Steven David Koczak, Jr., PhD 518-754-6423 stevenkoczak@hotmail.com 34 Washington Street, #2 Rensselaer, NY 12144 Education: Nelson A. Rockefeller College, University at Albany; Albany, NY PhD in Political Science conferred May 2013 M.A. in Political Science conferred May 1999 Harpur College, Binghamton University; Binghamton, NY B.A. in Political Science conferred, cum laude, May 1995 Orange County Community College; Middletown, NY A.A. in Liberal Arts conferred, with honors, December 1992 Experience: New York State Department of Civil Service Classification and Pay Analyst July 2013 to Present Serve as the primary analyst of legislation for the Department of Civil Service's Division of Classification and Compensation Research and write various internal documents related to various matters and topics within to the classification of positions in the New York State Civil Service system New York State Senate, Independent Democratic Conference Program and Policy Office Policy Analyst February 2013 to July 2013 Researched and wrote reports, articles, memoranda, and other products directed at various audiences and stakeholders (others in the Legislature; lobbyists; advocacy groups; etc) Drafted, fact checked, edited, and otherwise contributed to bill language, bill memoranda, budget documents, press releases, and other legislative documents Researched, commented upon, and negotiated over the New York State Budget and legislation Performed various other substantive legislative or policy duties Rockefeller College, University at Albany Adjunct Lecturer January 2013 to Present Design all aspects of various college-level courses: Current Controversies in US Politics (Spring 2013), State Government (Summer 2013), and Parties and Interest Groups (Fall 2013) Conduct lectures, grade papers, and generally perform all aspects of college-level teaching
Rockefeller Institute of Government Project Research Assistant October 2012 to February 2013 Participated in an analysis of New York City's Center for Economic Opportunity Identified, scheduled interviews with, and perform background research upon interviewees Performed various research-related tasks and authored appropriate research products New York State Association of School Business Officials Writer, Analyst, Researcher June 2012 to February 2013 Authored internal and external research products on public policy issues, issues of internal interest to the organization, various issues related to school business management, and other topics Drafted, fact checked, edit, and otherwise contributed to bill language, bill memoranda, various other legislative documents, talking points, and press releases Performed general research-related tasks Self-Employed Writer May 2012 to Present Author a semi-regular Internet column on New York State politics and government Perform research for column: on Internet, computer databases, libraries, and various archives; through direct observation and attending public events; and other sources Offer research-based tips, via E-Mail, to mainstream news outlets Author fiction for the Electronic Arts computer game company Author encyclopedia articles and other popular research products New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Policy Assistant April 2011 to May 2012 Researched and wrote reports, articles, memoranda, and other research products Edited and fact-checked various research products authored by others Created, updated, and edited Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint documents Performed general research-related tasks Rockefeller College, University at Albany Adjunct Lecturer August 2011 to December 2011 Designed all aspects of college-level course: Current Controversies in US Politics Conducted lectures, graded papers, and generally performed all aspects of teaching a collegelevel course Self-Employed Writer April 2009 to April 2011 Authored a semi-regular Internet column on New York State politics and government Performed research for column: on Internet, computer databases, libraries, and various archives;
through direct observation and attending public events; and other sources Offered research-based tips, via E-Mail, to mainstream news outlets Authored encyclopedia articles and other research products for a popular audience New York State Senate Research Service Senior Analyst December 2007 through March 2009 Researched and wrote reports, articles, memoranda, and other products directed at various audiences and stakeholders (others in the Legislature; lobbyists; advocacy groups; etc) Drafted, fact checked, edited, and otherwise contributed to bill language, bill memoranda, and other legislative documents Responded to queries about the policy domains I covered, and legislation therein Primary policy domains were Labor, Civil Service, and Pensions/Retirement, also dealt with other domains on an as-needed basis Mentored, on an informal basis, new hires to the Research Analyst position Research Analyst July 2000 through December 2007 Performed duties similar to those performed as Senior Analyst but at a lower level of independence and responsibility Senior Analyst represented an upward progression from Research Analyst New York State Senate Fellows Program Senate Fellow September 1999 through July 2000 Assigned to a Senator's office Served as Assistant Director of a New York State Senate Standing Committee Researched and wrote legislation, memoranda, reports, and other written, legislative materials directed at various audiences and stakeholders (members of the Senate, Senate and Assembly staff, lobbyists, advocates etc) Responded to various inquiries from the