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Melissa DeRosa

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Melissa DeRosa
Melissa DeRosa
DeRosa in 2020
Secretary to the Governor of New York
In office
April 17, 2017 – August 24, 2021
GovernorAndrew Cuomo
Preceded byWilliam J. Mulrow
Succeeded byKaren Persichilli Keogh
Personal details
BornRochester, N.Y.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materCornell University

Melissa DeRosa is an American former government official.[1] She served as Secretary to the former Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, from 2017 until 2021. In 2023, she released a memoir titled What’s Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis.

Early life and education

DeRosa was born in Rochester, N.Y. and raised in Albany and Saratoga Springs, New York and has two siblings.[2][1][3] She is the daughter of Giorgio DeRosa, a lobbyist who is a senior partner at Bolton-St. Johns, an Albany-based lobbying firm.[4][1][5]

At 16, she was an intern for the political director of the New York State AFL–CIO.[4][6]

DeRosa attended the private school, Albany Academy for Girls, graduating in 2000.[7][8] She then attended Cornell University, graduating in 2004 from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. While an undergraduate student at Cornell, she worked in the Senate office of Hillary Clinton in Washington, D.C. during a summer.[9]

After graduation from college in 2004, DeRosa worked for a year as a publicist for Theory, a fashion house in New York.[1] She then worked as a lobbyist for Bolton-St. Johns.[1] In 2009, she completed an MPA from the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs.[9]

Career

In 2009, DeRosa was the New York state director of Barack Obama's PAC, Organizing for America, and as the director of communications and legislation for the Albany-based lobbying firm Cordo and Company.[6][10] In 2011, she became deputy chief of staff and acting chief of staff for New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.[6][4][11]

In March 2013, she became director of communications for Governor Andrew Cuomo.[12][6][11] DeRosa later became strategic adviser.[4] In 2015 DeRosa was appointed Chief of Staff.[4] In 2020, DeRosa was appointed to serve on the transition committee to then President-Elect Joe Biden, serving as senior advisor to Steve Ricchetti, the White House’s incoming counselor and helping to assist the incoming administration's COVID response.[13]

Secretary to Governor Cuomo

In 2017, she was promoted to Secretary to the Governor of New York, and became Cuomo's top aide and one of his closest advisers.[12][14][15][4][16] The Secretary to the Governor was described by The New York Times as the most powerful appointed official in the state, and she was the first woman appointed to the role.[1][15]

She helped steer bills through the legislature, including the $15 minimum wage, paid family leave and expanded insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization.[17][1][11] She was also the chair of the New York State Council on Women and Girls and head of the Covid-19 maternity task force,[1] and in 2017, DeRosa spoke publicly about her experience with sexual harassment and encouraged women to "speak up and speak out."[18] DeRosa also chaired the New York State Domestic Violence COVID Task Force.[19]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she had a major role in the coordination and management of the New York response.[17]

In March 2020, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York when testing was significantly limited, Cuomo’s administration received access to priority rapid coronavirus testing and fast results, according to The New York Times.[20] The New York Times also reported state officials said DeRosa contacted the New York Health Commissioner to request rapid testing for her father after he was exposed to someone with COVID-19, and the decision to grant access to rapid testing was made by health officials due to DeRosa's close contact with the governor.[20] In May 2021, federal prosecutors began to investigate the priority testing program.[20]

In March 2021, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported on allegations that a group of Cuomo administration officials, including DeRosa, convinced public health officials to change a July 2020 report on nursing home deaths from COVID-19 in New York that would have otherwise shown more deaths than originally reported,[11][21][22] after New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report in January 2021 that indicated the original published death toll was less than half of the 15,000 deaths attributable to COVID-19.[23] According to the Cuomo administration, through counsel, "the out-of-facility data was omitted after D.O.H. could not confirm it had been adequately verified" and the conclusions of the report, which looked at factors contributing to the spread of COVID-19, were not altered.[22][21]

