Empire Page - INY Biographies

Brian McMahon

2010-03-01T17:09:00Z

Brian T. McMahon has served as the full time Executive Director of the New York State Economic Development Council since January 1, 2000. Prior to that he served as the Director of Economic Development and Manufacturing for The Business Council of New York State, Inc.

NYSEDC is the principal organization representing more than 900 economic development professionals, which include the leadership of Industrial Development Agencies, Empire Zones, Local Development Corporations, commercial and investment banks, underwriters, bond counsels, utilities, chambers of commerce and private corporations. The purpose of NYSEDC is to promote the economic development of the state and its communities; encourage sound practices in the conduct of regional and statewide development programs; and, develop education programs that enhance the professional development skills of NYSEDC members.

NYSEDC also leads NY’s marketing activities for the biotech sector. Through its subsidiary NY Loves Bio, NYSEDC coordinates trade show, external communications, and public policy activities to expand and market NY’s life science strengths and assets nationally and internationally.

Brian McMahon is a director of the New York Business Development Corporation, the Council of Development Finance Agencies, and has served on numerous community boards, including the Wilton Wild Life Park and Preserve and the Albany YMCA.

Brian McMahon grew-up in Corning, New York, and graduated from SUNY-Albany in 1977 with a degree in Political Science. He resides in Saratoga Springs, New York with his wife Kim.

Warren Redlich

2010-02-05T02:59:00Z

S. Warren Redlich is the founder of two successful small businesses --- the Redlich Law Firm he founded in 2003 and SpinJ Corporation, which develops and manages websites. SpinJ's largest website is Town-Court.com, a directory of traffic courts used by 150,000 people a month.

Born in Long Island, Redlich grew up in Guilderland, an Albany suburb. He was elected to the Town Board there in 2007, unseating two long-time Democrat incumbents in a town with a large enrollment advantage for Democrats.

He has a B.A. in Mathematical Economic Analysis from Rice University in Houston, an A.M. from Stanford, and a J.D. from Albany Law School.

After law school, Warren taught English in Japan for a year. While not fluent, he speaks Spanish, Japanese, and some French.

In the past, Redlich has worked in Albany for an insurance company and clerked for a Fulton County judge.

Warren represented the Ron Paul campaign before the New York State Board of Elections in 2008. He was a candidate for NY’s 21st congressional district in 2004 and 2006.

As a Guilderland Town Board member, Warren proposed a pay cut for himself and other elected and appointed officials. He twice voted to freeze his own pay.

Warren and Heather Redlich were married in 1995. They live in Guilderland with their two children.

Jonathan Salant

2010-02-01T01:19:00Z

Jonathan D. Salant is a political reporter for Bloomberg News, covering campaign finance and lobbying. He is a former president of the National Press Club and a former president of the Regional Reporters Association. He first came to Washington in 1987 as the correspondent for The Post-Standard and the Syracuse Herald-Journal, and also worked for Congressional Quarterly and the Associated Press before joining Bloomberg in 2004.

Salant came to Albany in 1981 to work for the Albany Times Union and succeeded Fred Dicker in the Capitol. He moved to the Herald-Journal in 1984 as the newspaper's first full-time Albany correspondent. He now lives in Rockville, Maryland, and is the father of a 12-year-old boy, Izzy. His late wife, Joan Friedenberg, was the founding editor of the Web site for the Newshour with Jim Lehrer.

Dan Lynch

2010-01-14T01:43:00Z

Dan Lynch is the host of his own daily, three-hour program on Albany's WGDJ-AM-Talk1300. He's also a documentary film maker whose work has been seen on the History Channel and local television stations. He was chief political writer of the Philadelphia Inquirer, New York editor of Newsday, managing editor and featured columnist for the Albany Times Union and host of his own Sunday morning news program on Albany television.

His daily newspaper column was honored with a first prize by the New York State Associated Press and by the New York Newspaper Publishers Association. He was chosen as author of the year by the Friends of the Albany Public Library and by the Friends of the Shenendehowa Public Library in Clifton Park. His 11th book, "The Thunder of Captains" was published recently and is available at forpeoplewhothink.com, amazon.com and through bookstores..

