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Hochul announces senior appointments to administration

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Mon, Aug 23rd 2021 11:15 am

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday announced senior appointments to her incoming administration, with Karen Persichilli Keogh to be appointed secretary to the governor and Elizabeth Fine to be appointed counsel to the governor.

“Karen Persichilli Keogh and Elizabeth Fine bring the depth of knowledge, leadership and experience that it will take to meet the challenges New Yorkers face,” Hochul said. "As governor, I will assemble a strong team to turn the corner on the pandemic and serve the best interests of New York, whether it's defeating COVID, getting more people vaccinated, or strengthening our economy."

Persichilli Keogh brings over two decades of operational and managerial experience to the incoming administration. For seven years, she served on then-U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's senior staff as New York state director and campaign manager for her successful 2006 Senate reelection. Keogh managed the then-Senator’s statewide staff; played a vital role in the aftermath of 9/11, including health funding for first responders; and fought to keep military bases open across New York, including Fort Drum in Jefferson County.

She managed U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's transition from the House of Representatives to the U.S. Senate and served as a senior political adviser to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 2009 campaign. She most recently served as the head of global philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where she managed $2 billion in global philanthropic investments. She joined JPMorgan Chase in 2010 as managing director and head of state and local government relations.

Keogh was born and raised on Long Island. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in social work from Stony Brook University and a master's degree in clinical industrial social work from Columbia University. She and her husband live in Brooklyn.

Fine is executive vice president and general counsel of Empire State Development, New York’s economic development agency. As chief legal officer of ESD, she is responsible for all aspects of legal representation, guidance and policies for the state’s principal infrastructure and business development entity. Fine has a long career in public service at the federal, state and local level. She served as general counsel of the New York City Council from 2006-14. She was responsible for all aspects of legal representation for council and speaker. Previously, during seven years at the U.S. Justice Department, Fine was counsel to Attorney General Janet Reno, and principal deputy assistant attorney general for policy, among other roles. She served as special counsel to the president in the Clinton White House in 1993 and was a counsel to the Clinton-Gore campaign. She began her career as counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, working on intellectual property and prison oversight. Fine is a graduate of Brown University (B.A.), New York University School of Law (J.D.), and Georgetown Law School (L.L.M).

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