NEW YORK STATE - Key Persons
Adrienne A. Harris was nominated to lead the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) by Governor Kathy Hochul in August, 2021 and confirmed by the New York State Senate on January 25, 2022.
Superintendent Harris began her career as an Associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York City representing a number of U.S. and non-U.S. based corporations in various forms of litigation and regulatory matters, before accepting a position at the United States Department of the Treasury under President Obama.
While at the Treasury Department, Superintendent Harris served as a Senior Advisor to both Acting Deputy Secretary and Under Secretary for Domestic Finance Mary Miller, and Deputy Secretary Sarah Bloom Raskin. Her work ranged from financial reform efforts to identifying solutions to the student loan crisis, analyzing the nexus between foreign investment and national security, and working to promote financial inclusion and health in communities throughout the country.
Following her time at the Treasury Department, Superintendent Harris joined The White House, where she was appointed as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, as part of the National Economic Council. In this role, she managed the financial services portfolio, which included developing and executing strategies for financial reform and the implementation of Dodd-Frank, consumer protections for the American public, cybersecurity and housing finance reform priorities.
After leaving the White House in January 2017, Superintendent Harris went on to serve as General Counsel and Chief Business Officer at States Title, Inc. (now DOMA), which provides a more simple and affordable closing experience for homebuyers.
Prior to being nominated, she also served as a Professor and as Faculty Co-Director at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy's Center on Finance, Law and Policy at the University of Michigan, as well as a Senior Advisor at the Brunswick Group in Washington, D.C.
Job Titles:
- Student Assembly of the State University of New York
Alexandria is a student at Binghamton University where she studies Politics, Philosophy, and Law and conducts research on geophysics centered topics. She represents 660,000+ students in her capacity as President of the SUNY Student Assembly- the official organization by which students participate in University-wide shared governance to represent 64 SUNY campuses. Alexandria also serves as a member of the SUNY Board of Trustees.
Driven by telecommunications' ability to empower communities, Ana Rua leads New York Government Affairs City & State strategy at the nation's largest provider of shared wireless infrastructure, Crown Castle. An immigrant from Colombia, Rua has spent her career in New York paying it forward on the American Dream by working with the intention of social responsibility at public and private institutions. Prior to her role at Crown Castle, Rua was part of the team that spearheaded the New NY Broadband Program a $500M initiative to connect the most rural and remote regions of New York State with high-speed internet access, traveling to 56 of the state's 62 counties to facilitate the program's implementation. Also, at Governor Cuomo's office, she inherited a $70 million portfolio of legacy projects in dire need of management and by coordinating with utilities, establishing availability of services and ensuring minority and women-owned businesses got seat at the table, the projects are now on track and on-budget. In her current work for Crown Castle, where she paves the way for next generation wireless infrastructure with the aim of transforming the digital landscape of the region. By educating and informing residents, influencers, municipal staff, and elected officials, she helps shape public policy and opinion, generates advocates, and builds community relationships with the objective of connecting those in disenfranchised and far-reaching communities with tools to empower themselves via telecommunications. "I get a tremendous sense of purpose because I work in this industry that has a fundamental focus to make people's lives easier, better and more connected," she says. Rua sits on the board of Junior Achievement and is Chair of York College City University of New York.
Andrew Kaplan received his Doctor of Pharmacy from St. John's University in 2011 and went on to complete his PGY1 Pharmacy residency at Stony Brook University Hospital in Long Island and his PGY2 Health System Pharmacy Administration residency at the VA in Madison, Wisconsin. After completing residency training, Dr. Kaplan became the Pharmacy Supervisor at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown. He then moved to New York City and became the Assistant Director of Clinical Services for Mount Sinai West, overseeing Critical Care, Infectious Disease, Emergency Medicine, Transitions of Care and Internal Medicine.
He is currently the Associate Director of Pharmacy, now additionally overseeing Pharmacy Operations in IV Admixture, Automation, and Inventory Management. Dr. Kaplan currently serves as the Vice President of Public Policy for the New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists, overseeing legislative and regulatory affairs. He previously served as President of the Long Island Society of Health-system Pharmacists.
