helped secure $11 million in federal funds for Brooklyn and Queens.
This year, Queens Rep. Grace Meng took over as the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and as the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee’s Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee. She helped secure a $190 million authorization to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to work on Queens flooding and has continued her work on combating mail theft.
In Washington, D.C., Rep. Yvette Clarke’s caucus work has been a key part of her agenda. Clarke currently chairs the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chairs the Congressional Smart Cities Caucus. She has been pushing for President Donald Trump and House Republicans not to cut health care funding, which she said would hurt urban communities. Clarke also introduced the Smart Cities and Communities Act.
In her first year in office, Rep. Laura Gillen has embraced the middle of the road, even if it means becoming a critic of party leaders. The Long Island Democrat did not endorse New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, calling him “a threat to her constituents” and accusing him of policies that would “crater our economy.” (Velázquez endorsed Mamdani back in the primary, Clarke endorsed Mamdani after the primary and Meng declined to make any endorsement.) On the policy front, Gillen is co-sponsoring a bipartisan immigration bill that aims to strengthen border protections.
24. Vanessa Gibson
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson will be taking the oath of office for a second term in January after easily dispatching her challenger, New York City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr,. in a closely watched Democratic primary where she received 68% of the vote. Gibson has focused on boosting the borough’s economy and seeking an equitable investment of the $90 million in capital investment she controls. This year, she announced a $35.2 million education investment in her capital budget, with the funding directed toward STEM education and closing the digital divide for Bronx students.
25. Heather Mulligan
Heather Mulligan is the president and CEO of the Albany-based Business Council of New York State, an association that advocates for the statewide business community and champions economic growth and employment. The Albany Law School graduate started at the Business Council in 2007 as the vice president of government affairs. She was part of the successful push this year to eliminate a multibillion-dollar debt in the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund and also opposed proposed measures on prevailing wage and extended producer responsibility.
26. Suri Kasirer
Suri Kasirer founded Kasirer out of a studio apartment in Manhattan in 1997. Today, it’s one of the top-ranked lobbying firms in the state and the top shop in New York City. Recently, the firm helped guide development for the city’s first office-to-residential conversion in Times Square, which will offer hundreds of affordable units, as part of the governor’s 2024 Affordable Housing from Commercial Conversions program. Kasirer is also a vice president of Citymeals on Wheels board and a board member of New York League of Conservation Voters.
27. Cea Weaver
Cea Weaver is revolutionizing New York’s housing policy. Weaver has established herself as the top tenant rights advocate in the state, and lent her expertise as a housing adviser to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s campaign. Earlier this year, Weaver launched New York State Tenant Bloc, a coalition of tenant organizations affiliated with Housing Justice for All to serve as a political arm for the organization. Weaver has been pushing cities to opt into the state’s “good cause” eviction legislation. Last year, she criticized New York City’s rent hikes for rent-stabilized tenants.
28. Merryl Tisch
One of New York’s leading education experts, Merryl Tisch currently chairs the SUNY Board of Trustees. Tisch, a former state Board of Regents chancellor, also serves on the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is its representative to the New York City Public Design Commission, where she has raised concerns about e-bikes. She chairs the Rhodes Scholarship District Selection Committee and is the chair emeritus of the Met Council. Her daughter, Jessica Tisch, is New York City’s police commissioner, and her husband is the board chair at Loews Corp.
29. Marie Therese Dominguez, Hope Knight, Jeanette Moy, Roberta Reardon & RuthAnne Visnauskas
State Transportation Department Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez is reconnecting New York communities. She’s driving a new study with New York City officials to reimagine the Cross Bronx Expressway to bridge divides in the South Bronx, leading the Interstate 81 removal in downtown Syracuse and plans to review Interstate 787 in Albany to increase Hudson River access.
New York has seen an economic boom in all corners of the state, with Hope Knight guiding it as the president, CEO and commissioner of Empire State Development. As part of the growth of the semiconductor industry upstate, Knight announced three new technology-focused workforce development centers. She recently launched a redevelopment initiative in Niagara Falls and awarded grants for the commuter van industry in New York City.
Jeanette Moy has expanded the scope of the state Office of General Services. Moy is decarbonizing Empire State Plaza and implementing a clean concrete purchasing policy with a new Decarbonization and Climate Resiliency Design Guide. She is also overseeing the renovation of the state Capitol’s grand staircase and is working to better connect Empire State Plaza to Albany.
Labor Department Commissioner Roberta Reardon is warning of the impact of President Donald Trump’s policies on agricultural and rural communities. She said aggressive immigration enforcement will impact farmworker recruitment and that Medicaid cuts could shutter rural hospitals. Reardon announced that the state is able to increase unemployment benefits because of the state paying off its unemployment insurance debt.
Division of Housing and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas oversees the state’s housing programs and has touted the state’s $50 million investment into a new Housing Access Voucher Program that targets homelessness. She has announced the completion of a 477-unit building in New Rochelle that includes 119 affordable units, a mixed-use development on the Troy waterfront and an all-electric building in the Bronx.
30. Ana María Archila & Jasmine Gripper
Few organizations were as thrilled to see the political demise of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in this year’s New York City mayoral election than the New York Working Families Party. The left-leaning third party spent years grappling with Cuomo, and found a champion this year in Zohran Mamdani, who it named its No. 1 choice weeks before the primary election. The WFP, which also backed the winners in mayoral races in Buffalo, Albany and Syracuse this cycle, is led by longtime lefty activists Ana María Archila and Jasmine Gripper. Archila previously co-led the Center for Popular Democracy and Make the Road New York and ran for lieutenant governor in 2022. Gripper served as executive director of the union-backed Alliance for Quality Education before coming aboard the WFP.
