Monique Owens, a former Empire State Fellow, serves as senior advisor to the president for intern and fellow engagement at the Rockefeller Institute, helping to mentor and expand networking opportunities for current and former Empire State Fellows, student interns, and other Institute fellows.

Ms. Owens has served as a legislative aide for the City of Buffalo Common Council, government affairs associate at the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, community advocate at the Long Island Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement House, and as a documentation and learning specialist at Open Buffalo, a nonprofit organization dedicated to social and economic justice.

She was awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, the Buffalo State Diversity Fellowship, and was inducted into Pi Alpha Alpha, the global honor society for public affairs and administration. She has presented research evaluating the extent of third-sector participation in emergency management planning and presented her findings at the annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration.

Ms. Owens has served as a committee member for the Erie County Democratic Party and as committee member of the Miss Borinquen Leadership Development Program, an initiative to empower Latina youth to become leaders in their communities. She holds a bachelor’s in international studies and global gender studies from the University at Buffalo and an master of public administration from Buffalo State.