Jack Cunningham enjoyed an extensive career in the banking and financial industry before entering the public sector in 2004 as an Albany County legislator representing the 34th legislative district. He left the private sector in 2007 to serve as supervisor for the Town of Bethlehem, focusing much of his effort on enhancing government access to the public through automation as well as developing capital planning to address aging infrastructure. Cunningham is currently employed by the Town of Colonie, the 15th largest town in New York by population, where he serves as the commissioner of public works. In addition to playing an instrumental role in developing and implementing policy initiatives for the town, Cunningham led the project to create a public-private partnership to improve landfill operation. This plan is estimated to provide net revenue for the the town in excess of $100 million during the life of the agreement. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts and recently earned his MA in political science at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany, aiming much of his research on local government finance and policy. As part of his fellowship, Cunningham will focus on policy and politics in town government and explore representational disparity in town government structure.