31. Grace Mausser
The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America achieved its biggest victory this year with Zohran Mamdani’s election as the city’s 111th mayor. This is in no small part due to the work of NYC-DSA co-Chair Grace Mausser. Mausser was the lead liaison between Mamdani’s campaign and the DSA. Mausser has played a key role in increasing the chapter’s ranks to 11,000 members, making it the largest DSA chapter nationally, and has positioned DSA members to win state legislative and New York City Council seats.
32. Nancy Hagans & Pat Kane
Doctors may get the glory, but nurses keep hospitals running – and Nancy Hagans and Pat Kane won’t let health care executives forget that. The leaders of the New York State Nurses Association are battling a staffing shortage, decrying Medicaid cuts and pushing for pay hikes for nurses. Hagans and Kane have taken the message to Washington, D.C., warning that Medicaid cuts would hit rural New Yorkers the hardest. In New York City, they’re staking out their position early as they seek pay increases for NYSNA members. A recent nurses contract with Oneida Health Hospital upstate included a 3% raise, a ratification bonus and retention raises for experienced nurses.
33. Bhairavi Desai
Bhairavi Desai is one of New York City’s leading defenders of taxi, cab and ride-hailing drivers as one of the founders of the 25,000-member strong New York Taxi Workers Alliance. This year, Desai advocated successfully for regulations to stop the lockouts that prevented some Uber and Lyft drivers from accessing the apps. Desai also has a newly empowered ally in Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who spearheaded a 2021 hunger strike that led to major debt relief for taxi medallion owners.
34. Gale Brewer, Carmen De La Rosa, Jennifer Gutiérrez, Rita Joseph, Sandy Nurse & Julie Won
New York City Council Member Gale Brewer is an unabashed policy wonk. The Oversight and Investigations Committee chair has taken aim at food delivery apps, illegal cannabis shops and unregulated lithium-ion battery use. She has also spearheaded investigations into ghost license plates, homeless shelter providers, New York City Housing Authority contracts, ambulance response times and Rikers Island buses and visits.
Upper Manhattan City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa recently dropped out of the council speaker race, instead backing City Council Member Crystal Hudson, a fellow progressive. De La Rosa, the Civil Service and Labor Committee chair, has advocated for pay equity, improving civil service hiring and lowering insurance costs for for-hire drivers. A co-chair of the Women’s Caucus, she has sought funding for transitional shelters for women and families.
Technology Committee Chair Jennifer Gutiérrez is seeking to rejuvenate manufacturing in New York City. The co-founder of the Manufacturing Coalition, Gutiérrez helped pass legislation to bring about new industrial development zoning. She also helped advance a citywide doula pilot program.
A co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, City Council Member Sandy Nurse was a leader in the caucus’ Crisis to Care campaign, which secured $80 million for mental health programs in this year’s budget. She passed legislation for the city to add 1,000 new public bathrooms by 2030. The Criminal Justice Committee chair wants to keep federal immigration enforcement off Rikers Island and created an office focused on closing the notorious jails complex.
Contracts Committee Chair Julie Won got a major deal this month to bring more affordable housing and open space to western Queens. The New York City Council unanimously approved the OneLIC Neighborhood Plan, rezoning 54 blocks in Long Island City and paving the way for nearly 15,000 new homes, 4,350 of them permanently affordable.
A onetime New York City public school teacher, City Council Member Rita Joseph now chairs the Education Committee. Following the federal immigration detention of a Bronx high school student, Joseph called on city officials to enforce sanctuary policies.
35. Christine Quinn
Former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is the president and CEO of Win, the city’s largest provider of family shelter and supportive housing. The nonprofit organization runs 16 shelters and 450 supportive housing units, serving a total of 12,400 people last year. The nonprofit also provides educational services, employment training and financial literacy support. Quinn, who was the City Council’s first female and first out gay speaker, has continued to weigh in on policy matters, blasting federal funding cuts for housing and defending the city’s right to shelter policy.
36. Emily Giske & Juanita Scarlett
Bolton-St. Johns is a public and government affairs firm responsible for bringing legislative and funding wins to its clients. Emily Giske is a managing partner at the firm, where she leads a team of almost 30. In the past year, she helped secure $50 million for the state Housing Access Voucher Program and $5 million for the Metropolitan Opera. Juanita Scarlett is a firm partner, advising clients in the areas of health care, energy, economic development and education. Before joining Bolton-St. Johns, Scarlett worked for three governors, most recently as an executive vice president at Empire State Development.
Editor’s note: Juanita Scarlett is a member of City & State’s advisory board.
37. Donna Lieberman
For more than two decades, Donna Lieberman has led the New York Civil Liberties Union in its work protecting civil rights and liberties in the state through litigation, policy, organizing and education. During her tenure, Lieberman has founded a number of programs at the NYCLU, including the Reproductive Rights Project, the Education Policy Center, the Artist Ambassadors program, the Racial Justice Center and the Teen Activist Project. She also contributed to the passage of the state Reproductive Health Act and John L. Lewis Voting Rights Act. Currently, the NYCLU is part of the team defending former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil.
38. Valerie Berlin
When Valerie Berlin co-founded BerlinRosen in 2005, it was a two-person startup. Today, it’s a public relations powerhouse with teams in New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Washington, D.C. In her role as principal, Berlin provides strategy and communications on high-risk issues and develops integrated campaigns. Last year, Berlin rebranded BerlinRosen Holdings as Orchestra, which brings together eight firms under one parent company. She’s executive chair of Orchestra, where she drives growth, best practices and organizational culture.
