Where Are They Now? Kelly Ryan, Senate Fellow 2005-06

When did you participate in the Undergraduate Session Assistants Program or Senate Fellowship?

Senate Fellow 2005-06

Which Senate office were you placed in during your internship?

Senator Martin Golden

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

As the only attorney in a fairly new member’s office, I was given a lot of responsibility pretty quickly. I generally managed the Senator’s introductions and bill operations, prepared him for floor debates, and drafted/negotiated bill language. I stayed with Senator Golden for another year after the fellowship as his Counsel.

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

After almost 10 years in private practice at Hinman Straub, I am now Senior Director, State Policy at PhRMA. I have primary responsibility for managing policy in New York and New England - testifying at hearings, analyzing legislation, preparing statements and generally serving as a policy expert on a wide range of issues affecting the biopharmaceutical sector and patient access to medicines.

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?

The fellowship was invaluable to my professional development. Senator Golden’s office is where I fell in love with health policy, learned the legislative process, and developed invaluable bill drafting skills. Most importantly, the Senate is where I learned about the relationship building that is critical to understanding complex policy issues and working with diverse stakeholders to develop meaningful policy solutions. It’s so important to be able to appreciate a wide range of perspectives and understand the consequences of an action on different groups to develop effective solutions. Spending the better part of most days meeting with all sorts of people about all sorts of issues had an enormous impact on my worldview, both personally and professionally, and I’m better for it.