Comptroller Lander Announces Leadership Team Appointments

 

Comptroller Brad Lander announced Monday a series of appointments to lead the bureaus of the Comptroller’s office. The leadership team includes a diverse mix of returning and new Deputy and Assistant Comptrollers, all of whom bring deep expertise in city government and in their respective fields.  

These leaders will be responsible for the core duties of the Comptroller’s office, including auditing the City’s agencies and books, serving as fiduciary to the City’s pension funds, analyzing the City’s budget, settling claims, underwriting bonds, protecting workers, and publishing policy research and proposals.  

Today’s appointments include:  

Ricky M. Da Costa, Deputy Comptroller for Public Affairs
Amedeo D’Angelo, Deputy Comptroller for Administration
Naomi Dann, Director of Communications
Wendy Garcia, Chief Diversity Officer
Michael Haddad, Interim Chief Investment Officer and Deputy Comptroller for Asset Management
Charlette Hamamgian, Deputy Comptroller for Contracts and Procurement
Marjorie Henning, Deputy Comptroller for Public Finance
Alison Hirsh, Assistant Comptroller for Pensions and Senior Adviser
Annie Levers, Assistant Comptroller for Policy
Jacqueline Thompson, Deputy Comptroller for Accountancy 

These appointments join a previously announced Executive Team consisting of Executive Deputy for Management and Operations Sandra Abeles, Executive Deputy for Budget and Finance Francesco Brindisi, General Counsel Justina Rivera, and Chief of Staff Rachel Goodman. 

“This team brings a wide range of experience in and outside public service, a deep commitment to making government work better, and a strong investment building a more just and equal city,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “I’m thrilled to work with this first-rate team, and I know they will serve New Yorkers and our city well.” 

Deputy Comptroller for Public Affairs Ricky Da Costa oversees the bureau that is the primary liaison between the Comptroller’s office and the public, mayoral agencies, and federal, state and local authorities. Prior to joining the Comptroller’s Office, Mr. Da Costa served as political director on Mr. Lander’s campaign, as Assistant Vice President for Government & Community Relations at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and worked in a number of roles across the Mayor’s Office. 

Deputy Comptroller for Administration Amedeo D’Angelo is responsible for management of the agency’s expense and capital budgets, human resources, labor relations, procurement services, information systems, space management, facilities, and other auxiliary services. Mr. D’Angelo served in this and other roles under previous Comptrollers and has focused on establishing policies and processes that result in sound budget management and responsive employee services.  

Director of Communications Naomi Dann leads the work of ​​sharing information to increase transparency and trust in local government. Ms. Dann previously served as Communications Director for then Council Member Brad Lander and as Media Strategist at the New York Civil Liberties Union. 

Chief Diversity Officer Wendy Garcia is responsible for increasing contracting opportunities for Women-and Minority-owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) and managing the Comptroller Office’s internal supplier diversity initiative, as well as other diversity related projects across all bureaus of the agency. Previously, Ms. Garcia served in this and other roles under Comptroller Stringer, and as Director of Community Outreach and Partnerships at the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). 

Interim Chief Investment Officer Michael Haddad leads the Bureau of Asset Management, responsible for investing the pension dollars of public sector workers. Previously, Mr. Haddad served as Deputy Chief Investment Officer, overseeing all asset classes as well as Asset Allocation. Prior to joining the NYC Comptroller’s office in 2016, Mr. Haddad worked in financial markets for three decades, including Morgan Stanley, as a US Treasury trader and Head of Canadian Fixed Income, Caxton Associates, as Senior Managing Director, and Soros Fund Management, as Senior Portfolio Manager.

Deputy Comptroller for Contracts and Procurement Charlette Hamamgian oversees the review of all contracts, contract amendments, leases and concessions between City agencies and vendors to determine whether the agreements should be registered. Ms. Hamamgian previously served as the Senior Executive Director for Contracts and Purchasing for the New York City Department of Education (“DOE”), and as Agency Chief Contracting Officer at the NYC Department of Design and Construction and the Department of Parks & Recreation.  

