Director of Government Affairs

Kandi is a dynamic public affairs professional who is also known for her down-to-earth attitude and relentless work ethic. With over 15 years of experience working as a high-level policy staffer for the New York State Senate, Kandi has helped shape state and national laws impacting our criminal justice and transportation systems. Moonlighting as a college professor, Kandi teaches political science and criminal justice to future political leaders and criminal justice professionals.

Having served as a Crime, Corrections & Juvenile Justice Analyst in the New York State Senate, Kandi has extensive knowledge and expertise regarding virtually every aspect of the criminal justice system. She authored numerous criminal justice publications and was responsible for analyzing every piece of criminal justice legislation that was introduced in the Senate.

Kandi also served as a Senior Budget Analyst for Transportation for the Senate’s powerful Finance Committee. Kandi was also responsible for the legislative oversight of the multi-billion dollar appropriation, re-appropriation, and Article VII budgets for the New York State Department of Transportation, Department of Motor Vehicle, and the New York State Thruway Authority.

As a result of her professionalism, work ethic, and attention to detail, she was appointed under the Senate Majority Leader, to serve on an elite legislative policy task force where she authored and contributed to a variety of laws that have protected millions of citizens in the State of New York. Kandi helped draft the first-in-the-nation “Airline Passengers Bill of Rights” legislation, which was later used as the model for Senator Schumer’s federal law to protect airline passengers from being deprived basic needs during prolonged delays at airports.

As an Instructor of Criminal Justice and Political Science at Hudson Valley Community College and the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Kandi has also committed the past 10 years to educating tomorrow’s political leaders and criminal justice professionals.

Kandi holds a Master’s of Science from the world renowned, Science and Technology Studies Program, at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).