Eleven NYU Law alumni to work for New York State executive branch as inaugural Excelsior Fellows

The inaugural class of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s New York State Excelsior Service Fellowship Program has kicked off with 11 recent graduates of NYU Law. Designed for college, university, and professional school graduates from across the state who are pursuing public service careers, the two-year program allows NYU Law graduates the opportunity to work on pressing policy issues as entry-level attorneys in New York State’s executive branch.

"Recruiting new ideas, fresh talent, and energy is a great way to transform state government as we continue to build a new New York,” said Cuomo in a statement. “That is exactly what the Excelsior Service Fellows will provide for New York. Starting this September, our first class of fellows will bring their exemplary backgrounds and new perspectives to a host of policy and operational positions in our state government.”


Of the 30 J.D. fellows selected, the NYU Law graduates, all from the Class of 2013, include Jehiel Baer, Kevin Frick, Darci Frinquelli, Phillip Harmonick, Ashley Harrington, Krystan Hitchcock, Abid Hossain, Theodore Kelly, Ava Lubell, Benjamin Levitan, and Paula Vera.

Levitan, former executive editor of the NYU Environmental Law Journal, will work in the general counsel’s office of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. “I’m excited to use the skills that I learned at NYU in the service of New York State,” he said, “and at an agency related to my areas of interest.”

“Our students have been increasingly interested in government service,” said Sara Rakita ’98, associate director of the Law School’s Public Interest Law Center, “and this fellowship is a fantastic opportunity for them to make a difference in New York State. We are proud that our students go into such a wide range of public service jobs after NYU Law."

Posted on September 10, 2013