Where Are They Now? Katherine Slye, 2017-18 Senate Fellow

1. When did you participate in the Senate Fellowship?

I participated in the Senate Fellowship in 2017-2018.

2. Which Senate office were you placed in during your internship?

I was placed in the central staff counsel’s office of the Independent Democratic Conference.

3. Briefly describe your responsibilities/day-to-day activities in your internship office placement.

I was the assigned staff for three committees (Local Government, Investigations, and Veterans). I wrote memos on legislation that was coming up for a vote in committee and answered any questions about such bills that the senators or their staff had.

I worked on the local government and public protection parts of the budget, which involved going to budget table meetings, writing memos and briefing the conference chief of staff, and briefing the members on the executive budget, the Senate and Assembly one house, and the final budget that passed the legislature.

I also did research for conference reports and wrote sections of those reports.

4. Where are you working now? Briefly describe your responsibilities/day-to-day activities in your current place of employment.

I am currently working at Professional Insurance Agent’s Management Services in Glenmont as their Government & Industry Affairs Specialist. I started at the end of July 2018.

Out of Glenmont, we run five PIA affiliates: CT, NH, NJ, NY, and VT.

My responsibilities are wide. I answer member questions regarding insurance, legislation, and regulations from all five states as well as write up articles for our weekly publications, monthly magazine, and advocacy blog. I work with our volunteer Boards in three states (CT, NJ, and NY) and attend their bi-monthly meetings to keep them updated on what is happening in their state, including what is happening in the legislature.

I am also the staff point person for our NJ and NY Political Action Committees. I work with the committee on various events and we are working on a new strategic plan to increase giving and visibility of the PACs.

5. What did you learn from participating in the New York State Senate internship programs that you have been able to carry over to your new position?

I learned a lot about the workings of NYS government and the people involved as well as the budget process. All of this information is useful in my current position as I know things about the state legislature that someone who hasn’t worked there might not fully understand or know about, especially the budget process. I also know where to go to find certain information, like in the Legislative Retrieval System, that some people do not know how to use.