Deputy Comptroller for Public Finance Marjorie Henning manages City debt issuance and related policy and administration on behalf the Comptroller. Ms. Henning is a three-decade veteran of the municipal market and served under Comptroller Stringer. Prior to joining the Comptroller’s Office, she spent five years at Citigroup as a Director in the Municipal Securities Division where she covered Northeast issuers. 

Assistant Comptroller for Pensions and Senior Advisor Alison Hirsh serves as the Comptroller’s representative to NYC’s five pension funds and leads the Comptroller’s office’s labor policy initiatives. Prior to joining the Comptroller’s Office, she served as Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives for Mayor Bill de Blasio and Senior Advisor to Maya Wiley’s campaign for Mayor. Before that, Ms. Hirsh spent 12 years at 32BJ SEIU, most recently as Vice President and Political Director. 

Assistant Comptroller for Policy Annie Levers is responsible for the development of the Comptroller’s public policy agenda. Prior to joining the New York City Comptroller’s office, Annie served as Director of Policy and Budget to Council Member Lander and later as Assistant Deputy Director of the Office of Strategic Initiatives at the New York City Council. 

Deputy Comptroller for Accountancy Jacqueline Thompson is responsible for overseeing all of the accounting and financial reporting functions of the Bureau of Accountancy. Previously Ms. Thompson held several other leadership positions in the Bureau of Accountancy including Division Chief, Deputy Bureau Chief, and then Bureau Chief. Ms. Thompson also served in the Comptroller’s Audit Bureau as a Staff Auditor and then Audit Supervisor. 

Read more about Comptroller Lander’s leadership team at: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/about/leadership-team/  

Additional leadership appointments will be made in the coming weeks. 

Attorney General James Secures $6 Million From Lear Capital, Ending Its Deceptive Business Practices in New York

 

Precious Metal Dealer Lear is Ordered to Reform Business Practices, Make Clear Disclosure of Fees to New Yorkers

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that she has secured $6 million from precious metals dealer Lear Capital, Inc. (Lear), resolving her lawsuit from June 2021 against Lear and its founder, Kevin DeMeritt, that alleged that Lear fraudulently failed to disclose millions of dollars in commissions the company charged consumers. As part of the consent order, Lear will modify its business practices in New York in addition to making the $6 million payment. The funds will be distributed to eligible New York customers harmed by Lear’s misconduct.

“New Yorkers must be able to invest their life savings with confidence and know that their investments will be protected,” said Attorney General James. “After years of misleading consumers, costing them millions in fees, Lear Capital’s illegal practices end now. We’ve secured $6 million for New York consumers and the company will overhaul its business practices in New York. No longer will New Yorkers be subject to hidden fees pushed by fast-talking sales associates.” 

In her lawsuit, filed in June 2021, Attorney General James alleged that Lear persuaded investors — including many elderly residents of Western New York who were seeking to safeguard their retirement savings — to invest tens of millions in precious metals. The suit alleged that Lear did this while fraudulently charging undisclosed commissions — up to 33 percent — on millions of dollars in sales, and in violation of New York laws requiring commodity broker-dealers and telemarketers to register with the state.  

As part of the consent order resolving this matter, in addition to paying $6 million, Lear has agreed to provide New York residents with clear and conspicuous disclosures of its fees and to provide a 24-hour cancellation period for retirement and certain higher fee transactions. Lear will also enhance its New York complaint tracking procedures and provide training to its personnel.

Governor Hochul Announces Plan to Institute Term Limits and Outside Income Ban for Statewide Elected Officials

 

Bold Ethics Reform First State of the State Proposal – Aimed at Restoring Trust, Integrity, and Accountability in Government  

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a plan to institute term limits for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and Comptroller as the first proposal of the 2022 State of the State. The Governor will also propose a ban on outside income for statewide elected officials while serving in office. These bold reforms are aimed at increasing accountability and trust in the integrity of State government.

