Shoshanah Bewlay ’92
Company / School: New York State Committee on Open Government
Position / Degree: Executive Director and Counsel
Overview
Executive Director and Counsel, New York State Committee on Open Government
Albany, NY
- BA, English, Vassar College
- JD, University of Connecticut School of Law
Shoshanah Bewlay (she/her) is the Executive Director and Counsel of the New York State Committee on Open Government, a statutorily independent governmental program, appointed in January 2020, after many years of public service in New York as a General Counsel in another state agency. She is responsible for the oversight of the staff and operations of the Committee, which provides legal advice and guidance to the government, public, and news media on the New York Freedom of Information, Open Meetings, and Personal Privacy Protection Laws. On a yearly basis, Shoshanah’s staff responds to thousands of telephone and written inquiries, prepares hundreds of written legal advisory opinions, and provides open government laws training to dozens of interested groups. Her staff and Committee members also make recommendations to improve open government laws in an annual report to the Governor and the State Legislature. Shoshanah came to public service in 2007 after more than 10 years of private legal practice in New York City and San Francisco, in which she specialized in the representation of large corporations in securities and tender offer litigation. She is a member of the New York, Connecticut, and California State Bars and is a graduate of Vassar and the University of Connecticut School of Law.
Advice to Students:
What you achieve after Vassar will absolutely be important, exciting, and valuable, but please remember that your time at Vassar is even more so. Slow down and enjoy this part of your life; everything you do makes a mark, and you never know which marks will have a critical impact on your future. Take classes and do projects that interest you, even if they don’t seem to connect to your career ambitions. Make time for your friends and family and embrace experiences even if they seem scary or difficult. When you look back at this time in your life, you will not regret it.