39. Mylan Denerstein
A litigator with extensive experience in the public and private sectors, Mylan Denerstein is co-chair of Gibson Dunn’s Public Policy Practice Group, co-partner-in-charge of the firm’s New York office and a leader of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force. Since 2022, she has served as the independent monitor overseeing reforms at the New York City Police Department. She previously held roles in government, including as the governor’s counsel. She represented the Fearless Foundation in a case over its grant program for businesses owned by Black women, reaching a settlement last year.
40. Susan Cacace, Darcel Clark, Anne Donnelly, Melinda Katz & Mary Pat Donnelly
District attorneys enjoy significant clout, as they can decide which types of crimes to prioritize prosecuting locally while also shaping policy at the state level. In June, Mary Pat Donnelly was sworn in as president of the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York, an influential organization representing local prosecutors around the state. DAASNY, which was led previously by Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon, secured key changes to discovery, or the sharing of information in court, this year. Donnelly, a Democrat, has pledged to prioritize reforms to the state’s Raise the Age law in 2026.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, both Democrats, were also part of the successful push to reform discovery in New York this year, with tweaks that give more leeway to prosecutors and narrows the scope of what must be disclosed. Clark, who has served for nearly a decade, is a former judge who has launched programs that provide alternatives to incarceration. Katz has successfully prosecuted gang members, gun traffickers and illegal cannabis operators.
In Westchester County, Democrat Susan Cacace was elected district attorney a year ago. She whalloped Republican John Sarcone last year, who was later appointed U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York. She’s a former defense attorney, judge and assistant district attorney in the county.
In Nassau County, Republican Anne Donnelly just secured a second term as the local district attorney. She has focused on supporting law enforcement and taking down gangs. Her office also has not ruled out renewing an investigation into former Rep. George Santos, who was convicted of corruption in federal court but had his sentence commuted by President Donald Trump.
41. Tyquana Henderson-Rivers
Tyquana Henderson-Rivers founded the aptly named Connective Strategies in 2007 to help politicians, candidates, nonprofits, philanthropists and even other lobbying firms achieve policy outcomes, win elections and build relationships. The certified MWBE firm recently helped propel Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and New York City Comptroller-elect Mark Levine to victory, and has worked with groups such as the Committee for Taxi Safety, NYC Health + Hospitals and NYC Votes. Henderson-Rivers has also lobbied on behalf of notable companies like FedEx and Walmart.
Editor’s note: Tyquana Henderson-Rivers is a member of City & State’s advisory board.
42. Robin Chappelle Golston
Robin Chappelle Golston has her work cut out for her when it comes to fighting federal attacks on sexual and reproductive health care – including the defunding of Planned Parenthood. As the leader of Planned Parenthood’s advocacy arm in New York, Golston helped pass Proposal 1 in 2024, amending the state constitution to protect access to abortion, birth control and in vitro fertilization, among other changes. Golston previously served as executive deputy secretary under Hochul and held other public and private sector roles.
43. Wendy Stark
Soon after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, Wendy Stark took the helm of the Planned Parenthood of Greater New York. She is guiding the organization through a tumultuous time for reproductive and sexual care providers. Although it’s under attack by Republicans, Planned Parenthood has an ally in the Hochul administration, which is allocating millions of dollars to offset federal cuts. Before joining Planned Parenthood in 2022, Stark ran Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, which provides primary care to LGBTQ+ and HIV-positive individuals in New York City.
44. Bea Grause
The Healthcare Association of New York State brought on Bea Grause as president and CEO nearly a decade ago, and since then the organization has weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, systemic health care issues and federal hostility toward the medical field. One of Grause’s primary concerns now is figuring out how to delay or mitigate negative effects from the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act that cuts massive amounts of funding from health care programs nationwide. Before coming to HANYS, the former nurse led the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems for 14 years.
45. Camille Joseph-Goldman
Camille Joseph-Goldman oversees government affairs, strategic partnerships and telecommunications regulation in the Northeast for Charter Communications. On behalf of the telecommunications giant, she builds coalitions between the private sector, government and public interest groups to affect policy and expand Charter’s impact. The Bronx native previously made her mark as New York City’s youngest deputy comptroller, a position she held until 2016, and earlier worked on both of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns.
46. Grace Bonilla, Melanie Hartzog, Lina Khan, Elana Leopold & Maria Torres-Springer
The morning after Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral election, he announced five women who will lead his transition team: co-Chairs Maria Torres-Springer, Melanie Hartzog, Grace Bonilla and Lina Khan as well as Executive Director Elana Leopold.
For Torres-Springer, it’s just the latest update in a whirlwind year. Last fall, she was elevated to New York City’s first deputy mayor to stabilize city government following Mayor Eric Adams’ federal indictment and corruption scandal. After getting the City of Yes housing plan passed, she resigned due to Adams’ dealings with the federal government surrounding the dismissal of his corruption case. Now she’s the incoming president of the Charles H. Revson Foundation, which awards grants for biomedical research, education and urban affairs.
Hartzog, who leads the nonprofit human services provider The New York Foundling, played key roles at City Hall as deputy mayor for health and human services and director of the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget. She overlapped with Torres-Springer under then-Mayor Bill de Blasio and also served as a deputy in the Bloomberg administration, bringing plenty of firsthand experience and insights into filling important posts.
Leopold, who’s running the transition effort, was a senior adviser on the Mamdani campaign and a de Blasio administration senior aide and adviser. She has worked as a political consultant at Seneca Strategies, Moonshot Strategies and her own firm, Leopold Impact Advisory.
Bonilla leads the United Way of New York City, a nonprofit serving low-income New Yorkers through partnerships with other community organizations to create food insecurity, health and education programs. The nonprofit has long had ties to city government: Bonilla previously was appointed by de Blasio to lead the Task Force on Racial Equity and Inclusion, and her United Way predecessor, Sheena Wright, was first deputy mayor in the Adams administration.