In an April 2021 report, The New York Times reported on the office's workplace environment. It reported that several Cuomo staff members said "Cuomo and staff members, including his top aide, Melissa DeRosa, would scream and curse at subordinates over small stumbles, like misspelling names."[24]

DeRosa was named in an August 3, 2021, report by the New York State Attorney General as having spearheaded efforts to retaliate against and discredit a woman who has accused Cuomo of sexual harassment.[12][25] An attorney for DeRosa said she acted after obtaining advice from legal counsel.[26]

CNBC reported on August 6, 2021, that DeRosa's father and her brother actively lobbied members of Cuomo’s staff in 2021 for clients on a range of issues.[27]

DeRosa resigned as Secretary to the Governor on August 8, 2021.[28][29][30] Her resignation was effective August 24.[31]

What’s Left Unsaid

In October 2023, DeRosa released a memoir titled What’s Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis, published by Union Square.[32][33] Kirkus Reviews described the book as "An angry, raw, and briskly told memoir."[34] A review by Lloyd Green in The Guardian states, "DeRosa's memoir is pocked with scenes of a marriage gone south, of trying to cope with Covid-19 and of general governmental strife. She punches hard. Her anger is white hot. Her book is deliberate and focused."[35] According to a Publishers Weekly review, "While this glowing defense of Cuomo will appeal to his supporters, it’s unlikely to mollify his detractors."[36]

Personal life

In 2016 she married Matthew Wing, an Uber senior communications officer, who was formerly a Cuomo press secretary in 2013 and 2014, and then communications director for the governor’s re-election campaign.[37] They met in 2013 when both worked for Governor Cuomo, when she was the communications director and Wing was a press secretary.[1] According to her 2023 memoir, she is no longer married to Wing.[38] Her former mother-in-law is Audrey Strauss, who served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2020 to 2021.[11]

