Staff and Contact

Chief Disability Officer

Kim was appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul to serve as New York State's first-ever Chief Disability Officer (CDO) on February 14, 2022 - the same day that New York's Office of the Chief Disability Officer was created in law within the Executive Chamber, making it one of the first states in the country to establish such an office. Kim has been charged with advising the Governor and executive staff on policy and budgetary issues as they pertain to disability issues, serving as the state's ADA Coordinator and chairing New York's Most Integrated Services Coordinating Council, which is responsible for the state's Olmstead compliance.

As CDO, Kim and her team spend a significant amount of their time meeting with advocates, people with disabilities and their families, focusing on priority topics such as home care, employment, housing, accessibility and transportation and collaborating with state agencies to reduce the silos that exist within the many existing service delivery systems in New York State.

Prior to joining the Executive Chamber, Kim served as the Principal Analyst for the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on People with Disabilities, which focuses primarily on people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Previously, Kim served as Director of the Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities, which focused on issues pertaining primarily to people with physical and sensory disabilities.

Kim holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Utica College of Syracuse University and resides in Latham, NY with her husband, Michael, and her two children, Michaela and Alex.

Executive Assistant

Kym joined our team in April, 2022. She brings to our team over 20 years of secretarial and office management skills. Kym’s last career was with the Town of Colonie’s Building and Fire Services Department as the Zoning Board of Appeals Secretary. Kym’s role within the CDO office is a vital one, in which she is responsible for the scheduling and organization of countless meetings with agencies, legislative officials, organizations, stakeholders, and constituents, and assuring a fully accessible platform for all to interact and contribute. Kym has assisted in the rejuvenation of the MISCC meetings, the first annual DREAM symposium and our upcoming ADA training, and so much more. Our accomplishments, our goals, our mission is something that Kym cherishes, and it shows in her smile. She is the first face you see when entering our office and she could not be prouder to be working with the CDO team.

Senior Policy Advisor

Ben is a deaf Nepali-American and has lived in the Troy, NY area for most of his life. As a Senior Policy Advisor, Ben works on policy initiatives, linking to communities and advocates, traveling across NY, and cross-collaboration between state agencies. Before joining the Chief Disability Office, Ben was a Staff Attorney for Disability Rights New York, where he worked alongside New Yorkers with disabilities on a wide range of issues.

Ben has litigated in federal court for problems with physical access to a city, assisted people in obtaining reasonable accommodations, helped a client change hospital intake procedures to better serve people with disabilities, and led trainings on advocacy best practices.

Prior to that role, he worked at South Col Engineering, where he helped develop a start-up minority owned civil engineering business into a successful enterprise. Ben earned his juris doctorate from Albany Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from the State University at Albany.

Email: [email protected]

Location: New York State Capitol
Room 245
Albany, NY 12224