Francis S. Barry

2009-12-27T21:50:00Z

Francis S. Barry works as a Senior Policy and Communications Advisor to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. He serves as the Mayor's Director of Speechwriting, works closely with the Mayor's Criminal Justice Coordinator on public safety issues, and has also helped to shape and implement the Mayor's initiatives to improve the city’s election, campaign finance, and lobbying laws. Barry began working for the Mayor's office in 2002 as a legislative aide and served as Research Director of the 2003 Charter Revision Commission.

Previously, he had worked as a press officer and policy analyst at the City's Campaign Finance Board. He received a master's degree in public administration from New York University, where he won the Spero Prize for outstanding written work, and is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.

Jonathan Tasini

2009-12-19T20:07:00Z

In 2006, Jonathan Tasini ran for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in New York, primarily to give voice to the many New Yorkers who opposed the disastrous Iraq War and occupation. After the primary, Jonathan returned immediately to his long-time passion—working to build the labor movement—and was hired as the executive director of Labor Research Association, a non-profit that works with unions and other workers’ movements on strategy, communications and policy.

He announced early in 2009 that he will enter the Democratic Party primary in 2010 for the seat currently being held by Kirsten Gillibrand.

Jonathan Tasini has been a union leader and organizer, a social activist and a commentator on work, labor and the economy. From 1990 to April 2003, he served as president of the National Writers Union (United Auto Workers Local 1981); he remains the union’s president emeritus.

During Jonathan’s stewardship of the union, he envisioned a broad coalition of creators groups that could work in unison to further the rights of all creative workers and advance benefits such as health insurance; indeed, his close-up experience with the health insurance crisis for creative workers inspired him to make Medicare For All a central plank of his Senate campaign. To accomplish his dream of a nationwide creators’ movement, he left the NWU in 2003 to found the Creators Federation.

For the last twenty years, he has written about labor and economics for a variety of newspapers and magazines including The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Business Week, The Washington Post, The Village Voice, The Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He is the author of two books: "The Edifice Complex: Rebuilding the American Labor Movement to Face the Global Economy," a critique and prescriptive analysis of the labor movement (1995); and "They Get Cake, We Eat Crumbs: The Real Story Behind Today's Unfair Economy," an average reader's guide to the economy (1997). Jonathan also created, runs and writes every day on his regular blog called Working Life, which explores the economy and the labor movement.

Born in Houston, Texas in 1956, Jonathan spent his early childhood years in New York State, first living in Poughkeepsie and, then, moving to Westchester County in 1961. His parents were both immigrants: his mother was born in Poland, fleeing the Nazis with her family during World War II. His father was born in Palestine, which would become the state of Israel.

In 1971, Jonathan moved to Israel where he completed high school and two years of college. In Israel, he was involved in the labor federation’s political activities, as well as the early flowering of a serious debate about peace between Israel and its neighbors. He studied for two years at Tel-Aviv University.

In 1978, he returned to the U.S., relocating to Los Angeles where he finished a degree in political science at the University of California, Los Angeles (U.C.L.A.).

Randy Credico

2009-11-29T19:42:00Z

Randy Credico is an American political comedian and activist and the former Director of the William Moses Kunstler Fund for Racial Justice and co founder of Mothers of the NY Disappeared along with ex drug law prisoner Anthony Papa.

Once active on the comedy circuit, including an appearance on the Tonight Show at age 29, he began a seven year campaign against New York state's Rockefeller drug laws, which he thought were too harsh, disproportionately affecting the poor and minorities. Small changes softening the stiffest penalties were passed in the state legislature, which Credico thought was insufficient.

Credico spent 4 years in Tulia, Texas bringing national attention to a racially charged mass drug arrest. The Kunstler Fund produced an award winning documentary on the subject entitled "Tulia, Texas: Scenes from the Drug War," written, directed and edited by Emily and Sarah Kunstler.

Credico is the subject of the film Sixty Spins Around the Sun, directed by comedian Laura Kightlinger and produced by actor Jack Black. Credico is also alleged to have imitated political consultant Roger Stone's voice in a threatening phone call to NY Governor Elliot Spitzer's father which caused Stone to be fired as a consultant to the NY State Senate by Joe Bruno. Credicosays that he was in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the day of the profane call to Mr. Spitzer. The case remains an unsolved mystery to some http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2007/08/the_credico_connection.html.

