Arthur N. Malkin
Partner / Lobbyist
Co-founder and principal of Malkin & Ross. Artie directs the lobbying activities of the firm. He specializes in legislative strategies and communications for M&R clients. He previously served as legislative director of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) from 1978 to 1984. He was responsible for developing and implementing NYPIRG’s legislative agenda. In 1985, he founded and became the first director of the Advocacy Training Center where he taught lobbying and media skills to nonprofit organizations. During his 25+ years in Albany, Artie has been at the forefront of dozens of successful legislative campaigns, including efforts for a state Superfund Law, a mental health parity law, reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, and funding for New York’s first stem cell research program.
Christine Tramontano
Vice President / Government Affairs
Christine is a senior member of the firm, overseeing work in the health, criminal justice/judiciary, and renewable energy practices. Working with a variety of non-profit and business clients, she provides strategic advice, message development, and direct lobbying services as part of an overall strategy aimed at achieving specific political and policy outcomes. Among other issue-campaigns, she has worked to end the death penalty in New York, establish a robust stem cell research program and safeguard funding for the State’s Renewable Portfolio Standard. Christine received an MPP from George Washington University, in Washington D.C., in 2005.
Jessica Schafroth
Vice President / Government Affairs
Jessica Schafroth is Vice President of Government Affairs at Malkin & Ross. She has been with the firm since 2004, providing government relations counsel and strategic advice to non‐profit, labor and health care clients of the firm. Jess is responsible for passing landmark legislation such as the Wage Theft Prevention Act, Child Victims Act, Adult Survivors Act and the Family Health Care Decisions Act. Her budget victories include securing a minimum wage increase with future indexing in 2023, $2.1 billion dollars for the Excluded Worker Fund and millions in funding for HIV/AIDS providers, legal services, and economic development projects. She also played a key role in the passage of the DREAM Act, Green Light NY, the medical marijuana law and marijuana legalization, and was in coalition with labor and nonprofit organizations that ended the tip credit for miscellaneous employees and that fought for the Fight for $15. Her past experience includes fundraising and public relations for a variety of health and social service agencies throughout New York and political campaign work in New York and Michigan.
Cylas Martell-Crawford
Counsel/Lobbyist
Cylas recently joined Malkin & Ross in February of 2019. His past experiences include working as a legislative staff member in the New York State Assembly, and as an associate attorney at a litigation firm. He works with members of the firm to provide bill drafting services, research, and legal opinions on legislative issues. Cylas graduated summa cum laude from SUNY Albany and received his J.D. degree magna cum laude from Albany Law School.
Stacie Orell
Senior Lobbyist
Stacie joined Malkin & Ross in 2016. Prior to that, she worked in educational publishing and founded the NY GMO Labeling coalition, leading environmental and consumer rights groups and a grassroots army in the fight for GMO food labeling in NYS. Stacie’s policy successes at M&R include bans on PFAS — “forever chemicals” — in firefighting foam and food packaging; a ban on the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos; plant-based meal options for hospital/nursing home patients; closing a regulatory loophole that exempt fracking waste from being considered hazardous waste; the establishment of an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for carpet; and the All-Electric Building Act. She’s a persistent off-the-floor lobbyist and a creative thinker with excellent writing skills. Stacie has a master’s degree in environmental conservation education with a focus on food policy from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Andrea J. Smyth, MPA
Lobbyist
Andrea Smyth joins Malkin & Ross after decades of operating as a solo government relations consultant. Smyth specializes in serving non-profit associations and has subject matter expertise on the budget process, Medicaid reimbursement, behavioral health services, and policy and advocacy strategy. Until 2022, she served as the President and CEO of the NYS Coalition for Children’s Behavioral Health.Smyth has served on the Children’s Subcommittee of the Behavioral Health Medicaid Redesign Team, the Office of Mental Health Clinic Advisory Group and is currently developing a Capital District Chapter for Moms Against Media Addiction (MAMA). She has been involved in expanding services through Child Advocacy Centers, the Summer Youth Employment Program and school based mental health centers.
Smyth is a graduate of the University of South Florida and the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College. She ran for public office in 2017 for Rensselaer County Executive and in 2022 for the New York State Senate (SD-43).