2022 Alumni Awards Celebration

2022 DEAN’S MEDAL OF MERIT AWARD

STEVEN ALLARD, MCRP ’79

Steven Allard began his career in the public sector, with stints at the New York City Legislative Office of Budget Review and the New Jersey Department of Energy Office of Planning and Policy Analysis. In 1984, he moved to the private sector to take a position with a start-up municipal bond company – the Financial Guaranty Insurance Company – working in the Utility and Transportation Group as an analyst.  Over 12 years at FGIC, Steven went from an analyst in the group to its Director, and participated in over $20 billion of municipal bond issuances for infrastructure projects for over 200 states, municipalities and regional authorities. As a member of the Management Executive Committee, Steven also helped oversee FGIC’s entire public finance portfolio.

In 1996, Steven moved to the Credit Assessment Group in the New York office of Société Générale (SocGen), an international bank and finance company based in France.  There, Steven was the Managing Director responsible for the credit risk function in the Americas for a nascent public finance debt portfolio that grew to $15 billion during his tenure, as well as smaller investor-owned utilities, power and infrastructure project finance, energy commodities, metals and mining, and corporate healthcare portfolios. While at SocGen, Steven also developed and led a training program for junior analysts.

Since his retirement in 2013, Steven has channeled his energy toward a number of civic activities in and around New Brunswick. He is a member of the New Brunswick Area Branch of the NAACP and currently serves as Treasurer.  He was engaged by the Lost Souls Public Memorial Project, a local grassroots organization, helping achieve incorporation and 501©3 status, and currently also serves as Treasurer.  He serves on the Ralph W. Voorhees Center for Civic Engagement Advisory Board, and the Middlesex County Strategic Investment Framework Technical Advisory Committee associated with the Middlesex County Destination 2040 plan.  Until his move earlier this year, he also served on the Highland Park Mayor’s Equity Advisory Council.

2022 CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

KEVIN DRENNAN, MCRP ‘07

Kevin Drennan serves as Managing Director in Mercury’s Westfield, NJ office, where he specializes in government affairs. In this role, Kevin is responsible for strategic advising and legislative advocacy. He is also a Partner at Field Strategies/Civic Operations Group. In this role, he is responsible for building strategic relationships and managing senior staff members of the organization.

Most recently, Kevin served as Executive Director/Chief of Staff in the New Jersey Senate Majority Office. As Executive Director/Chief of Staff, he managed a staff of 40 people, created the policy agenda as well as communications plans to drive the agenda forward. Some key policy successes include the elimination of cash bail, legalization of cannabis, stabilization of Atlantic City, improvement of the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities, increasing the minimum wage, expansion of paid family leave, improvement of K-12 funding, creation of the first Urban Research University, the development of the state’s first veterinary school, the rebirth of the City of Camden, improvement of the State’s economic incentives, movement towards increased development of solar and wind and the stabilization of the state’s three nuclear power plants.

Before joining the New Jersey Senate Majority Office, Kevin worked at a prominent telecommunications and entertainment company in New Jersey where he worked with regulatory agencies, government officials, and other regulated companies related to the telecommunications industry. He also worked in the healthcare field leading the government affairs team for one of the nation’s largest companies in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

He served in Governor McGreevey’s Office as an intergovernmental affairs representative serving as a liaison to local government officials. US Senator Corzine brought him on as a Special Projects Director. When Governor Corzine became Governor, Kevin served in the Office of Economic Growth, Executive Director of the New Jersey State Commerce Commission, and chair of the Urban Enterprise Zone Authority.

Kevin also has led voter contact teams from school board races to United States Senators. He was the Get Out the Vote Director/Voter Contact Director on two New Jersey gubernatorial campaigns and on two United States Senate campaigns.

Kevin earned his B.A. in Political Science from the College of New Jersey and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University. Kevin lives in Hamilton, NJ with his wife Rachel Holland and two daughters Eva Marie and Jacqueline.

2022 RISING STAR AWARDS

BRANDON MCKOY MCRP ’13

Brandon McKoy is the Vice President of State Partnerships on the State Fiscal Policy team. He helps support member organizations of the State Priorities Partnership (SPP) network by connecting them with vital resources as they research and promote policies that advance racial and economic justice efforts and improve the lives of communities across the country. Prior to joining the Center, McKoy was President of New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP), a member organization of the SPP network, and led the organization’s efforts in shaping policy debates. McKoy previously also served as NJPP’s Director of Government and Public Affairs, and, prior to that, as Policy Analyst. He joined the organization in 2014 as a national fellow under SPP’s and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ State Policy Fellowship Program.

McKoy brings 15 years of experience in social policy research, advocacy, and implementation, having served on the boards of various community organizations, advised governors on economic and tax policy, and participated in multiple task forces to advance racial and economic justice and reduce barriers in marginalized communities. Before NJPP, McKoy worked as a Program Associate at The Fund for New Jersey, where he assisted in grantmaking on public policy issues that particularly affect low-income and minority populations in New Jersey.