In 2009, Credico attended an meeting of the New York State Senate on Open Government dressed as the Greek Philosophe Diogenes the Cynic seeking an honest politician.

Credico was featured on the 1988 comedy album, "Strange Bedfellows: Comedy and Politics" along with Jimmy Tingle, Barry Crimmins, and Wil Durst. Credico produced, directed and wrote the radio program 60 Mimics. He has worked as a political consultant on several political campaigns including that of Teamster president Jimmy Hoffa in 1996 in which he organized the national comedy tour Humor for Hoffa. Credico came to regret his work for Hoffa and helped his opponent in a losing bid for the Teamster presidency in 2001.

Credico was born in Southern California and moved to New York in 1980. Credico, a recovering alcoholic, lives in Manhattan where he is working on a memoir called "Burning Bridges." He is the official comedian of Talk1300's live with Fred Dicker.

Chris Edes

2009-11-23T20:26:00Z

Chris Edes is Chair of the Libertarian Party of New York. He also serves as County Chair for the Greater Rochester Libertarian Party, and Regional Coordinator for the Campaign For Liberty in the 28th Congressional District. Chris recently ran for Rochester City School Board with Libertarian and Green Party endorsements.

Chris was born in Rochester, NY and has lived there 22 of his 30 years. He is currently employed in the Information Technology field as an independent contractor.

Jonathan Gradess

2009-10-27T23:30:00Z

Jonathan E. Gradess is Executive Director of the New York State Defenders Association (NYSDA), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality and scope of public legal representation in New York. The Association operates the nation's only state-funded Public Defense Backup Center, which serves New York's more than 5000 public defense attorneys, providing training, legal research, consultation and technical assistance. Under its contract with the State of New York, NYSDA is called upon to "…review, assess and analyze the public defense system in the State, identify problem areas and propose solutions in the form of specific recommendations to the Governor, the Legislature, the Judiciary and other appropriate instrumentalities." Mr. Gradess is also Executive Director of the New York State Defenders Justice Fund and manages its Campaign for an Independent Public Defense Commission. The Campaign, with more than 200 organizational members and over 500 individual members, seeks to establish a state public defender system.

Mr. Gradess, began his career as a paralegal, thereafter graduating cum laude in 1973 from Hofstra Law School’s charter class. He has worked as a criminal defense lawyer, a private investigator, and a law school professor. Mr. Gradess is the recipient of the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Gideon Award and the New York State Bar Association Criminal Justice Section award for Outstanding Contribution to the Delivery of Defense Services. He serves on the Restorative Justice Commission of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.

Rick Lazio

2009-10-12T14:39:00Z

Rick Lazio was born in West Islip, New York on March 13, 1958 the son of two World War II veterans, Olive and the late Anthony Lazio.

After graduation from West Islip High School, Rick earned a degree in political science from Vassar College and a law degree from the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. During law school, Rick met his wife, the former Patricia Moriarty, who was working at the George Washington University Hospital while pursuing her degrees in nursing.

Returning home after law school, Rick entered public service as a prosecutor in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office. Working in the District Court Bureau, Special Investigations and Forfeiture Unit, and Rackets Bureau, he prosecuted the full range of criminal cases including accused rapists, organized crime, and corruption.

In 1989 Rick was elected to the Suffolk County Legislature. Despite heavy pressure to support a proposed tax increase early in his tenure, Rick voted against the bill. Rick has consistently opposed tax increases at every level of government that he has served throughout his legislative career.

In 1992 Rick upset an 18-year incumbent to win election to the United States House of Representatives. He represented New York’s Second Congressional district for four terms in Congress, winning re-election by the largest margins in the history of the district.

Rick earned assignment to both the House Committee on the Budget, and the Banking and Financial Services Committee. From his seat on the Budget Committee, Rick helped create and pass the first balanced budget in a generation. In 1995, Rick was tapped as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity. Serving as Chairman for six years, Rick secured the most extensive overhaul of public housing laws since the Great Depression. His landmark legislation modernized public housing and expanded housing opportunities for seniors and the disabled. Rick also fought for housing programs that serve the most vulnerable members of our communities, such as increasing the number of Section 8 vouchers and increasing Low Income Housing Tax Credits.

