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NEWS from the Office of the New York State Comptroller
Contact: Press Office 518-474-4015

DiNapoli Appoints Government Relations Staff

February 17, 2017

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today he has named Erin Stevens as deputy comptroller for Intergovernmental and Community Affairs, Christina Baal-Owens as director of Community Affairs, and Tad Mack as the regional director for the Finger Lakes.

"Erin, Christina and Tad bring an impressive range of experience to our government relations staff," DiNapoli said. "The Office of the State Comptroller deals with New Yorkers and community and elected officials from across the state on fiscal, policy and other issues. We need staff that can quickly and effectively help people and organizations navigate government and get them the assistance they need to address the challenges facing their communities and organizations."

A long-time advisor to DiNapoli, Stevens was most recently the political director in New York for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. Stevens was responsible for mobilizing local political support for Clinton.

Over the years, she has held several positions in New York government and politics. She started her career in 1997 with the newly elected Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy of Long Island. As a congressional aide in her district office, Stevens was the education liaison for McCarthy, who was a member of the House Committee on Education.

In 2002, she shifted her work to the city where she was born and raised, serving in Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and the NYC Department of Education after mayoral control of the public school system was passed. In 2009, she went to work for DiNapoli as his director of Executive Operations.

She is a graduate of SUNY Binghamton and lives in Brooklyn. Her salary is $150,000.

Baal-Owens began her career as a social worker working with immigrant families and their children. She later became the Executive Director of Cabrini Immigrant Services, a community based organization that assists immigrants on the Lower East Side of New York City. She served as the director of Civic Engagement and Field Operations at the New York Immigration Coalition.

She also worked as the deputy political director at RWDSU and legislative coordinator at 32BJ SEIU. Most recently, she was the state organizing director for Hillary for America. Baal-Owens is also the founder and former executive director of Vive El Sueno, a non-profit that provides services to low income entrepreneurs in rural Costa Rica. She lives in Albany.

For the past 10 years, Mack worked for Assembly Majority Leader Joseph D. Morelle, most recently as director of Community Relations. He has also served as executive director of the Monroe County Democratic Committee and staff director for the Democratic Caucus of the Monroe County Legislature.

Like DiNapoli, Mack was elected at age 18 to his local school board, the Rush-Henrietta Board of Education. He has served on several local boards and organizations including the Center for Youth, Monroe County Fair Association, Gay Alliance of Genesee Valley, the Bivona Child Advocacy Center, Irondequoit Kiwanis Club and WomenElect Board. He lives in Rochester.