Ms. Hodes founded Hodes Associates in 1992 after a distinguished 20-year career in New York State government. As Executive Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations under Mario Cuomo, she developed the State’s collective bargaining strategy, successfully negotiated contracts with public employee unions, and managed a budget of $6.5 million. As Founder, she provided high-quality representation, strategy development, and political analysis for clients while managing the further expansion of the firm. In the community, her leadership as board chair of the Albany Institute of History and Art (AIHA) helped to transform one of the oldest museums in the country to a new museum poised to serve the region well into the future. In addition to the board of AIHA, she served on Re-Capitalize Albany, an economic development strategy group established by former Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings, and the board of advisors for the American Cancer Society. She was recognized by the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce as a winner of the prestigious Woman of Excellence Award. Ms. Hodes graduated from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, as well as the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.