Jennifer Richardson

Jennifer Richardson Jennifer joins Ostroff Associates after serving as the Deputy Director for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s State Legislative Affairs Office. Her portfolio included Education, Health, Mental Health, Social Services, Immigrant Affairs, Law Department, Technology, and Procurement. She helped negotiate aspects of the Mayor’s legislative and budget positions with legislators and the Governor’s Office, in addition to monitoring and tracking legislation and writing briefings and testimony. She also served as a member of the board of directors for the New York State Conference of Mayors, the New York State Association of Counties representing New York City, and was a liaison between the mayor and the other Big Five City mayors in New York State. During her tenure at the Mayor’s Office, she assisted in the passage of several major pieces of legislation including universal pre-k, mayoral control, dog licenses, immunizations, and streamlining the public assistance conciliation process for cash assistance recipients in NYC. Previously, she worked for the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and the Syracuse City School District. As the Director of State Legislative Affairs for the DOE, she advocated in the New York State Legislature on behalf of the 1.1 million New York City school children. She assisted in drafting legislation and facilitated the passage of mandatory Pre-K in New York City, Electronic Access to Individualized Education Programs, and Opt-in Requirements for Parent Members. As Deputy Director for the Office of Talent Management in the Syracuse City School District, she managed over a dozen union contracts, implemented the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) plan, negotiated principal and teacher APPR plans, and headed the school district’s labor relations department. Jennifer also has rulemaking experience from her position as an Assistant Counsel at the Governor’s Office of Regulatory Reform, where she assisted all executive branch agencies with the rulemaking process by helping to craft rules and implement legislative mandates. These agencies included the former Banking Department and the former Insurance Department (which are now consolidated into the Department of Financial Services) and the Departments of State and Labor. She analyzed rules for compliance with the State Administrative Procedure Act. She also worked with city agencies on rulemakings to ensure compliance with certain state laws passed. Additionally, she brings labor relations, arbitration, and dispute resolution experience gained from her tenure working at the New York State Public Employees Federation, one of the largest white collar unions in the state, and from clerking for the Connecticut Superior Court. Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She has a JD from Albany Law School and is admitted to practice in New York. She holds a Master’s Degree from the Cornell School of Industrial Labor Relations. She resides in Albany.