Khan brings national experience to the transition team. She turned heads as chair of the Federal Trade Commission during the Biden presidency by blocking mergers, challenging drug patents and taking on Amazon, Grubhub and Meta. She returned to Columbia Law School, where she taught before, and now lives in Harlem.
47. Jennifer Jones Austin
Anti-poverty and social justice activist Jennifer Jones Austin leads FPWA in its work creating policy and initiatives to support low-income New Yorkers. In October, FPWA released the first “True Cost of Economic Security Policy Implications for New York City” report, which shows that 62% of New Yorkers are economically struggling. Jones Austin previously led the New York City Racial Justice Commission and currently co-chairs the National True Cost of Living Coalition.
48. Kerri Lyon
Television reporter turned public relations specialist Kerri Lyon is a partner at communications firm SKDK’s New York office, where she works with a range of corporate and nonprofit clients. She’s known for her skill in managing crisis communications and leadership transitions. Lyon’s expertise stems from her journalism years at NY1 and WCBS and from her time as the communications director at the New York City Department of Education and the New York City Charter School Center.
49. Julie Tighe
New York’s environment is a little better off thanks to Julie Tighe and her careerlong advocacy for environmental protections and climate mitigation. As the president of the New York League of Conservation Voters, she has championed a number of environmental policies in the state through the years, including the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act, and Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act. Prior to her tenure at NYLCV, she spent 11 years at the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
50. Cristyne Nicholas
A longtime advocate for New York City’s tourism and hospitality industries, Cristyne Nicholas is a co-founder and the CEO of the public and government relations firm Nicholas & Lence Communications. The firm represents such clients as Hunter College, LiveOnNY and the Times Square Alliance. Nicholas is perhaps best-known for her work helping rebuild the city’s $27 billion dollar tourism industry after the 9/11 attacks as the president and CEO of NYC & Company, now NYC Tourism + Conventions. Additionally, she co-hosts AM970’s “Radio Night Live: Fun Friday,” a show about New York tourism.
51. Risa Heller
Once the communications director for U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, former Rep. Jane Harman of California and former Gov. David Paterson, Risa Heller has established her public affairs firm as a top-rate crisis communications shop in New York City and Los Angeles. Heller is a go-to name for cleaning up reputations for highly visible individuals and groups. The firm also boasts a variety of other specialties, including issue advocacy, corporate communications and real estate strategy. Heller has also inspired a Netflix show starring Lizzy Caplan that’s in development.
52. Melissa Aviles-Ramos, Laurie Cumbo, Michelle Morse, Jocelyn Strauber & Molly Wasow Park
New York City schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos is focused on engaging parents, unveiling a new dashboard filled with data on everything from academic performance to absenteeism. She has implemented the state’s cellphone ban in schools and has been navigating potential bus driver layoffs. Aviles-Ramos, who became chancellor last year after David Banks resigned, has won praise from Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who has expressed an openness to keeping her as the city’s top schools official.
Laurie Cumbo is putting her stamp on New York City’s rich cultural landscape. The city’s cultural affairs commissioner recently added five institutions – one in each borough – to the city’s Cultural Institutions Group. Cumbo has made supporting and funding cultural organizations in underserved neighborhoods a hallmark of her tenure.
Acting New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse is in the process of implementing the city’s HealthyNYC initiative, taking on ambitious racial equity goals. Among her priorities is tackling the maternal mortality rate of Black women. She sounded alarms that U.S. Health and Human Services Department Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s cuts could be putting New Yorkers at risk of infectious diseases.
Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber continues to show her independence from the mayor who appointed her. Strauber, whose department worked with federal investigators in the indictment of Mayor Eric Adams, has called the Adams administration “unprecedented” in terms of ethical problems, including the mayor’s bombshell indictment. While Eric Adams’ case was controversially dropped, Strauber’s office has also been part of investigations into former Adams appointees Tim Pearson and Winnie Greco.
City Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Wasow Park has been hard at work helping the most vulnerable New Yorkers, this year connecting over 37,500 people in city shelters to permanent housing as part of the city’s “Housing First” strategy. She has also expressed concern over the impact of Trump administration policies in New York City.
53. Michele de Milly
Professional problem-solver Michele de Milly co-founded strategic communications firm Geto & de Milly in 1980. By providing government relations, community outreach and communications services, de Milly has been able to contribute to many high-profile land use and development projects across New York City, including the new Science Park and Research Campus, a life sciences facility that will be coming to Kips Bay in Manhattan. Representing the New York City Football Club, she and the firm helped secure the approvals needed for the team’s forthcoming stadium in Willets Point in Queens.
54. Beth Finkel
As the New York state director for AARP, Beth Finkel is an advocate for the state’s 2.2 million AARP members. She’s had a hand in getting a slew of legislation passed on behalf of her large constituency, including the Secure Choice Savings Act, the CARE Act, the Master Plan for Aging, universal absentee voting and paid family leave. During her time at AARP, Finkel also created the statewide Kincare Coalition and New York’s Older Adults Hunger Stakeholders Coalition and convened the first Older Adults Hunger Summit.
55. Kathy Sheehan
Kathy Sheehan will exit City Hall at the end of the year after 12 years leading New York’s capital city. During her lengthy tenure, Sheehan invested more than $100 million in infrastructure and spearheaded the creation of a new zoning code and an innovation office. Sheehan has also touted a drop in crime in the city on her watch. Her final budget proposal includes investments in youth services and police body cameras. Sheehan was once mentioned as a possible lieutenant governor running mate for Gov. Kathy Hochul, although attention has since shifted to other more likely contenders.