Job Titles:
- President and Chief Executive Officer, the Guardian Life Insurance Company
Anna Kaltenboeck, MS is a senior health economist and the program director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Her work focuses on the development and application of value-based pricing methods, as well as policies that foster rational and sustainable drug pricing.
Anthony Gaddy is a Co-Founder and President/CEO of the UpState New York Black Chamber of Commerce, the Upstate New York affiliate for U.S. Black Chambers.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Utica National Insurance Group
As State Director, Beth R. Finkel leads the day-to-day operations of AARP New York, the most visible and successful organization in the state advocating for New York's 50-plus population.
Prior to her appointment as State Director, Beth was the Director of Engagement for AARP New York. In her role, Beth specialized in programming and advocacy for older New Yorkers around hunger, caregiving, grandparents raising grandchildren, multicultural outreach, livable communities, financial security, ageism and long-term care.
Through her years at AARP New York, she led and developed the statewide Kincare Coalition and New York's Older Adults Hunger Stakeholders Coalition. She convened the first Older Adults Hunger Summit to find solutions to barriers to food insecurity and co-created the NYS Medicare Savings Program Taskforce. Beth represented AARP New York on the Governor's SMART (Saving More to Achieve Richer Tomorrows) Commission, which helped develop the Secure Choice Savings Program, and she serves on The NYS Food Policy Workgroup, The NYS Department of Financial Services Consumer Protection Taskforce and the NYC Age Friendly Commission.
A native New Yorker, Beth holds a Masters of Social Work from Yeshiva University in Community Organizing and a Bachelor of Science from American University in Business Administration. She and her husband live in Manhattan.
Job Titles:
- Chairman, Emmet, Marvin & Martin, LLP
Job Titles:
- Director of Litigation for Economic Justice at Mobilization for Justice
Ms. Coffey is the Director of Litigation for Economic Justice at Mobilization for Justice, where she oversees the organization's economic justice work and supervises the Consumer Rights and Bankruptcy projects. She advocates for clients in various forums, conducts trainings on consumer law, and engages in legislative and policy advocacy. She is a graduate of CUNY School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow at the Century Foundation
Carolyn Fast is a senior fellow at The Century Foundation (TCF), where she works on higher education policy with a focus on consumer protection and institutional accountability. Before joining TCF, Carolyn was special counsel at the New York Attorney General's Office, where she investigated and brought enforcement actions against predatory for-profit colleges, student loan lenders and servicers, debt collectors, and credit reporting agencies. Prior to joining the Attorney General's Office, Carolyn clerked for Judge Victor Marrero in the Southern District of New York. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard and her law degree from Columbia Law School.
Job Titles:
- President & CEO, Rondout Savings Bank
Job Titles:
- Programs Director for the Advocacy Division of Consumer Reports
- Programs Director, Consumer Reports
Mr. Bell is the Programs Director for the advocacy division of Consumer Reports, where he represents CR's positions on consumer protection issues in New York and other Northeastern states. He works on a wide range of financial services issues, including credit and lending, insurance, education debt, and fintech. He holds a B.A. from Antioch University-Seattle.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President for Programs at the National Urban League
Cy Richardson is Senior Vice President for Programs at the National Urban League, the nation's oldest and largest community-based movement devoted to empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream. He is also a member of the League's Executive Leadership Team. Cy is a recognized and respected expert on housing and community development, job creation and racial equity and is a sought-after thought leader on issues related to building a more inclusive economy. A certified urban planner, Cy has 30 years of non-profit and government experience. Prior to NUL, Cy worked as a community economic development practitioner as well as serving as a legislative analyst and researcher for various city and state agencies. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as graduate degrees in urban planning and political science from Pratt Institute, the City University of New York Graduate Center, and Georgetown University.
