2019 Excelsior Service Fellows

ALBANY, N.Y. – In fall 2019, Rockefeller College recent graduates Natanaëlle Germain, Jessica Smith, Lauren E. Szczesny, and Aloaye Tisor began their service to the public as Excelsior Service Fellows.

Launched by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in 2013, the Excelsior Service Fellowship Program is an initiative to bring highly talented recent graduates of law, graduate, and professional schools into government service. Excelsior Fellows bring diverse backgrounds and new perspectives to a host of policy and operational positions in New York State government. The fellows start each year in early September and are placed within the Executive Chamber, a government agency, or authority for a two-year fellowship.

1. Natanaëlle Germain
Graduate Degree: Master of Public Administration, Certificate in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity
Fellowship Placement: NYS Department of Financial Services, Executive Division (Deputy Chief of Staff’s Office)

“I am grateful to Rockefeller, my professors, and the college staff for investing in my growth. I am excited to continue to explore my policy interests through this fellowship with an open mind and strong work ethic. I feel proud to have worked hard and see that hard work be rewarded. I look forward to launching my career as a public servant as an Excelsior Fellow.”

2. Jessica Smith
Graduate Degree: Master of Public Administration, Concentration in Government Information Strategy and Management & Local Government Management
Fellowship Placement: NYS Department of Motor Vehicles, Division of Field Investigation, REAL ID unit

“I feel honored to be selected by Rockefeller College for the Excelsior Service Fellowship. I look forward to the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills I have acquired at Rockefeller during my placement in the Fellowship. I embrace the opportunity to experience new and alternative methods of problem solving that will expand my professional horizons.”

3. Lauren E. Szczesny
Graduate Degree: Master of Public Administration, Concentrations in Policy Advocacy & Action and Policy Analytic Methods
Fellowship Placement: Office of Victim Services, Division of Administration

“I am honored to have been selected as an Excelsior Service Fellow. I am very excited to work behind the scenes to serve New York State. As a fellow, I look forward to helping serve communities throughout the state and effect meaningful change.”

4. Aloaye Tisor
Graduate Degree: Master of Public Administration, Certificate in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity
Fellowship Placement: Executive Chamber (Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo), Women’s Affairs

“I am ecstatic about being selected for the Excelsior Fellowship. Moving forward, I am excited to learn more about policy and understand better the process of implementation. I am also excited to use my diverse background and knowledge gained from Rockefeller and my internships to better communities through policies initiatives set forth for New York. Finally, am excited for the challenges that may come with this new role. Whether the challenges are in the form of a large project or a fast space work environment, I am excited to be an ambassador for Rockefeller College and show that I am dedicated and a devoted to serving the public.”