56. Dorcey Applyrs & Sharon Owens
Dorcey Applyrs and Sharon Owens just won their general election races to be the mayor – Applyrs in Albany and Owens in Syracuse. Since 2020, Applyrs has been the independent watchdog for Albany as the chief city auditor. She previously spent two terms in the Albany Common Council, chairing the Public Safety Committee in her second term. In June, Applyrs was selected to be the Democratic nominee with 52% of the vote and a 24-point margin of victory, and she won the general election in a landslide. Owens is currently Syracuse’s deputy mayor and will become the city’s first Black mayor when she assumes office in January. Since joining the mayor’s office in 2018, Owens oversaw an increase in construction permitting in 2023 and 2024 and created the Syracuse Build Pathways to Apprenticeship program. She won the Democratic primary this summer with over 60% of the vote and was easily elected in the general election this month.
57. Rachel Noerdlinger
As an equity partner at Actum, Rachel Noerdlinger isn’t just a brand strategist and public relations professional – she’s an activist for social causes. She led the media response to high-profile police killings of unarmed Black men, including Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell, Trayvon Martin and George Floyd, and managed Floyd’s funeral. Noerdlinger has also handled communications for civil rights marches in Washington, D.C., as the Rev. Al Sharpton’s longtime media adviser. During the previous presidential election, she acted as the chief spokesperson for Win With Black Women’s grassroots mobilization to try to get former Vice President Kamala Harris elected president.
58. Jan Feuerstadt
Veteran government affairs professional Jan Feuerstadt works out of Mercury’s New York office, where she heads up the State and City Government Relations team. Her policy and procurement advice reaches clients in the finance, tech, health care, energy, environment, hospitality, real estate and labor realms across the state. To best serve Mercury’s clients, Feuerstadt pulls from her experience in the federal government in roles like the New York-New Jersey director of intergovernmental affairs for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
59. Christina Dickinson
Christina Dickinson co-founded lobbying and government relations firm Dickinson & Avella in 2009 after years of service in the state Senate, where she rose to become deputy counsel for the Senate Democratic conference after starting out as an aide. One of her recent successes was working with governmental and entertainment leaders to expand the state’s Film Tax Credit Program to further incentivize the state’s movie and TV industry. Another was her work supporting the passage of a bill that would allow more New York City firefighters to access retirement benefits after 20 years of service.
60. Diana Ostroff
Lobbyist Diana Ostroff has more than three decades of experience representing the private sector and is a trusted adviser of a range of clients in New York. She has worked on behalf of such companies as Regeneron, CVS Health and Siemens to strengthen the state’s business community and climate. Before joining Ostroff Associates, Ostroff was the vice president for advocacy and communications at the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce, one of the state’s largest regional chambers of commerce, and the assistant state director for the National Federation of Independent Business.
61. Ana Almanzar, Camille Joseph Varlack, Suzanne Miles-Gustave & Tiffany Raspberry
A spate of scandals didn’t send every deputy mayor in the Adams administration running for the exits. As New York City deputy mayor for strategic initiatives, Ana Almanzar stayed on and made progress on issues like delayed payments to nonprofits with city contracts. She launched the Discretionary Grant Pilot program to expedite payments of grants of $25,000 or less. She also oversaw a new $80 million investment into early childhood education programs. In January, Camille Joseph Varlack added the title of deputy mayor for administration in addition to her position as chief of staff to the mayor. The longtime Adams aide announced investments into the city’s Civic Corps program this fall. Varlack served briefly as interim first deputy mayor following the resignation of Maria Torres-Springer and before the appointment of Randy Mastro. Suzanne Miles-Gustave, a former acting commissioner of the state Office of Children and Family Services, became New York City’s deputy mayor for health and human services in March. Among her priorities have been addressing mental health in the city and targeting open-air drug markets in the Bronx. A Day One appointee in the Adams administration as director of intergovernmental relations, Tiffany Raspberry was elevated to deputy mayor for intergovernmental relations in January. Raspberry handles relations between the mayor’s office with the state and federal governments, along with the City Council and the city’s independently elected officials.
62. Rebecca Damon
Rebecca Damon is the chief labor policy officer for SAG-AFTRA, as well as the executive director of the union’s New York local chapter. She played an instrumental role in the merging of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in 2012. Technological advances and the threats they post to entertainment workers keep Damon busy. She was a leading advocate for the Synthetic Performer Disclosure bill passed by the state Legislature this year, which would require advertisers to disclose when they use artificial intelligence-generated characters if signed into law.
63. Lupe Todd-Medina
Lupe Todd-Medina founded the communications and public relations firm Effective Media Strategies in 2013 to provide consulting on crisis communications, strategic management, and political and issue campaigns. Todd-Medina was the communications director for Brooklyn’s first Black district attorney, the first press secretary for then-Newark Mayor Cory Booker and a press officer for the New York City Council. She was also a communications adviser for Gov. Kathy Hochul’s reelection campaign and, most recently, a spokesperson for New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams’ mayoral campaign.
Editor’s note: Lupe Todd-Medina is a member of City & State’s advisory board.
64. Jen Metzger & Sue Serino
Jen Metzger and Sue Serino have a few things in common: They’re both former state senators who are now county executives in the Hudson Valley, and they’re also the only women county executives in the state. Metzger, a Democrat, has led Ulster County since 2023, when she succeeded now-Rep. Pat Ryan. She recently announced that she will not seek a property tax hike in 2026 and said her proposed budget will include a new training program for emergency medical services, eviction prevention programs and a Meals on Wheels expansion. Serino, a Republican, was elected Dutchess County executive in 2023. Serino wants federal officials to intervene in what she is calling a shortage of emergency medical services professionals. She has also announced new grants for veterans groups and is calling for more kindness in schools.