Job Titles:
- Supervising Attorney, Community Health Advocates, Healthcare for All New York Campaign, Community Service Society
Job Titles:
- Clinical Assistant Professor at the University
Dr. Barbara Rogler is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University at Buffalo School (UB) of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She is a licensed Pharmacist, registered to practice in New York State. Her current primary responsibility is as the liaison between the New York State Department of Health (DOH), Office of Health Insurance Programs (OHIP), and the State University of New York (SUNY) Collaborative. Dr. Rogler has also worked in several different healthcare continuum positions spanning a wide variety of leadership roles. Her leadership roles have included clinical, educational, legislative, and managerial as a policymaker and advisor on both the state and national levels. Dr. Rogler holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Pharmacy, a Master of Science (MS) in Health Service Administration, and a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD).
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Health Initiatives at the Community Service Society
Ms. Benjamin is the Vice President of Health Initiatives at the Community Service Society, where she supervises health policy, health advocacy, and consumer health assistance programs. Collectively, her programs help over 100,000 New Yorkers access health insurance and low-cost health care each year. Ms. Benjamin is a co-founder of the Health Care for All New York Campaign, a statewide coalition of over 170 organizations devoted to securing affordable, quality health care for New Yorkers. She received a Master of Science degree in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of the Hispanic Federation
Mr. Miranda is Executive Director of the Hispanic Federation, responsible for managing the organization's operations, external relations, community service events, and the Hispanic Federation gala. Mr. Miranda also leads the Federation's relief and reconstruction efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated the island. He formerly held senior management positions in the communications field, including Director of Communications for the New York DMA TV stations WXTV Univision 41 and WFUT UniMas 68, and Deputy Press Secretary for Spanish Language Media for both the Hillary Clinton U.S. Senate campaign in 2000 and Fernando Ferrer's NYC Mayoral campaign in 2001. He received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Puerto Rico and an M.A. in Performance Studies from New York University.
Gabriela Dieguez is a principal and consulting actuary with the New York office of Milliman. She joined the firm in 2005. Gabriela has provided actuarial and consulting services to a wide range of clients, including commercial insurers, Medicare Advantage organizations, pharmaceutical companies, Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans, HMOs, and healthcare providers. She has extensive experience in pricing, valuation, analyzing benefit utilization, forecasting trends, and performing claims analytics for particular disease states. Gabriela has advised life science companies and other clients on actuarial topics related to health care reform, Medicare Advantage and Part D, risk sharing contracting, and payer economic issues.
Honorable John T. McDonald is currently serving his fourth term in the New York State Assembly representing the 108th Assembly District, which consists of parts of Albany, Rensselaer and Saratoga Counties. He previously served as the Mayor of the City of Cohoes for 13 years, and is a practicing pharmacist and the President of Marra's Pharmacy. Assemblymember McDonald received a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Albany College of Pharmacy and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities as well. Assemblymember McDonald was appointed at the recommendation of the Speaker of the Assembly.
Job Titles:
- Director of Foreclosure Prevention at Legal Services NYC
Mr. Inwald is Director of Foreclosure Prevention at Legal Services NYC, supervising the organization's foreclosure prevention, anti-predatory lending, abusive mortgage servicing and fair lending practice, which encompasses a range of foreclosure prevention and affirmative litigation at Legal Services NYC's offices across New York City. He is a statewide expert on foreclosure law and policy, regularly conducts trainings on civil procedure, foreclosure law and consumer protection throughout New York City, across New York State, and across the country, and he has played a leading role in developing and maintaining an online foreclosure practice resource used by non-profit foreclosure defense practitioners across New York State. He presently serves on the New York City Bar Association's Foreclosure Task Force, was co-chair of the Mortgage Working Group of New Yorkers for Responsible Lending, and is a technical assistance subcontractor in New York City for the New York State Attorney General's Home Owner Protection Program's statewide network of non-profit foreclosure prevention advocates. He received a B.A. from Brandeis University and a J.D. from George Washington University School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Head of Global Compliance Monitoring, Marsh LLC
Job Titles:
- President and Chief Executive Officer, Emblem Health
Job Titles:
- Director, Western NY Law Center
Ms. Keefe is a senior staff attorney with the Consumer Finance and Housing Unit at Empire Justice Center. She works on policy issues regarding mortgage lending, foreclosure, accountability in higher education and consumer financial issues, and directs the Anchor Partner program for the NYS Office of the Attorney General's Homeownership Protection Program, overseeing the statewide administration of grants to non-profit organizations providing direct assistance to homeowners. Ms. Keefe is an expert on anti-predatory lending and foreclosure actions. She received a B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross and a J.D. from Beasley School of Law at Temple University, where she has subsequently lectured on consumer law. She also served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of the National Consumer Law Center
Lauren Saunders is Associate Director of the National Consumer Law Center, a nonprofit organization that works for economic justice for low-income and other disadvantaged people through policy analysis, advocacy, publications, litigation, and training. Lauren manages NCLC's Washington, DC office and directs its federal legislative and regulatory work. Lauren is a recognized expert in consumer protection areas including small dollar loans, predatory lending, banking, fintech and payment systems. She is an author of NCLC's treatise Consumer Banking and Payments Law and contributes to Consumer Credit Regulation, among other publications.