“On day one as Governor, I pledged to restore trust in government and I have taken steps every day to deliver the open, ethical governing New Yorkers deserve,” Governor Hochul said. “I want people to believe in their government again. With these bold reforms, we will ensure New Yorkers know their leaders work for them and are focused on serving the people of this state.”

The Governor will introduce a constitutional amendment to set limits of two consecutive terms for statewide elected officials. Governor Hochul will also propose legislation to impose a ban on earned outside income for the same statewide elected officials, with an exception for academic positions that must receive ethics board approval. 

From her first day in office, Governor Hochul has taken actions to restore public trust in government: 

• Ethics Trainings: Governor Hochul signed an Executive Order requiring all State employees to take an ethics training course upon hiring and regularly thereafter.  
• FOIL Reforms: Governor Hochul implemented reforms to the FOIL process to increase transparency with journalists and members of the public. The Governor also began requiring state agencies to identify and proactively post commonly requested data, to reduce the need for FOILs in the first place 
• Recusal Agreements: The Governor and other senior members of her administration released the full recusal agreements they abide by.  
• Transparency Plans: Governor Hochul directed more than 70 executive agencies and public authorities to release public transparency plans, which are publicly posted online.
• Combating Harassment And Discrimination: To improve the Executive Chamber’s response to accusations of harassment and discrimination, Governor Hochul retained an independent outside law firm to investigate all claims in a fair, unbiased manner and created a new Human Resources department. 

Third Avenue Business Improvement District - Business Concerns During COVID-19?

Third Avenue Business Improvement District understands the challenges of the public health and the economic implications of the recent spread of COVID-19.  We recommit our efforts to our small business community and the neighborhoods that we serve. 

As of this morning, NYC is averaging 40,000 COVID-19 cases/day. Over 4,500 are hospitalized, and that number is now growing.

We must not be alarmist - but we must be very strategic about our approach in balancing public health and our local economies. The BID and our partners will use every method in our toolbox to provide our business community with as much useful and accurate information as possible and advocate for additional business resources.

As of December 27, workers in New York City who perform in-person work or interact with the public in the course of business must show proof they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Workers will then have 45 days to show proof of their second dose (for Pfizer or Moderna vaccines).

Businesses may not allow any unvaccinated workers to come to their workplace. A workplace is considered any location — including a vehicle — where you work in the presence of at least one other person.

Additionally, per the Center for Disease Control, the new quarantine period has been shortened from 10 days to 5 days.  We understand that the CDC will announce that the quarantine period will soon be 5 days and a negative test result.

Frequently Asked Questions: Businesses & the Vaccine Mandate

Frequently Asked Questions: NYC Key to NYC Regulations

NYC Accommodations for Employees

Guidance on Accommodations for Employees

The New Normal - Adapting Your Business

Optional Business Marketing Materials

Please find links to downloadable sign requirements and documents that the City and/or State of New York has mandated to be posted or accessible to inspectors and the public.

NYC Affirmation of Compliance for Workplace Vaccination Requirements

NYC COVID-19 Public Facing Poster

NYS Business Safety Plan, Dept. of Labor

NYC Key to NYC Written Business Protocol

We are working with all levels of government and the philanthropic community to increase opportunities for small businesses impacted by this wave of COVID-19.  We will share updates as they become available.

NYS Pandemic Recovery Grant for Small Businesses

NYS Restaurant Resiliency Program

NYC Small Business Resiliency Grant - currently paused due to demand

Citizens Committee Small Business Grant

DoorDash Restaurant Disaster Fund

Join us to learn more.

NYIC Action - Albany Legislators Can’t Repeat Redistricting Commission’s Failure to Create Fair District Maps

 

January 3, 2022 – This morning, the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission released two sets of draft maps after failing to reach a bipartisan consensus. The maps detail the districts for New York’s congressional and state legislative seats. With the Democrats holding a very narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, these maps will have a national impact. These drafts are not final, and the initiative now passes to the state legislature, who must draw and pass their own set of maps.

Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director of NYIC Action, issued the following statement:

“This morning The NYS Independent Redistricting Commission has wholly failed in its core mission to present New Yorkers with a single non-partisan map that protects minority voting rights and is fully inclusive of public input. Despite this commission’s failures, there exists a wealth of public input, provided by hundreds of ordinary New Yorkers. Albany legislators must seize on this information and deliver the fairest maps possible to the voters of this state. To that end, the New York Immigration Coalition calls on the state legislature to utilize the trove of public input collected by the redistricting commission to produce fair maps, and to hold a public hearing immediately after their maps are finalized.”

Background:

NYIC Action is the lead facilitator of the Mapping Our Future campaign, a statewide coalition of 100+ grassroots organizations that are engaged in sustained and sophisticated political advocacy, to protect immigrants and communities of colors’ power in the redistricting process.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW By Former Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz District 18, Bronx County

 

Congress Members Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC) And Jamaal Bowman Voted Against The Bronx Metro North Station

 You Should Know that Alexandria Ocasio Cortes and Jamaal Bowman are two, out of the six, Democrats that voted against the “Infrastructure Bill” that allocates much needed funds to “Penn Station” that will enable the construction of four (4) new Metro North Train Stations in Bronx County.

 

This “No” vote by these two Bronx Democrat Representatives’ (Congressmembers AOC, and Bowman) is not only disgusting, disheartening but also a betrayal to the residents and the constituents who elected them to be their voice in Congress and serve the communities of Coop City, Morris Park, Soundview, and Parkchester.

 

It is important for you to know that the development of these 4 Metro North train Stations will be a huge blessing for the County of the Bronx, its residents, and the city of New York as a whole.  These (4) Metro North Stations, and the vision of bringing them to fruition was due to the negotiations, plans, logistics, and overall costs back then when I was serving as a member of the New York State Senate. It took much work, persuasion, and influence from The Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who convinced Governor Andrew Cuomo, to approve this infrastructure project and include 1.7 billion dollars into the State’s budget for the Construction of these (4) Metro North Stations in the Bronx.

 

The 1.7 billion dollars assigned by Governor Cuomo for this transportation project in the Bronx, originally only included the funding for the development of these (4) Metro North Stations. However, for this project to be realized, federal dollars would be needed to redevelop “Penn Station”. Only then the Bronx Metro North Project can move forward making it a reality.

 

It is important for you to know, that the vision of these (4) Metro North Train Stations were revealed on Wednesday January 21,2015 during Governor Andrew Cuomo’s “State of the State Address.” 

 

Before more than 3,000 people, among them many dignitaries, legislators, television cameras attending the “State of the State Address”, the Governor, while announcing his plans for developing the transportation infrastructure for the Bronx said: “We want to build (4) MTA stations in the Bronx, to open up that side of the Bronx.”  Upon hearing the governor say this, I immediately shouted out “Hoo-rah!” Obviously, I shouted loud enough to be heard by the governor. He replied to my outburst, pointing toward me, he said jokingly “I have a name for one of these stations, the Diaz Station, we’re going to call it, Ruben Diaz Station.” 

 

Mr. Duncan Osborne referred to the Governor’s joke when he referred to the “Diaz Station” remark in an article appearing in “The Gay City News” dated January 22, 2015. Also, Laura Nahmias from Capital News, and Mona Salama from ANM News, they both tweeted about the Governor’s, “Joke” regarding the name of one of these stations.   

 

Now my dear reader, after seven (7) years of the Bronx Borough President’s office attempting to help bring this vision for the Bronx to fruition, thanks to Senator Chuck Schumer’s efforts the “Infrastructure Bill” was recently passed, against the will of Congressmembers Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Jamaal Bowman, both who are the representatives for the area targeted for the construction of these (4) Metro North Train Stations.   

 

I am former NYS Senator and former NYC Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz, and this is What You Should Know.