65. Elizabeth Smith
For the past seven years, Elizabeth Smith has led the Central Park Conservancy, the famous park’s primary nongovernmental steward. Under her direction, the nonprofit released its first strategic plan, “A Plan for the Stewardship of Central Park: 2020-2027,” to guide the organization on how to care for and keep up the green space. As part of the plan, construction is wrapping up on the Harlem Meer Center facility on the northeastern edge of the park, Central Park’s largest-ever capital project. Smith also made headlines recently for coming out against the park’s horse carriages.
66. Marguerite Wells
Longtime environmental sustainability advocate Marguerite Wells joined the Alliance for Clean Energy New York last year after seven years with the power producer Invenergy. At Invenergy, Wells and her team managed a portfolio of 2,000 megawatts of renewable energy in New York. Earlier in her career, the Cornell University graduate founded a few sustainability-based businesses, including community wind development and consulting firm Resolution Wind LLC and green roof plant nursery Motherplants.
67. Rose Christ & Katie Schwab
Rose Christ and Katie Schwab co-chair Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies’ New York Practice, based in New York City. Christ represents nonprofit, civic and corporate clients, helping them secure funding, advance policy goals and navigate land use regulations. Schwab develops advocacy campaigns for nonprofit, corporate and trade association clients. Over the past eight years, the duo doubled the New York practice’s team and expanded the client roster. In the current fiscal year alone, the team won more than $70 million in state and city funds for client programs and initiatives.
68. Catherine Torres
In her role as partner at the MirRam Group, Catherine Torres acts as the chief compliance officer for the lobbying and consulting firm. She works with nonprofit clients and legislative campaigns that strengthen communities, including in her native Bronx. Torres recently secured funding for Astor Services’ Trauma Recovery Center in the Bronx, as well as for several restoration and preservation projects. Torres began her career as a chief of staff in the Assembly, where she led the state Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force’s annual Somos conference.
69. Lisa Marrello
Lisa Marrello is a partner at government relations and consulting firm Park Strategies, where she leverages her governmental and legal experience to benefit clients. The veteran lobbyist provides tactical advice, legal counsel and guidance on policy developments, budget analysis and appropriations funding, across the issues of health care, housing, education and more. This year, Marrello led the effort to bring former Capital District Transportation Authority CEO Carm Basile to Park Strategies as a senior adviser, bolstering the firm’s transit and transportation expertise.
70. Suzette Noble
Three years after LaGuardia Airport’s fully redesigned Terminal B opened to the public, it is still being hailed as the epitome of modern airports. Under the leadership of Suzette Noble since 2021, LaGuardia Gateway Partners’ redevelopment of the terminal earned the airport a five-star rating from airport rating firm Skytrax, making it the first airport to earn that distinction, and the title of “World’s Best New Airport Terminal” in 2023, one year after it reopened. Noble and LGP are continuing to upgrade Terminal B, adding seats with charging ports, improved signage and guest amenities.
71. Sonia Ossorio
Sonia Ossorio leads the National Organization for Women’s New York City chapter and is revitalizing the organization’s activism in the face of federal attacks on women’s reproductive rights. Over the years, Ossorio campaigned to repeal the statute of limitations on first-degree rape, improve protections for women in the workplace and end child marriage in the state. She notched recent wins when a Times Square casino bid fizzled and when state changes to court discovery rules passed, but she opposed the candidacy of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani due to his past support for legalizing sex work.
72. Lynelle Bosworth & Elizabeth Garvey
Lynelle Bosworth is a shareholder in the global law firm Greenberg Traurig’s Albany office. She represents companies and nonprofits in state and federal policy and regulatory matters and provides legal counsel to health care clients about compliance and corporate transactions. Bosworth, who previously was counsel to the Assembly Committees on Health, Transportation as well as Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, helped pass legislation that would improve sexual assault kit tracking. Elizabeth Garvey has spent four years working on regulatory and legislative matters for Greenberg Traurig clients, across the real estate, health care, energy, higher education and fintech sectors. Garvey pushed for legislation that the governor signed last year regulating and tracking short-term rentals. This year, Garvey was named to the advisory board of Albany Law School’s Government Law Center. She has worked in the state Senate, the governor’s office and at SUNY.
73. Shontell Plummer
Government affairs firm Tusk Strategies’ New York office is led by experienced attorney and public policy expert Shontell Plummer. Plummer spent more than a decade working in the state Senate, most recently as the chief of staff and chief counsel to the Senate Democrats under Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. Plummer oversaw the conference’s operations and advanced key legislation on voting reform, immigration, gun safety and cannabis legalization. More recently, she was the political director for Andrew Cuomo’s unsuccessful New York City mayoral primary bid.
74. Danna DeBlasio
CMW Strategies Partner Danna DeBlasio helps clients navigate legislative, funding and procurement challenges across a range of sectors. She helped Waymo secure the first autonomous vehicle testing permit in New York. In her advocacy on behalf of the New York State Latino Restaurant Bar and Lounge Association, DeBlasio helped modernize state liquor laws to allow for emergency retail liquor purchases. Her representation of the Center for Community Alternatives resulted in funding for the organization and a contract with the New York City Council’s Trauma Recovery Centers initiative.
75. Eboné Carrington
Former health care executive Eboné Carrington is now a managing director at Manatt Health, which provides professional services to clients in the medical industry. She advises clients on strategic initiatives, operational management, performance improvement and more. She brings to the role her experience as the former CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem and the chief quality officer for Interfaith Medical Center. During her tenure at NYC Health + Hospitals, Carrington reduced the patient readmission rate by 10% and led the Harlem hospital’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
76. Jennifer Richardson
Jennifer Richardson is a valued consultant at Patrick B. Jenkins & Associates with 15 years of experience under her belt. Her recent efforts have focused on legislative advocacy for minority- and women-owned business enterprises, criminal justice reform and labor-related measures. Earlier in her career, Richardson was the state legislative affairs deputy director for former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the state legislative affairs director for the New York City Department of Education.