Lauren previously worked at the National Senior Citizens Law Center, Bet Tzedek Legal Services and Hall & Phillips.
Job Titles:
- Chairman, President & CEO, Ridgewood Savings Bank
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President and General Counsel, AIG
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President and General Counsel, New York Life Insurance Company
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs, MetLife
If you have questions or require additional information regarding the Nomination and Appointments Procedure please email InsuranceAdvisoryBoard@dfs.ny.gov
Job Titles:
- President of the Center for Responsible Lending
Michael Calhoun is President of the Center for Responsible Lending, which is the policy affiliate of Self-Help, the nation's largest community development lender that has provided over $6.4 billion in financing for first time homeowner loans and small business loans. The Center for Responsible Lending is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research and policy institute focusing on consumer lending issues. Mr. Calhoun has been an active participant in consumer financial legislation and regulation, and he has more than thirty years experience in consumer lending. He has authored numerous papers on the subject and has testified often before Congress and many state legislatures. Prior to joining CRL, he led several lending divisions at Self-Help, including the secondary mortgage market program. He is a former member and chair of the Federal Reserve Consumer Advisory Committee. Mr. Calhoun received his B.A. degree in economics from Duke University, and his J.D. degree from the University of North Carolina.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President, M & T Bank
Job Titles:
- Student Borrower Protection Center
Neha is the Managing Attorney for the Western New York Law Center's Small Business Legal Clinic (SBLC), where she provides legal assistance to small business owners and entrepreneurs across Western New York. She is also a consumer advocate who has represented homeowners facing foreclosure in Erie and Wyoming County, consumers being sued by creditors with the consumer debt clinic CLARO Buffalo, and debtors filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Her advocacy gained recognition amongst her peers and Super Lawyers, which named her to their Upstate New York Rising Stars List from 2020-2022. Neha is also a member of the New Yorkers for Responsible Lending (NYRL), a statewide coalition of more than 160 non-profit organizations, where she lobbies with other advocates across the state on consumer rights issues. She is the co-chair of NYRL's Insurance Working Group and Steering Committee. She received her B.A. from the University of Rochester and her J.D. from New York Law School.
Job Titles:
- President & CEO, Amalgamated Bank
Dr. Mandava is licensed Physician in NY state and currently works as Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine at Roswell Park cancer Institute, Buffalo NY. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency training at University of Buffalo, 2014 and worked as Chief Medical Resident at Buffalo, VA Hospital.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- President
Theresa Baxter is a Nurse Practitioner at SUNY Upstate University Hospital and for Helio Health Syracuse in the Center of Treatment Innovation. Prior to this role, Ms. Baxter was a Nurse Practitioner for Acute Pain Service at University Hospital in Syracuse. Ms. Baxter received her B.S. in Nursing from Keuka College, her M.S. in Nursing at SUNY Upstate Medical University and recently completed post-master's studies in mental health at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Ms. Baxter was appointed at the recommendation of the Temporary President of the Senate.
Job Titles:
- Founder & CEO, Piermont Bank
Job Titles:
- Public Citizen 's Climate Program