MAYOR ADAMS, CHANCELLOR BANKS DELIVER REMARKS AT CONCOURSE VILLAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

 

Mayor Eric Adams: Good morning, good morning. Good to get back to school, you know, on this chilly day. So we are going to be brief because I do not like the cold. So we – listen, we're really excited about the opening of our schools and we want to be extremely clear, the safest place for our children is in a school building, and we are going to keep our schools open and ensure that our children are in a safe environment. If you look last year – 2020, you witness that the transmission rate was less than one percent inside a school. In a household it was over 15 percent, but it was more than just COVID. Our children were exposed to an environment of crime, of uncertainty, it really traumatized parents that did not have childcare. The remote learning aspect of it was terrible for poorer communities, particularly those children that lived in homeless shelters, or lived – were housing insecure. The food aspect, schools provide primary meals for many students in this city. And then the socialization, we saw an increase in suicide – attempted suicides. We saw children that were exposed to dangerous environments. Schools play a role of safety and stability for our children, and that is why the Chancellor and I, and an entire team of educators across the city, we have been so focused on keeping our schools open and sending that message. We're not sending an unclear message of what is going to happen day to day, I'm going to tell you what's going to happen day to day, we are staying open. We're going to do everything that we have to do to keep our schools open, and I know there's questions about staffing, and I know there's question about testing. There's a lot of questions, but we're going to turn those question marks into an exclamation point, we're staying open. We're going to make sure our children are in safe spaces, and something happened over the last days, from Wednesday on, that did not show on the radar of New Yorkers. We took over 1.5 million test kits, mobilized our educators, Michael Mulgrew from the UFT, the Chancellor, his team, NYPD, other city agencies, and we placed test kits in every school in the Department of Education, so when the teachers and staff and principals returned, they had to test kits on the ground. Seamless coordination of how city agencies are supposed to come together to do what I say all the time, what my administration is going to be known for, GSD, get stuff done. We're going to get stuff done in this city to make sure we can focus and operate. 

 

So, I want to thank this entire team here, the principal and their administrators. I want to thank my partners in government, Councilman Salamanca, and the amazing Borough President of the borough of the Bronx, Vanessa Gibson, and all the leadership team in school community that that are here, that they go beyond the call of duty to provide for our children. And we're here today to say to them, we have your backs, to allow you to do your job in a rightful way. And I'm proud of my Chancellor and his focus and determination to create an environment where we will raise healthy children and educate them to the fullness of their ability to function and be productive citizens in our society. So I'm going to take a step back, turn the microphone over to the Chancellor of the City of New York. David Banks, Chancellor. 

Schools Chancellor David Banks: Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. It's certainly my pleasure to be here this morning on a first day back to school for the new semester, and the beginning of a new day, I think in New York, for all of our young people. And I'm particularly happy to be here in the Bronx, and I feel like I'm back in my old stomping grounds. I was a principal for many years, just a few blocks from here, and so I know this area very well when I was the founding principal of the Bronx School for Law Government and Justice, as well as the Eagle Academy, and so I'm certainly happy to be here. The Mayor already mentioned some of the elected officials who are here, but I also wanted to acknowledge Assembly Member Jackson, Council Member Stevens as well, thank you so much for being here, appreciate you, you beautiful son as well, thank you. Really important – this school that we happen to be at, we're here for a particular reason, because these are - these schools that, that were with sharing time with you this morning, are very focused on not just excellence, but their ability to work together as schools is critically important. As I just want to take a moment and acknowledge the principals who are here today and their staff,  Principal Sorden and Principal Hoggard. Where are you? Please wave so everybody can see you, because what you are doing here today is absolutely – there she is, Principal Sorden, superstar, and you need to know that, her school is a Blue Ribbon School. It's one of the best schools in the city and around the country, and it's an example of what we want to lift up in this work, and we need everyone else around the city to understand the kind of work that you do, and how others can learn from that. But for Principal Hoggard, we’re here because, as well, this is a District 75 school that you have, and the issues and the challenges. So we’re here very intentionally, because the Mayor said, I want to be in a place where there's a District 75 population, because it's critically important that you know that we see you, we respect you, we're going to support you and give you all that you need in order to continue to be successful. So we want to thank you so much, Principal Hoggard and your entire staff, who's out here as well, freezing in the cold, amazing. I'm so proud to stand here today, shoulder to shoulder with not only Mayor Adams, but every single educator, school leader, social worker, guidance counselor, food service employee, custodian, and school safety agents who come to school every day to serve our children, and we want to thank them very, very much. We have worked night and day with our partners in City Hall, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Test and Trace Corps, and I want to do a special shout out to the NYPD because of the work that they did in working with the Governor's office to ensure that we got all the test kits that we needed to ensure that all of our kids will be safe. So big shout out everybody, please, for all of those Mayoral agencies, and the NYPD who worked so hard to make sure that all of our children would be safe here today. We want to thank them so much.  