He has received multiple recognitions, including 40 under 40, top millennial leaders, and top leaders of color awards in New Jersey, and is an alum of the New Leaders Council – New Jersey chapter, where he served as Director of Mentorship, Director of Diversity, and Deputy Director. McKoy holds a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning and Policy Development from Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Psychology from The College of New Jersey.

ANGELA BURNETT PENN MCRP ’14

Angela Burnett Penn is an environmental management, urban planning and climate change adaptation professional, born and raised in The Virgin Islands. Her primary goal is to promote progressive, climate-resilient communities that balance environmental, social and economic goals. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development from Brandies University (2007) as well as a Master of City and Regional Planning from the Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy (2014).

Since 2008, Angela has served as The Virgin Islands’ Climate Change Officer, building the Territory’s climate change programme from scratch into a small-island best practice model with support from regional institutional partners. In 2008, she achieved Government approval of a multi-sector standing Climate Change Committee to support mainstreaming adaptation. In 2012, following broad-based consultation, she authored The Virgin Islands Climate Change Adaptation Policy. To serve as a sustainable financing mechanism for adaptation and mitigation, Angela also co-led development of The Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund, a first of its kind in the Caribbean. This involved design of the Trust Fund architecture, assisting in drafting the Trust Fund Bill and defending it before the House of Assembly. These efforts resulted in the passage of The Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund Act in 2015. Angela has since supported operationalization of the Trust Fund, including overseeing development of its Operational Manual.

Angela has also designed and implemented creative climate change public education campaigns, conducted a vulnerability and capacity assessment of the tourism sector to climate change and managed implementation of local physical adaptation projects. These projects were critical to protecting flood-prone, coastal communities in record-breaking category 5 Hurricane Irma in 2017.

In addition to her climate change adaptation work, Angela has contributed to beach management plans, the Territory’s National Physical Development Plan and the Environmental Management and Climate Adaptation legislation. She also pioneered the Green Pledge Programme that encourages adoption of environmentally friendly practices across private sector and Government.

From 2019 to 2021, Angela served as the Climate Change Coordinator for Saint Lucia’s Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project, a diverse portfolio of 126 climate change adaptation projects worth USD $74 million, funded through the World Bank. In addition to providing project management support to the entire portfolio, Angela was responsible for a sub portfolio of over 40 projects mainly focused on capacity building, ecosystem restoration and enhancing data and data systems to support adaptation. She also provided technical support to the Project’s innovative Climate Adaptation Financing Facility, administered by the Saint Lucia Development Bank. In that capacity, she led design and development of the Act to Adapt App which predicts Category 5 hurricane impact to homes and helps homeowners determine projects to build resilience.

In her private capacity, Angela serves as a climate change advocate. Following the devastation of Hurricane Irma in her country, within 3 months she wrote and published The Irma Diaries, a collection of survivor stories. With more than 35 speaking engagements around the world and a TEDx talk to date, she uses the book as a platform to educate about the impacts of stronger hurricanes, bridge personal connections to climate change and inspire global action. Angela has pledged 50% of profits from The Irma Diaries to survivors and the Climate Change Trust Fund.

In her spare time, Angela enjoys all outdoor activities, including her weekly Sunday swim! She looks forward to further contributions to climate change adaptation and sustainable development.

ARIELLE WORONOFF MPP ’09

Arielle Woronoff is the Director of the Office of Legislation at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, Arielle advises the CMS Administrator on policy and operations and serves as the agency’s chief liaison to Congress. She develops and executes legislative strategy for key CMS priorities and provides strategic and technical input on agency administrative actions including during the development, passage, and implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Prior to this role, Arielle served as Senior Health Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Majority Staff under Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR). Her portfolio was focused on the Affordable Care Act, drug pricing issues, and Medicare Advantage. During her time at the Finance Committee, she also worked on policy issues related to Medicare hospital payment and health information technology. Arielle worked at the Finance Committee during the controversial 2017 legislative debate over repeal of the Affordable Care Act, working with stakeholders and legislative staff to defend the law and formulating and making key procedural arguments to the Senate Parliamentarian related to the Senate budget reconciliation process. She also worked on major legislation including the CARES Act and the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act.

Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Arielle worked for the House Energy & Commerce Committee for Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ), covering Medicare Part B, the Affordable Care Act, and health information technology. During this time, Arielle was a lead negotiator on key provisions of the 2015 Bipartisan Budget Act, the 21st Century Cures Act and the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Arielle came to the Energy and Commerce Committee after advising Senator Cory A. Booker (D-NJ) on health policy while he was getting his Senate office up and running. Here she developed and advanced the Senator’s health policy priorities during his first year in the Senate. Prior to this, Arielle was Domestic Policy Counsel for Congressman Sander M. Levin (D-MI), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, advising the Congressman on health care, Social Security, income security, and budget issues.

Arielle has a Master of Public Policy degree with a concentration in health policy from the Rutgers Bloustein School for Planning and Public Policy and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center. Arielle is from New Jersey and now lives in Washington, DC with her husband and daughter.