South Queens, New York – This past week Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-South Queens) announced that she was selected as a 2019 Lindsay Fellow. Seventeen elected officials of the New York City Council and State Legislature have been selected to receive the Lindsay Fellowship Award for their work in Government Leadership and Practice. The fellowship is administered through the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG). The program, which began in 2017, introduces city and state leaders to experts across a variety of policy areas and provides a space for ongoing dialogue and learning. The program aims to support fellows to deepen their understanding of the pressures and concerns that influence government decision-making and enhance their capacity to make a positive impact on the future of our government. The Lindsay Fellows were selected by an advisory board of former government officials who provide guidance to the program.

“It is an honor to be selected as a Lindsay Fellow!  I am excited to apply the skills I’ll learn during this fellowship to my role as Assemblywoman for the 23^rd District,” Pheffer Amato said. “In the age of every-changing, cutting edge policy- elected officials have a responsibility in making sure they are fully aware of how our decisions affect the communities in which we represent.” 

The fellows are set to meet 11 times a year to exchange ideas with experts from the public and private sectors, including business, civic and academic leaders and former government officials. Kicking off this year’s program, the fellows will attend a day-long opening summit focused on key policy areas confronting New York’s elected leaders: city and state budgeting, communications and media, and ethics. Michael Jacobson and Marc Shaw, the co-founders of CUNY ISLG, will host the day and moderate panel discussions. Going forward, the fellows will meet monthly with public and private sector experts to dig more deeply into key issues such as land use, criminal justice reform, housing, health care and economic equality.