Rick also served concurrently on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee so that New York’s unique interests had a strong voice on issues relating to energy, healthcare, telecommunications, the environment, financial services, and insurance.

One of Rick’s biggest victories was the enactment of the Work Incentives Improvement Act, which enables Americans with disabilities to enter into the workforce without losing healthcare and disability benefits. With bi-partisan support, Rick ensured that this critical legislation passed the House and was signed into law by President Clinton.

Rick also was a champion in the fight against cancer, creating the bipartisan House Cancer Awareness Working Group, enacting The Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act, which provides treatment to low-income women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer, and fighting to ensure that cancer centers across America are funded and reimbursed adequately.

Rick proved to be a good steward of our natural resources, and as a result he was routinely endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters and by the Sierra Club. He was the original sponsor of the first bill in Congress to provide credit under a cap and trade program for early and voluntary action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Since leaving Congress, Rick has continued his advocacy for economic opportunity in the global economy. He served as President and CEO of The Financial Services Forum and as a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan Chase in New York City.

Rick lives in New York City and Long Island with his wife Patricia, and their daughters Molly and Kelsey.

Brian Kolb

2009-09-27T16:51:00Z

Brian Kolb was first elected to represent New York State's 129th Assembly District when a special election was held in February 2000 and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. On April 6, 2009, he was unanimously elected Minority Leader by his colleagues. Assemblyman Kolb’s district includes Cayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, Ontario, and Seneca Counties.

Brian’s legislative priorities include reducing taxes, improving the quality of education, fostering job creation, providing sound health care and reforming state government. He is dedicated to ensuring that residents and businesses throughout the district receive effective, responsive constituent service and timely assistance with state government inquiries. Brian’s principal goal is to be easily accessible and approachable to the people he represents. In a short time, he has gained a reputation for hard work, producing results and being very active in his district with a down-to-earth, straight-talking approach.

Assemblyman Kolb possesses a wealth of valuable private sector experience acquired as a business consultant, entrepreneur and chief operating officer of a variety of small and large technology based businesses. He is the former president of Refractron Technologies and a co-founder of the North American Filter Corporation.

Brian has demonstrated a strong commitment to education throughout both his personal life and his professional career. He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Adult and Graduate Education at Roberts Wesleyan College, where his students have twice selected him Outstanding Faculty Member. He is a former Chairman of the Finger Lakes Community College Foundation and is a former member of the Honeoye Central School Board and the Finger Lakes Community College Board of Trustees. Brian earned high honors while completing his Master of Science and Bachelor of Science Degrees at Roberts Wesleyan College.

Community involvement and public service have been hallmarks of Assemblyman Kolb’s background. He is currently a member of the Rochester District of Key Bank Board of Directors, the Canandaigua Rotary Club, the Honeoye Chapter of the Sons of the American Legion, Ontario Charities Classic Board of Directors, member of the Ontario ARC Advisory Board, Honorary Board Member of Finger Lakes HealthQuest Foundation, a member of Merrill Hose Fire Company in Canandaigua, a member of the New York Farm Bureau, and is a Notary Public. Brian previously served as Supervisor for the Town of Richmond, Chairman of Leadership Rochester’s Board of Directors, and as a member of the Ontario County Revolving Loan Fund Committee, the Ontario County Board of Supervisors and the New York State Public Authorities Control Board.

Mr. Kolb is a member of the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL), the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the Heartland Institute’s Board of Legislative Advisors, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the League of Women Voters, the National Rifle Association (NRA), the Shooters’ Committee On Political Education (SCOPE), Safari Club International, the American Irish Legislators Society and the Knights of Columbus.

Brian lives in Canandaigua with his wife Lauren and has three grown children, sons Britton and Clayton, daughter Kylie, and one grandson, Everett.

