[In February 2020, Professor Ava Ayers announced that she is transgender. This article has been edited to reflect her gender identity. Read more here.]

The Government Law Center at Albany Law School today announced that President and Dean Alicia Ouellette has appointed new officers for its Advisory Board.

Bartley J. (BJ) Costello III ’72, shareholder, director and principal at Hinman Straub PC, has been named the new Chair; M. Tracey Brooks ’00, a partner at Shenker Russo & Clark LLP, has been named the new Vice-Chair; and Amy Kellogg ’02, a partner at Harter Secrest & Emery LLP, has been named the new Secretary. Each was already serving as a member of the Advisory Board.

“I am so grateful to our new officers for the experience, insight, and energy they bring to the Center,” said Government Law Center Director Ava Ayers. “The Government Law Center’s Advisory Board is a vital part of the Albany Law School community and its unique connections to state and local government, and our new officers are going to help us find exciting new ways to pursue that mission.”

Members of the Advisory Board help the Center with projects like the newly restructured Government Law Center Fellowship, which prepares students for distinguished careers in public service; the Center’s series of explainers on state and local governments’ role in immigration law; and the Center’s groundbreaking research on access to legal services in rural New York.

Concluding their service as officers of the Advisory Board are the former Chair, Scott Fein, a partner at Whiteman Osterman & Hanna, and the former Vice-Chair, Sandra D. Rivera ‘02, a principal at Rivera Law PLLC.  Fein will remain on the Advisory Board, serving as chair of its Publications Committee.

“All of us at the Center are deeply grateful to our distinguished previous officers who supported the Center’s mission superbly during a successful and productive era,” said Ayers.

About the Officers

Bartley J. (BJ) Costello III ’72 is a member of Hinman Straub’s Government Relations and Education departments. During his career he has chaired the firm’s Litigation and Labor departments. He represents several clients before the New York State Legislature, Governor’s Office, and state regulatory agencies. He also specializes in board governance issues for not-for-profit corporations.

M. Tracey Brooks ’00 serves as General Counsel for Shenker Russo & Clark LLP.  She is a distinguished advocate and government affairs attorney with more than 15 years of experience at the state and federal levels as a lawyer, executive, advocate, and non-profit leader.  She has expertise on a range of issues, including health care, local government, and non-profit governance and compliance.

Amy J. Kellogg ’02 is a partner at Harter Secrest & Emery LLP, where her law practice focuses on representing a variety of New York State professional associations, businesses, and not for profits before New York State government, including the New York State legislature, Governor’s Office, and state agencies.

The Government Law Center helps state and local governments better serve their communities while training the next generation of leaders in public service. We are a diverse and inclusive group of practitioners, students, and scholars working together to produce high-quality, reliable, nonpartisan legal research and analysis. 

The Government Law Center’s Advisory Board is composed of Albany Law School alumni and other leaders from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, who assist the Center in producing research, educating students, and connecting the law school to policymakers and practitioners in public service.