Appointments
Kathy Hochul announces her picks for secretary, counsel to the governor
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul Monday names senior members of her administration.
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday announced that two women with deep experience in government policy will become key senior members of her administration.
Hochul, who is scheduled to be sworn in as governor at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, said the appointees are Karen Persichilli Keough, who will be secretary to the governor, and Elizabeth Fine, who has been appointed counsel to the governor.
“Karen Persichilli Keough and Elizabeth Fine bring the depth of knowledge, leadership, and experience that it will take to meet the challenges New Yorkers face,” Hochul said in a release.
"As governor, I will assemble a strong team to turn the corner on the pandemic and serve the best interests of New York, whether it’s defeating COVID, getting more people vaccinated, or strengthening our economy."
Keough is from Long Island and attended Stony Brook University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in social work.
She later obtained a master’s degree in clinical industrial social work from Colombia University.
Keough has served as a senior staff member for several high-profile politicians including former U.S. Sen. and presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
She worked as campaign manager for Clinton’s 2006 Senate re-election bid.
Most recently, Keough was in charge of $2 billion in global philanthropic investments as head of global philanthropy at Jpmorgan Chase & Co., which she joined in 2010, taking on the role of managing director and head of state and local government relations.
Fine will leave her position as an executive vice president and general counsel at the New York economic development agency, Empire State Development, where she has managed legal representation, guidance and policies.
She has extensive experience working in public service at local, state and federal levels. Fine spent seven years at the U.S. Justice Department, where her roles included serving as counsel to former Attorney General Janet Reno.
In 1993, Fine served as special counsel to President Bill Clinton. She also served as a counsel for the Gore-clinton campaign.
She holds degrees from Brown University, New York University School of Law and Georgetown Law School.
The announcement came less than two hours before Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was set to address New York for the last time as governor.
Hochul will become New York’s first female governor, and has pledged to run for governor next year.
She still had not announced her pick for lieutenant governor by Monday, but is expected to make that decision public on Tuesday.
Cuomo resigned after an attorney general's investigation confirmed he had sexually harassed multiple women.