DeRosa's brother Joseph DeRosa and her sister Jessica Davos also work at Bolton-St. Johns.[39]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i La Ferla, Ruth (May 14, 2020). "Who Can Say 'No' to Cuomo? His Top Aide, Melissa DeRosa". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  2. ^ Salerno, Heather (March 2018). "Corridors of Power". Cornell Alumni Magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  3. ^ Chodak, Adam (November 30, 2023). "New book by Cuomo key aide tells her story". RochesterFirst. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Foderaro, Lisa W. (April 17, 2017). "Cuomo Promotes Chief of Staff, Melissa DeRosa, to Be His Secretary". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Lauren Evans (April 20, 2017). "Cuomo Evades Reporters' Questions About New Top Aide's Ties By Calling Them Sexist". The Village Voice.
  6. ^ a b c d Kaplan, Thomas (March 15, 2013). "Cuomo Drafts Communications Director From Attorney General's Staff". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  7. ^ "Melissa DeRosa's rise to top aide and how her appointment made history". August 9, 2021.
  8. ^ "Photos: Albany Academy for Girls commencement". Times Union. June 11, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Oza, Anil (April 30, 2020). "From Ithaca to Albany: How Cornell's Melissa DeRosa is Leading New York's COVID Response". The Cornell Daily Sun. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  10. ^ "DeRosa to Organize for America". The New York Observer. July 22, 2009.
  11. ^ a b c d e Banjo, Shelly; Goldman, Henry (March 25, 2021). "Cuomo's Top Aide Defends Her Boss and Herself: 'I'm a Human Being'". Bloomberg. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Dawsey, Josh (August 3, 2021). "Cuomo report spotlights role of top aide Melissa DeRosa in trying to contain sexual harassment crisis". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  13. ^ "Cuomo top aide, Melissa DeRosa assisting Biden transition team on COVID response". New York Daily News. January 15, 2021.
  14. ^ Vilensky, Mike (April 20, 2017). "New York's First Female Secretary to the Governor Faces Ethical Minefield; Melissa DeRosa will have to be vigilant, as her husband and father's jobs could present challenges". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Lovett, Kenneth (April 17, 2017). "Melissa DeRosa named New York's first female secretary to the governor". The New York Daily News. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  16. ^ Ferré-Sadurní, Luis; Glueck, Katie (August 23, 2021). "Cuomo Blames 'Political Pressure and Media Frenzy' in Farewell Speech". The New York Times.
  17. ^ a b Minutaglio, Rose (April 13, 2020). "How Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa Is Leading Cuomo's Coronavirus Response". ELLE. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  18. ^ Vielkind, Jimmy (October 18, 2017). "DeRosa recalls sexual harassment, urges women to speak up". Politico. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  19. ^ "Behind the New York Domestic Violence Task Force Launched in Response to COVID-19". Vogue. June 12, 2020.
  20. ^ a b c Goodman, J. David (May 19, 2021). "U.S. Inquiry Into Cuomo Widens to Examine Virus Tests for 'Specials'". The New York Times.
  21. ^ a b Palazzolo, Joe; Vielkand, Jimmy; O'Brien, Rebecca Davis (March 4, 2021). "Cuomo Advisers Altered Report on Covid-19 Nursing-Home Deaths". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  22. ^ a b Goodman, J. David; Hakim, Danny (March 4, 2021). "Cuomo Aides Rewrote Nursing Home Report to Hide Higher Death Toll". The New York Times. Retrieved December 8, 2021. Updated Sept. 23, 2021
  23. ^ Rosa-Aquino, Paola (April 28, 2021). "Cuomo Aides Accused of Hiding COVID Nursing Home Death Toll: Report". The Intelligencer. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  24. ^ Rosenthal, Brian M.; Ferré-Sadurní, Luis (March 12, 2021). "For Some Women, Working for Cuomo Is the 'Worst Place to Be'". The New York Times.
  25. ^ Niedzwiadek, Nick; Gronewold, Anna (August 5, 2021). "All the governor's men — and women". Politico. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  26. ^ Ferré-Sadurní, Luis; Bromwich, Jonah E. (August 5, 2021). "How Cuomo and His Team Retaliated Against His Accusers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  27. ^ Schwartz, Brian (August 6, 2021). "Top Cuomo aide's father lobbied the governor's office earlier this year as probes were ongoing". CNBC.
  28. ^ Dawsey, Josh (August 8, 2021). "Melissa DeRosa, top aide to Cuomo, resigns in wake of state attorney general's report". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  29. ^ Gronewold, Anne; Mahoney, Bill (August 8, 2021). "Melissa DeRosa, Cuomo's top staffer, resigns". Politico. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  30. ^ Ferré-Sadurní, Luis (August 8, 2021). "Cuomo's Top Aide, Melissa DeRosa, Resigns as He Fights to Survive". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  31. ^ Goldmacher, Shane (August 10, 2021). "Cuomo Will Resign Amid Sexual Harassment Scandal". The New York Times. Retrieved August 10, 2021. Melissa DeRosa is still serving as Cuomo's top aide. Though she submitted her resignation, she did so without a date. She set the date to be 14 days away — lining up with Cuomo's own resignation.
  32. ^ Coltin, Jeff (October 24, 2023). "'This is not a burn book': Cuomo aide's new book takes on foes". Politico. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  33. ^ Smith, Chris (October 18, 2023). "Melissa DeRosa Isn't Done Defending Andrew Cuomo". Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  34. ^ "WHAT'S LEFT UNSAID". Kirkus Reviews. November 1, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  35. ^ Green, Lloyd (November 4, 2023). "What's Left Unsaid review: Andrew Cuomo and the case for his defense". The Guardian. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  36. ^ "What's Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis by Melissa DeRosa". Publishers Weekly. October 24, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  37. ^ "Melissa DeRosa, Matthew Wing". The New York Times. August 28, 2016. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  38. ^ Traister, Rebecca (October 24, 2023). "Melissa DeRosa's Revenge Campaign". Intelligencer. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  39. ^ "Cuomo gave immunity to nursing home executives after big campaign donations". The Guardian. May 26, 2020.
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