R I S I N G STA R S ALITHIA RODRIGUEZ-ROLON
Director of New York State Governmental Affairs, Council of School Supervisors & Administrators Age: 38
While working in the welfare division in the state Division of the Budget office under Gov. George Pataki in the early part of her career, Alithia Rodriguez-Rolon witnessed what she called the “frightening” attitudes of her co-workers with regard to the plight of disadvantaged New Yorkers. “As a person who grew up in a housing project—and I knew a lot of kids who wore the same clothes every day to school because they didn’t have anything else—it was really frightening to hear the policymakers’ attitudes toward the people who were receiving [welfare] benefits,” she said. “At that point I said, ‘No, I don’t think working in government is for me. I need to influence policy from the outside.’ ” Pivoting to the
advocacy side of politics, RodriguezRolon has found her comfort zone, helping advance the discussion within the Legislature about the importance of early childhood education in her capacity with CSA. She has also been involved in the debate over a teacher evaluation system for New York City. “The concern is that the state is rolling out this new system with a lot of pieces and parts that are changing at the same time that they’re trying to implement it. We’re trying to alert [the state about] potential problems.” If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? “I always wanted to open a community center.” Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? “Hopefully it would say the same thing. There’s still so much on education reform that can be implemented.” If a genie gave you one wish, what would you choose? “The ability to clone myself. So many things come up, and unfortunately the real world doesn’t revolve around the Legislature.” —NP
TOM STEBBINS
Executive Director, Lawsuit Reform Alliance Age: 36
Before Tom Stebbins came to Albany, he worked on PBS programs in Boston, and then developed wind farms. “So I kind of have a little bit of a different background than most people in the political game here in Albany and in the city,” he said. On one wind farm project, he had lined up a local lumberjack to clear the way for a meteorological tower. But the $3 million cost for liability insurance was too expensive for the contractor—and couldn’t be lowered. “They sent me back a sheet of paper
that had the requirements of liability insurance in all the states, and New York was at $3 million, and the next highest was $500,000,” Stebbins said. “That’s when I realized that something was wrong in New York.” So when he heard about the executive director opening at the Lawsuit Reform Alliance, he thought it would be a good fit—even if others were skeptical. “They said, ‘Well, you used to build wind farms and work for PBS. You’re as liberal as they come,’ ” Stebbins said. “I said, ‘This doesn’t have to be a right or left issue.’ I think of it very much as a bipartisan issue, especially given how far New York is in terms of the expansion of liability that the trial lawyers have imposed on our state.” If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing? “I’d probably be in science and technology.” Five years from now, what will it say on your business card? “I’d say ‘Reformer.’ I like to reform and change the way things are, especially in New York where it’s so desperately needed.” If a genie gave you one wish, what would you choose? “That people of the world could settle their disputes without violence…or lawsuits.” —JL
NYSUT PROUDLY CONGRATULATES
Rebecca Miller
One of Albany’s “Rising Stars”
Richard C. Iannuzzi, President Andrew Pallotta, Executive Vice President Maria Neira, Vice President Kathleen M. Donahue, Vice President Lee Cutler, Secretary-Treasurer
Representing more than 600,000 professionals in education and health care. 800 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110-2455 n 518-213-6000 / 800-342-9810 www.nysut.org n Affiliated with AFT / NEA / AFL-CIO
CITY&STATE
www.cityandstateny.com | JUNE 10, 2013
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