2019 Nelson A. Rockefeller Award 
Honoring NYS Senate Temporary President and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins for
Distinguished Public Service

The State Academy for Public Administration’s 2019 Nelson A. Rockefeller awardee is NYS Senate Temporary President and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

The State Academy’s Nelson A. Rockefeller award is intended to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to public service in New York State and beyond. Inaugurated in 1980 by the Empire State Capital Area Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration and now offered by the NY State Academy for Public Administration (SAPA), the Rockefeller Award is the leading award to notable public leaders in our state. Recipients of the Rockefeller Award have had a distinguished career in public service in federal, state, or local government, or they have made significant academic contributions to fields of public service, such as public administration, public policy, public health, political science, education or economics.  A full list of Rockefeller Award recipients can be found on the State Academy’s website.

Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins has represented the 35th Senate District in the New York State Senate since 2006.  Prior to her election to the State Senate, she was a member of the Westchester County Legislature, eventually serving as Majority Whip.  Once in the Senate, she rose quickly through the ranks to become Assistant Minority Leader for Conference Operations from 2010-2015, then Senate Minority Leader, a position she held until January 2019.  Beginning in 2019, Senator Stewart-Cousins ascended to the position of Temporary President of the Senate and Majority Leader.  She is both the first woman and the first African American to hold this position – one of the three most powerful positions in state government -- in the Senate’s 242-year history.

This award ceremony is an opportunity for you, as a member of the public service community to recognize and honor Senator Stewart-Cousins as one of New York's most distinguished public servants. Individuals who became SAPA Fellows during 2019 will be introduced and recognized during the Rockefeller Award ceremony.

Space is limited at the Rockefeller Institute where the award ceremony will be held, so we are asking prospective attendees to RSVP.  There will be light refreshments and hors d'oeuvres served at the ceremony.  RSVP by September 13th.

Like all SAPA events, there is no charge to attend the Rockefeller Award ceremony.

RSVP Now!