77. Jennifer Sacco
With over a decade of experience working in state government, government relations professional Jennifer Sacco is able to get results for her clients at Hinman Straub. She’s a principal at the Albany-based firm, advising clients in the practice areas of health care, human services, behavioral health and education about policy and governmental funding. Sacco previously spent a decade with the Assembly Democrats as the assistant secretary for program and policy – shaping key policies like Raise the Age and Medicaid redesign – before transitioning to the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance as a senior attorney and then as deputy counsel.
78. Jessica Lappin
The Alliance for Downtown New York, one of the country’s largest business improvement districts, covers the entire region of lower Manhattan from Battery Park City to City Hall. Former New York City Council Member Jessica Lappin serves as the organization’s president. The BID provides the lower Manhattan area with public safety, sanitation and transportation services and aims to strengthen the local business community. Lappin sits on the executive committee of NYC Tourism + Conventions and on the board of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.
79. Eva Moskowitz
New York City’s most powerful charter school leader is Eva Moskowitz, and she’s on a collision course with Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a charter school critic. Moskowitz, who leads the 59-school Success Academy Charter Schools network has been trying to rally support, staging a September demonstration attended by thousands. Yet the former New York City Council member is on the upswing in Florida, where businessperson Ken Griffin pledged $50 million for Success Academy’s Miami expansion at an event attended by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
80. Lauren George
Lauren George is a senior vice president at consulting firm Constantinople & Vallone, where she focuses on land use, rezoning and development, in addition to sustainability, waste policy and small-business support. She helps guide the development of multifamily, affordable and supportive housing in New York. Before joining Constantinople & Vallone in 2017, George was the director of intergovernmental affairs at the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and also had stops at Common Cause New York and the Citizens Committee for New York City.
81. Kara Hughes
Kara Hughes serves as the head of government relations firm O’Donnell & Associates’ New York City practice and a senior adviser for the statewide firm. She leads strategy and advocacy in the city across complex legislative and regulatory issues, such as advising on congestion pricing. This year, the firm helped secure millions of dollars in funding for the University at Buffalo to host the new Empire AI initiative. Hughes’ adeptness at maneuvering law and policy is a result of her time in City Hall as acting director of legislative affairs in the de Blasio administration and as an aide on Capitol Hill.
82. Kiara St. James
Kiara St. James is a transgender activist who has spent more than two decades organizing for the LGBTQ+ community and speaking out on issues affecting transgender New Yorkers. The New York Transgender Advocacy Group aims to improve the lives of transgender people through policy advocacy and education. As its founder and executive director, St. James helped advocate for the passage of the 2019 Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity, and spoke on behalf of NYTAG at the International AIDS Conference.
83. Phoebe Boyer
For 11 years, Phoebe Boyer has been leading Children’s Aid, a nonprofit dedicated to helping children living in poverty. During her tenure, Boyer has bolstered the organization’s academic, health and community programming. This year, Children’s Aid received a grant from the Visa Foundation and launched a new podcast called “Every Step of the Way” that shares stories from people who have benefited from the organization’s programming. Additionally, Boyer has continued to advocate for the federal Nonprofit Sector Strength and Partnership Act, which would allow nonprofits to have more impact on policy.
84. Maggie Moran
Maggie Moran founded Moxie Strategies two years ago, and she has quickly established it as a respected and successful public affairs firm serving New York and New Jersey. It’s no surprise, given that Moran has also founded and led Kivvit and M Public Affairs, Kivvit’s predecessor. Moxie offers clients strategy development, corporate communications, campaign management, labor relations and brand management. Moran was recently appointed to be a senior adviser for the Democratic National Committee’s Finance Committee.
85. Tricia Richardson
Tricia Richardson drives policy and legislative efforts in New York state and Long Island for the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, which represents nearly 29,500 carpenters. Richardson has had a hand in passing the New York State Construction Industry Fair Play Act, the state Reciprocal Debarment law and most recently the expansion of prevailing wages. She is also the PAC chair of the Greater Capital Region Building & Construction Trades Council and was once the New York political director for the New England Regional Council of Carpenters.
86. Susan Birnbaum
For almost 15 years, Susan Birnbaum has headed the New York City Police Foundation, a nonprofit that raises money for NYPD community and youth programming, quality training and terrorism prevention. The foundation supports the NYPD Options program – which has young people participate in virtual reality scenarios alongside officers – and the police department’s counterterrorism program. Birnbaum has a long history in the nonprofit sector, starting her career at the UJA-Federation of New York and then transitioning to the Columbia College Fund.
87. Susan Arbetter
During the legislative session, the state Capitol can be busy at any hour of the day or night, and Susan Arbetter is there to bring you the various perspectives and the stories behind the scenes on her show, “Capitol Tonight.” The veteran political journalist brings together Albany’s movers and shakers and gets the behind the scenes information that sheds new light on the machinations of New York’s political ecosystem. She has won numerous awards throughout her career, including an Emmy Award for Best Public Affairs Series.
88. Anna Mercado Clark
Anna Mercado Clark leads Phillips Lytle’s Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice and e-Discovery Practice teams and is also the chief information security officer at the law firm. The former Queens assistant district attorney handles digital forensics, cybersecurity, data privacy and white-collar criminal matters for the firm. Clark has been designated as a Fellow of Information Privacy, a selective recognition from the International Association of Privacy Professionals. In 2013, she co-founded the Filipino American Lawyers Association of New York.
