NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 — Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, an influential force in both Albany and New York City politics that also boasts a nationwide presence with offices throughout the country, today announced the elevation of long-term political operatives Rose Christ and Katie Schwab to co-chairs of the New York practice group. Christ and Schwab bring decades of experience both inside and outside of government and have led hundreds of city and state policy campaigns throughout New York.
The Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies team, a subsidiary of the Cozen O’Connor law firm, has helped some of New York’s most iconic organizations reach their public sector goals, including The Apollo Theater Foundation, the Whitney Museum, New York University, the Business Improvement District Association, LinkNYC and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The NY practice comprises a diverse team of government relations professionals with more than 60 years of combined experience in New York politics and government relations. Christ and Schwab’s collaborative approach and dedication to hiring, mentoring, and empowering the next generation of top lobbyists fosters an environment that attracts the best up-and-coming talent, including the practice’s newest hire, long-time New York City Council finance veteran Nathan Toth who joins the team on May.
“As a native New Yorker, it is an exciting time to be in politics, particularly as we make our comeback from the pandemic,” said Christ. “It feels auspicious to assume this new role as co-chair during a time when New York is celebrating so many historic firsts: the first female Governor of New York, the first Black City Council Speaker and the most diverse — and predominantly female — city council in the history of the Big Apple. I am looking forward to being a part of what’s next for New York and to continue Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies’ track record of achieving successful outcomes for our clients and our partners in government.”
“Increasingly, our clients face complicated issues that intersect multiple industries and jurisdictions. They need expertise, tenacious advocacy, and sophisticated policy solutions that reflect a deep understanding of city, state, and federal government,” said Schwab. “I’m excited to co-lead such a talented and creative team of New Yorkers who have mastered this type of collaboration and who make a lasting impact on our world each and every day.”
Christ and Schwab succeed longtime Chair Stuart Shorenstein, who co-founded the New York Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies practice in 2009 and has chaired the New York practice for the past dozen years. Shorenstein will continue to serve clients in a senior role on the New York team.
“I’ve spent my career in New York’s political arena, and I am thrilled to pass the baton to the next generation of practice leaders. Katie and Rose are consummate professionals and forceful advocates whose noted accomplishments position them well to lead Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies into the next era,” said Shorenstein, “I’m excited to continue working with them — and the entire New York team — as we help a diverse array of clients achieve meaningful progress in Albany, New York City, and ultimately across the country.”
Soho and New Paltz native Rose Christ has deep experience in New York politics, until recently serving as the president of the Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC (SDNYC) and on New York City Mayor-Elect Eric Adams’s Equity Transition Committee. During her tenure at Cozen O’Connor, she has advocated for and secured public funding for major capital and cultural projects, including the creation of a new large-scale public art installation in Hudson River Park undertaken by the Whitney Museum of American Art and the transformation of a historic landmark building on Central Park West into the new Children’s Museum of Manhattan. In addition, she is a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and was recently named to Crain’s 2021 Notable LGBTQ Leaders & Executives, City & State NY’s 2021 Pride Power 100.
Katie Schwab, an attorney by training, is a longtime, fierce advocate for New York’s local business community and a thought leader in public space revitalization. She began her career in the counsel’s office at the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and over the past decades, has made her mark in a variety of public and private roles including in the Mayor’s Office of City Legislative Affairs, the Nassau County Planning Commission under County Executive Tom Suozzi, the Downtown Alliance, Oyster Bay Main Street Association and international street furniture and outdoor advertising company Cemusa. She also serves on the Manhattan District Attorney’s Manhattan Small Business Alliance, the Alfresco NYC Coalition Task Force, the Steering Committee of the Association for a Better New York and the boards of the Design Trust for Public Space and the Downtown Lower Manhattan Association. In 2022, City & State named her to its “Above & Beyond” list of influential women in New York politics.
About Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies
With offices in Washington, D.C., Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois, Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies represents corporations, nonprofit institutions, national trade associations and high-profile individuals in the public sphere. The group’s clients span multiple sectors, including health, transportation, communications, education, construction, energy, real estate, entertainment, financial services, insurance, and hospitality.
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