 

Today we're announcing a Department of Education COVID Command Center, where principals and district leadership can immediately address and escalate any issues they need help with, including ensuring that our buildings have the staff that they need to safely operate. This escalation protocol will support our school leaders across the city and help to keep our doors open. Our schools are safe by design, at every school, when someone walks into the building, they have to pass a health screening, that building has fully functioning ventilation, universal mask usage, and every adult is vaccinated. These measures make schools the safest environments for young people to be in, just as our Mayor said, safer than any other public place where these measures are not generally enforced. There is less COVID in our schools than in the community, and when a case does occur, it is not likely to be passed along. Today, we have 1.5 million rapid test kits on hand. When there is a case in school, we will test every close contact, isolate positive cases and keep the rest of our young people safely learning. This is on top of the work that we've done improving ventilation, universal mask usage, and physical distancing. Finally, we cannot forget vaccination. All of our in school staff are vaccinated, and we urge every parent with a child who is not yet vaccinated, please do it today. I know every parent takes the health of their child very seriously. My guarantee, today, is that we are not relaxing our standards, we're reinforcing them. We owe it to our children to bring all our resources to bear to support schools staying open. We’ve seen what isolation does to all of us, and we know that it impacts our young people even more. We owe it to our children to do everything we can to keep our schools safe, and to keep them open. We have a lot of work to do, a lot of work ahead of us, to ensure that every child is attending a great school, that we’re authentically engaging parents, and serving all of our students regardless of their family's income, or if they have a disability. But today, today I'm thankful that our young people are in school safely. What our public schools do every day, to be very clear, is a miracle. Safely bringing together over one million New Yorkers of all different backgrounds to learn and grow with each other. My commitment to each of them is that I will work with Mayor Adams and every other member of his team to keep these schools safely open. Thank you so much.

Mayor: When a Mayor has swagger, the city has swagger. We've allowed people to beat us down so much that all we did was wallow in COVID. It’s we did, and we no longer believed this is a city of swagger. This is a city of resiliency. And all of these messages out there of what is going to happen? What is going to happen? We're going to survive. And your message, your direct comment, your forcefulness matching yours and matching the rest of ours, we're not going to be defined by COVID, by crime, by economy. And you know why? Because we've went through some stuff. All of us, all of us have went through some stuff. So, this is nothing to those who have gone through a lot. We’re going to be here and turn our city around. That’s why I got so much swagger. We need a Mayor of swagger. We need a Council Woman with swagger. We need Assembly Women with swagger. We need a Borough President with swagger. We need a Chancellor with swagger. We need a Police Commissioner with swagger. This is New York. It's a privilege to live in New York, and the leadership should have that swagger, that's what was what has been missing in this city. 

Governor Hochul Announces Appointments to Fill Vacancies in the Third Department, Appellate Division

 

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced three appointments to fill vacancies in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Third Department. The justices selected today will bring their experience on the trial courts, impressive legal credentials, strong judicial temperament and commitment to justice to the Third Department. These jurists reflect the excellence and diversity of the judicial system throughout New York State.