89. Juanita Lewis
Juanita Lewis has led Community Voices Heard, a social justice organization, since she was elevated to the role of executive director in 2021. Lewis, who first joined the organization in 2009 as its Yonkers organizer, has decried recent federal funding cuts for public housing and testified in Albany this year in favor of higher taxes on the wealthy. She’s also the board chair of People’s Action, a national coalition of social welfare action organizations, and serves on the boards of African Communities Together and the Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund.
90. Sasha Neha Ahuja
Earlier this year, Sasha Neha Ahuja joined the campaign experts at Civitas Public Affairs, where she serves as a director. Coming off leading the successful New Yorkers for Equal Rights campaign, Ahuja helped get the Equal Rights Amendment added to the state constitution in a 2024 referendum. Her dedication to equality and social justice has been the hallmark of her career. Previously, as national director of strategic partnership for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, she led the mobilization of people across New York to respond to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
91. Aislinn McGuire
The Contractors’ Association of Greater New York is a coalition of construction managers and general contractors that leads collective bargaining negotiations with its affiliated trade unions and develops safety standards for the trade. The association’s managing director, Aislinn McGuire, is also a partner at law firm Kauff McGuire & Margolis. She represents employers in labor, employment, collective bargaining and mediation cases. McGuire is also a board member of Helmets to Hardhats and Nontraditional Employment for Women.
92. Rochelle Kelly-Apson
As a managing partner at McBride Consulting and Business Development Group, Rochelle Kelly-Apson uses her extensive government and public affairs experience to advance policy and community engagement goals for clients in the fields of wind energy, affordable housing, labor and criminal justice reform. Her work has supported the creation of more than 300 affordable units on Long Island. Kelly-Apson also serves as the board president of Black Voters of Long Island as well as New Hour for Women and Children and as vice president of the Association of Black Lobbyists and Consultants.
93. Elisa Crespo
After making waves as the first transgender woman to run for public office in the Bronx, Elisa Crespo now heads up the Stonewall Community Foundation, which provides funds and consulting for LGBTQ+ nonprofits. In 2024, the foundation awarded almost 200 grants for 147 different organizations across 25 states and territories. Crespo came to Stonewall after founding New Pride Agenda. One of her notable recent accomplishments was assisting in the implementation of the Lorena Borjas Transgender and Nonbinary Wellness and Equity Fund.
94. Carrie Harring
Carrie Harring is the director of government affairs at the Albany-based lobbying firm Statewide Public Affairs. She represents state and nationwide clients on issues ranging from health and workforce development to environmental conservation and regulatory reform. Recently, Harring and her clients have helped secure funding to expand medication-assisted treatment for drug use in state jails and school-based mental health clinics. Harring also volunteers with organizations that uplift women and girls, including Girls Inc. and the Junior League of Albany.
95. Michele Arbeeny
Michele Arbeeny is a partner at law firm Windels Marx, where her practice concentrates on nonprofit, real estate, health care and municipal finance. Named to the Best Lawyers in America list for public finance law, Arbeeny represents financial institutions, nonprofits and developers in cases regarding acquisition, construction and affordable housing. She also chairs Windels Marx Women, a group that provides business development, networking and mentoring opportunities for women at the firm, and established the firm’s scholarship to advance diversity in law schools.
96. Basha Gerhards
When the New York City Council passed the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning package, it was a victory for the Real Estate Board of New York’s Basha Gerhards. As REBNY’s executive vice president of public policy, Gerhards drives policymaking on housing, land use, building operations and zoning. This year, she also helped get the Affordable Housing Retention Act passed at the state level, which will create more pathways to homeownership. Prior to her time at REBNY, Gerhards worked in the office of the Manhattan borough president and the New York City Department of City Planning.
97. Tara L. Martin
TLM Strategic Advisors is a boutique social impact government affairs firm, founded and run by Tara L. Martin. Her clients come from a wide range of industries – including labor, health care, sports, entertainment and cannabis – for whom she manages strategy, policy and media relations. This year, she produced large events for the Children’s Health Fund and the National Football League Alumni Association Downstate New York chapter and led the Black Voters of Long Island’s Campaign Staff Training Bootcamp. Martin is also a senior adviser at the lobbying firm Fontas Advisors.
Editor’s note: Tara L. Martin is a member of City & State’s advisory board.
98. Debbie Almontaser
Debbie Almontaser is focused on building bridges between different groups of New Yorkers. Following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Almontaser worked to bridge divides and promote understanding with her Courageous Dialogue training sessions, co-led by Jewish and Muslim facilitators. Through her All Are Welcome Here workshops, she is building understanding of the cultural fabric of New York. She is also working with the state Department of Agriculture and Markets to advocate for a halal enforcement manager.
99. Kristina Ruiz
Kristina Ruiz will not let anything keep her from ensuring that New Yorkers get the vital mental health services that they need. Ruiz kept at her work at the New York Psychotherapy and Counseling Center while battling breast cancer recently, making sure that there was no decline in services or staffing during this period. She credits the nonprofit organization’s staff for being a key part of this success. Ruiz has focused for almost two decades in mental health on working with underserved populations.
100. Bindu Balan
Bindu Balan is the chief development and communications officer for woman-founded nonprofit Grand Street Settlement, which serves families in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. She oversees the organization’s fundraising, communications and government relations. Her efforts helped to raise more than $400,000 for Grand Street Settlement’s marquee event, Taste of the Lower East Side. Balan’s fundraising talents stem from her work experiences at the Fresh Air Fund, Jumpstart for Young Children and New Community for Children.
Correction: An earlier version of this online post had the incorrect photo of Eboné Carrington at Manatt Health. The correct photo has been added.
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