Stephen J. Acquario is executive director and general counsel of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC). In this capacity since 2005, Acquario works closely with the board of directors to present a single voice for New York’s 57 counties and the City of New York. He oversees the association’s coherent, cohesive, and successful legal and legislative strategy. He graduated from Albany Law School and holds a bachelor’s degree in labor relations from SUNY Potsdam.

Travis Brodbeck is a specialist at the Siena College Research Institute, where he focuses on project management, sampling strategies, quota management, questionnaire programming, data analysis, data visualization, budget management, and communicating research findings. He also serves as a lecturer at Siena College, teaching accounting and research methods.

Brodbeck is currently a second-year PhD student in information science at the State University of New York at Albany. His research examines how public opinion on climate change influences risk perception, decision-making, and public policy.

He frequently presents research at national and regional conferences, including the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), SUNY Albany’s NTIR Conference, the American Statistical Association’s UPSTAT Conference in Rochester, and SUNY Fredonia’s International Business Analytics Conference.

Brodbeck earned his master’s degree in accounting, a certificate in data analytics, and a BS in accounting and economics from Siena College.

Spencer Chiimbwe is the human rights commissioner for Rockland County. In this role, he leads investigations into human rights violations, including employment and housing discrimination, and facilitates countywide collaborative forums that address human rights issues.

Chiimbwe comes from a background in conflict and governance. Before joining county government, he worked extensively with civil society organizations, governments, and the international community. He has collaborated with the European Union, the African Union, and the United Nations on several civil society–led initiatives.

He joined the Rockland County government in 2021 as a grants specialist in the American Rescue Plan Act Department. In 2022, he was appointed human rights commissioner by County Executive Ed Day and was unanimously confirmed by the Rockland County Legislature.

Chiimbwe also serves as co-chair of the Mid-Hudson Hate and Bias Prevention Council of the New York State Division of Human Rights.

Pooya Ghorbani is the principal economist at the Office of Research and Strategic Analysis (ORSA) within New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR). In this role, he oversees long-term and academic research on various housing-related topics. His research areas include housing supply shortages, land use restrictions, neighborhood conditions, and public finance.

At ORSA, Ghorbani plays a key role in developing a research agenda aimed at promoting the construction and preservation of affordable homes across New York State. His work helps policymakers target public assistance more effectively and enables closer monitoring of housing market conditions in New York and nationally.

Ghorbani’s research has been published in academic journals such as Economic Geography, Regional Science and Urban Economics, and Cityscape, along with other expert platforms.

Pooya holds a PhD in public policy from The New School in New York City.

Since 2018, Beth has served as the executive director of the Lake Champlain–Lake George Regional Planning Board, the North Country’s federally designated Economic Development District. In this role, she oversees the operations of the Regional Planning Board and its staff, and works closely with the board of directors to guide the development and direction of the Board’s programming.

Beth is actively involved in numerous economic development initiatives across Clinton, Essex, Hamilton, Warren, and Washington Counties, as well as throughout the greater Adirondack Region. Her work focuses on securing and managing state and federal funding for a variety of regional priorities, including municipal infrastructure, broadband expansion, workforce housing, and small business support.

Prior to her appointment as executive director, Beth led the Board’s water quality program for ten years. During that time, she significantly expanded the Board’s role in environmental protection by securing funding for planning and implementing water quality projects in the Lake Champlain and Upper Hudson River watersheds.

Throughout her tenure, Beth has helped bring millions of dollars in investment to projects vital to the North Country. A native of Glens Falls, she is a 2006 graduate of Paul Smith’s College.

Sarah Internicola is a housing policy and budget analyst at the New York City Independent Budget Office. She joined IBO in November 2023 after earning a master of urban planning from NYU Wagner, where she focused on housing and community development. While at Wagner, she held research roles at the NYU Furman Center and the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development. She holds a BA in urban and public policy studies from the University at Buffalo. Her research interests include affordable housing finance, land use, public housing, and shared equity housing models.

Emily Saltzman has served as deputy director of Westchester County since January 1, 2018, joining County Executive George Latimer on his first day in office and becoming a key member of the county’s leadership team. In this role, Saltzman collaborates with the director of operations to manage thirty-four county departments and offices, overseeing budgets, senior staffing, and programmatic initiatives.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Saltzman and the county operations team led the local response by developing programs, managing the community health effort, and launching initiatives to support food pantries, nonprofit organizations, religious institutions, and small businesses during this unprecedented crisis.

She has led an ongoing internal review of nonprofit contracting practices and works closely with Nonprofit Westchester, the Westchester Women’s Agenda, the Westchester County Association, and other key stakeholders across the county.

Saltzman holds a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and a master’s in public administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She brings more than twenty-five years of experience in government and community relations.

She began her career in Washington, DC, and has served as director of community affairs for Governor Andrew Cuomo, as well as in roles with the New York City Council, the administration of Governor Mario M. Cuomo, and New York State Homes and Community Renewal.

Saltzman and her family have lived in Westchester County since 2000.