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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NYC SPECIAL EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE AGE: 34
o r k i n g in special education requires patience a n d kindness. T h e Texas native and University of Texas grad has both those qualities. Still, he recognized early in his educational career with Teach for America and at Achievement First, a charter school network, that he needed an array of other skills to help his students. “The challenging part of being a teacher was frustration with my own lack of knowledge of how to work with students with disabilities,” he said. “A lot of what I learned was on-the-job failures for what did and did not work. I was able to connect with kids, but the
question was: How do you sustain the work in the long-term?” He set about answering that question by taking a position working 12to 15-hour days providing technical assistance, support and programming for charter schools as head of a special education collaborative. The work can be exhausting. “When I started teaching I weighed 150 pounds and had a full head of hair,” he said. “Seven years later I lost all my hair and gained 40 pounds.” But Deutsch is trying to relax more this year. He’s even taken ukulele lessons. So far he can play “Brown Eyed Girl.” “It’s kind of amazing,” he said. “It’s my sixth lesson and I’m not any better. Eventually I will learn to play Hawaiian music.”
ndrew Friedman knows what the most stressful job is in New York City. He just left it. Friedman was an assignment editor for WCBS-TV for the past 12 years after doing similar stints at Fox 5 and WNBC. “It’s a very thrilling job,” he said. “Any adrenaline junkie would be hardpressed to find a more exciting job in either journalism or politics than running an assignment desk.” On a normal news day, when the producer must figure out how to put the show together, it’s not terribly stressful— until breaking news happens.
“When there’s a jumbo jet landing in the Hudson River and filling the show will be easy, the eyes turn to the assignment desk: What are the facts, what’s important, what’s real, what’s not real, where are the first live pictures, where are the reporters, who do we need to get on the scene?” Friedman said. “All of which happens at the same time.” Three months ago he switched careers. Now Friedman is a spokesman for Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who he says is an “incredible person to work for” and whose grasp of the job is “tremendous.” Friedman has already been in the middle of two high-profile cases spearheaded by the AG’s office: the Trump University lawsuit and the indictment
of former Met Council CEO William Rapfogel. “It is sad and shocking when you find an individual who uses a charity in this way, but the focus of our office is to remain vigilant and strengthen our oversight of the industry so we can catch these schemes before they take hold,” Friedman said.
he expression “it takes one to know one” certainly applies to Brendan Griffith’s job history in organized labor. Before accepting a prominent position in the administration of New York City’s broad coalition of organized labor, the Central Labor Council, Griffith got firsthand experience as a union member himself, parlaying a college internship with the AFL-CIO into a post-undergrad apprenticeship with the Local 40 Ironworkers union. While he says he would have been content forging a career as an ironworker, he could not turn down an opportunity to work for the CLC—despite the awkward transition at first.
“To go from being a rank-andfile union member and construction worker to working for an organization that is certainly more political in nature was challenging,” Griffith said. “But as a rank-and-file union member, you also have an opportunity to be a part of the labor movement—you are a part of the labor movement—and working for the Central Labor Council I’m working for the labor movement. It’s different roles but part of the same group.” No two days are the same for Griffith at the CLC. With 300 affiliated labor organizations and over 1 billion members total, he is tasked with wearing multiple hats, dealing with the varied and nuanced interests of the different unions in both the private and public sector. “You could be talking to the Building Trades unions about an issue they’re
DIXON DEUTSCH
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BRENDAN GRIFFITH CHIEF OF STAFF AND MOBILIZING DIRECTOR, CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL AGE: 32
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OCTOBER 7, 2013 | cityandstateny.com
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If you were not working in politics or government, what would you be doing? “Shortstop for the New York Mets.” Where is your favorite place in New York City? “Citi Field, particularly when I’m at a game with my son.” —AS
If you were not working in politics or government, what would you be doing? “I think I would be working at a hedge fund or as an investment banker. I put in the time, I love competition and I love working with teams that are all competing with each other.” What is your favorite place in New York City? “Drinking a beer at Grey Dog, in Chelsea. It’s super low-key, the happy hours [have] four dollar beers, and it’s a really nice place.” —AS
ANDREW FRIEDMAN DEPUTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, ATTORNEY GENERAL AGE: 35
having one day, and then the next day be talking to public sector workers. There’s a wide variety of worker organizations in New York City, and we work with all of them.” If you weren’t working in politics or government, what would you be doing? “I’d be an ironworker and having a lot of fun.” What is your favorite place in New York City? “Central Park.” —NP