Donn Rowe, President, NYSCOPBA

2009-08-29T15:38:00Z

Donn Rowe has been a Correction Officer for 27 years. He began his career in 1982 at Fishkill Correctional Facility and has since worked at Great Meadow, Mt. McGregor and Hale Creek Correctional Facilities. Donn was elected President of NYSCOPBA in July 2008. He attended college prior to becoming a Correction Officer and was a certified instructor of correction topics while a Correction Officer at Hale Creek. He is currently married and has two wonderful children whom he adores.

Shaun Marie

2009-08-27T11:08:00Z

Shaun Marie is the current executive director of the Conservative Party of New York State. She has held this position since February 1995. She has been involved with the Conservative Party beginning as a county committeewoman in Queens County, working her way up to the first woman to be elected as a State Vice Chairman of the Party. In September of 2008, Shaun Marie was elected by her fellow state committeemen to the position of Executive Vice Chairman. She is the mother of three and grandmother of eight amazing children.

Brian Sampson, Unshackle Upstate

2009-08-24T00:35:00Z

Brian Sampson is the Executive Director of Unshackle Upstate. In this role, he is responsible for coordinating the coalitions Public Policy agenda and advocating for reform in state government. He is also responsible for the overall growth of the coalition and engaging our partners and assisting them with policy initiatives.

Prior to joining Unshackle, Brian was with Empire State Development (ESD as Upstate Director for Business Outreach. Mr. Sampson’s responsibilities at ESD included making sure the agency is in tune and aligned with the needs of upstate businesses. To ensure the agency met those needs, he worked closely with ESD’s upstate regional offices assisting them in implementing best practices that ensured the state agency was more proactive and efficient. Additionally, Mr. Sampson focuses on the retention and expansion of existing businesses in New York State.

In June 2008, Mr. Sampson took on the additional role of Acting Regional Director for Western New York. In this capacity, Mr. Sampson managed operations of ESD’s Buffalo-based Western New York regional office on a day-to-day basis in concert with long term strategic goals. He was responsible for engaging in problem solving, pro-active planning and management of staff and resources. The Buffalo office is one of seven ESD regional offices in upstate New York and is accountable for directing activities in five counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara.

Prior to coming to ESD, Mr. Sampson was Vice President of the Builders Exchange of Rochester where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of a 550-plus membership association dedicated to the building and construction industry. Mr. Sampson also handled the legislative activities of a 10,000-member coalition working to reform Workers’ Compensation and Labor Law 240/241 and promoted economic development across upstate New York. He has also worked as the Public Affairs Director and Business Development Director of the Rochester Business Alliance and as Community Based Services Coordinator for Learning Disabilities Association in Rochester.

Mr. Sampson’s community affiliations include Chair of ARC of Monroe County, president of Irondequoit Vikings Youth Football Association, Small Business Council of Rochester board member and Compeer Volunteer.

A resident of Rochester, Mr. Sampson was a graduate of Michigan State University with a bachelor of arts in Psychology and a minor in Communication. He is also a 2001 graduate of Leadership Rochester and recipient of the 2008 40 Under 40 award.

Judith Hope

2009-07-20T01:08:00Z

Judith H. Hope served as Chair of the New York State Democratic Committee from 1995 to 2002, and was the first woman ever to be elected to that post.

During her tenure, New York Democrats elected two new U.S. Senators, a State Attorney General, re-elected a State Comptroller and increased democratic party enrollment by over one million new democrats. New York’s Democratic Party also saw substantial gains in suburban and rural counties during her tenure which emphasized grass-roots party-building. The most notable political gains included Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties.

In 2001, she founded The Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee to encourage women to run for state and local office. Since its founding, Eleanor’s Legacy has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in Campaign Grants to women candidates throughout New York State, and has trained over 700 women candidates in regional Women’s Campaign Schools.

She was the first woman elected Town Supervisor on Long Island in 1973 in the Town of East Hampton, and the first woman Appointments Officer to a New York governor, serving in the administration of Governor Hugh Carey for five years. During the administration of Governor Mario Cuomo, she served as First Vice Chair of the New York State Democratic Committee and as the chief fundraiser for the state party.

Judith has served on the Democratic National Committee since 1989. She is married to Thomas A. Twomey, Jr., a Long Island attorney and environmental leader.