“New Yorkers deserve the best and the brightest upholding their justice system, and I have no doubt that these three appointees will serve with honor and distinction,” Governor Hochul said. “With diverse experience and background, I am proud to appoint these justices to the Appellate Division and am certain that their service will further the interests of justice for New Yorkers.”

The Governor appointed Supreme Court Justices Lisa Fisher, Andrew Ceresia and Eddie McShan to fill three vacancies on the Appellate Division, Third Department. The Third Department covers twenty-eight counties in Upstate New York, ranging from the mid-Hudson Valley to the Canadian Border and as far as west as Schuyler and Chemung counties in the Southern Tier.

 

Honorable Lisa Fisher

Lisa Fisher serves as Justice of the Supreme Court in the Third Judicial District since she was elected in 2015. Prior to the Supreme Court, Justice Fisher was an Assistant Public Defender of the Family Court Division at the Ulster County Public Defender’s Office from 2011 to 2014. Justice Fisher previously worked as a Sole Practitioner from 1994 to 2013.  She also served as a Court Attorney for Honorable Edward T. Feeney at the New York State Office of Court Administration from 1999 to 2007 and a part-time Staff Attorney for Ulster County Department of Social Services until 2001.Justice Fisher earned a J.D. from Shepard Broad College of Law at Nova Southeastern University and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of South Florida.

Honorable Andrew G. Ceresia

Andrew Ceresia has served since 2017 as a Justice in the Third Judicial District of the Rensselaer County Supreme Court.  From 2011-2016, Justice Ceresia was an Acting Justice in the Third Judicial District of the New York State Supreme Court. Concurrently, he was a Judge of the Rensselaer County Court from 2009 to 2016. In 2009, Justice Ceresia was appointed a County Court Judge by Governor David A. Paterson. From 2005 to 2009, he served as an Appellate Court Attorney in the Third Department of the Appellate Division of the NYS Supreme Court. In 2005, Justice Ceresia was an Acting Judge in for the City Courts of Albany, Rensselaer, and Hudson. He also served as a Town Judge for North Greenbush from 2004 to 2009. Justice Ceresia was an Attorney at Carter, Conboy, Case, Blackmore, Maloney, and Laird from 1999 to 2004. From 1998 to 1999, Ceresia was an Appellate Court Attorney in the Third Department of the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court. Justice Ceresia obtained a J.D. from Albany Law School and a B.S. from SUNY Oneonta.

Honorable Eddie McShan

Since his election in 2020, Eddie McShan has served as an Associate Justice in the First Judicial Department of the Appellate Term of the New York State Supreme Court. Justice McShan also serves as a Justice in the Twelfth District of the New York State Supreme Court. Additionally, Justice McShan is an Adjunct Professor in the Business and Paralegal Department at Bronx Community College CUNY since 1998. At the New York State Supreme Court, he was an Acting Justice from 2016 to 2018 and a Hybrid Acting Justice in 2015. From 2013 to 2018, Justice McShan was a Judge on the Civil Court for New York City. He served as a Special Referee for the New York State Supreme Court from 2008 to 2012. At the New York State Supreme Court, Justice McShan was the Principal Law Clerk for Justice LaTia Martin from 1999 to 2008 and Associate Law Clerk for Justice Frank Torres from 1998 to 1999.  He also was an Associate Attorney in the Law Offices of Ronald Pelligra from 1994 to 1998. Justice McShan obtained a J.D. from the College of Law at Syracuse University, an M.P.A from The Maxwell School at Syracuse University, and a B.A. in Sociology from St. Lawrence University.

The Judicial Screening Committees for each of the four Appellate Departments review the applications and conduct interviews of dozens of applicants. Only those applicants deemed “highly qualified” by the Committees were submitted to the Governor for her consideration. To be found “highly qualified,” candidates must display integrity, independence, leadership, intellect, legal ability, judgment, temperament, and experience.