general public and from governmental and academic audiences Frequently met with lobbyists, advocacy/activist groups, and constituents Rockefeller College, University at Albany Instructor/Teaching Assistant August 1997 to May 1999 Conducted lectures, graded papers and exams, led discussions with students, conducted review sessions, compiled and maintained databases of the students grades, and dealt with students' questions and complaints regarding the course and the grading process Designed a syllabus, students' assignments, and course materials (when serving as instructor); implemented others' course materials (when serving as Teaching Assistant) Instructor for Introduction to Political Theory (Writing Intensive section); Teaching Assistant for Introduction to U.S. Politics, Introduction to Political theory, and a special course on the Bill Clinton Impeachment scandal
Research Assistant August 1995 to May 1997 Performed research on various topics for various Professors, and reported my findings, verbally and in writing Topics included the New England Town Meeting, cooperation among the States' Attorneys General, the politics of Korean peninsula, and various topics related to the U.S. Congress, and others Performed various clerical and administrative duties for the Department of Political Science and various Professors Publications and Presentations: The Farmers' Mutual Benefit Association, Encyclopedia of Populism (ABC-CLIO, forthcoming, 2014) The Farmers' Transportation Convention, Encyclopedia of Populism (ABC-CLIO, forthcoming, 2014) School District Fiscal Report: A Tale of Two Insolvencies (New York State Association of School Business Officials, September 2012) A Comparison of the YASI and YLSI Risk Assessment Instruments (Division of Criminal Justice Services internal document, used to answer information requests, April 2012) Numerous articles posted on various Internet sites Numerous brief articles and other commentary posted on various newspaper-sponsored New York State political news/commentary Internet sites Senate Research Service: Summary of Legislation (plan language explanation of legislation passed by the New York State Senate, published annually 2000 to March 2009) An Introduction to the Gubernatorial Veto (presented at the University at Albany, November 2010, invited presentation) Research used, uncredited, by Celeste Katz of the Daily News' The Daily Politics blog in October 7, 2010 article Will Tonight's PaladinoVision Be Tom Golisano Redux? Research cited, anonymously, by Liz Benjamin of the Capital Tonight's State of Politics blog in June 4, 2010 article Settling The 'Status Cuomo' Score The Lawmaking Process at the Federal Level (presented at Monroe County Community College, April 2010, invited presentation) The Early History of the Department of Labor, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, November 25, 2008 A Primer on Unemployment Insurance Benefits, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, June 11, 2008 Wicks Law Reform 2008, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, May 9, 2008 Transition: The New Workers' Compensation Ratemaking Process, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, April 29, 2008 A Primer on Outsourcing and Offshoring, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, April 11, 2008 The Idea and Early History of Unemployment Insurance, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, March 20, 2008 An Overview of the State's Public Employee Retirement Systems and Benefits 2008, New
York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, March 5, 2008 Internet Governance, Encyclopedia of American Public Policy Issues (Gale, never published, was scheduled for 2008) Unemployment Insurance, Encyclopedia of American Public Policy Issues (Gale, never published, was scheduled for 2008) Albert Lasker, Encyclopedia of the Jazz Age (M.E. Sharpe, 2008) Stock Market, Encyclopedia of the Jazz Age (M.E. Sharpe, 2008) Workers' Compensation Reform 2007, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, October 30, 2007 A Primer on the Financing of New York State's Public Employee Retirement Systems, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, September 11, 2007 The Resolution of the New York City Transit Strike, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, June 4, 2007 'Fair Share for Health Care' Legislation: New York's Approach, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, May 4, 2007 Employee Retirement Income Security Act, Encyclopedia of U.S. Labor and Working Class History (Taylor & Francis, 2007) Family and Medical Leave Act, Encyclopedia of U.S. Labor and Working Class History (Taylor & Francis, 2007) The Wicks Law, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, February 23, 2007 The Senate Majority's 2006 Amusement Ride Safety Package, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, January 29, 2007 Leaders of the Band: American Labor Federations of the Past, the Present, and the Future, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, October 17, 2006 The 2005 New York City Transit Strike, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, October 12, 2006 Mine Safety, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, July 27, 2006 A Primer on Workers' Compensation Costs, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, June 12, 2006 The Family and Medical Leave Act, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, May 1, 2006 SUTA Dumping: How Some Employers Tried to Cheat the Unemployment Insurance System, and How the Legislature Responded, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, January 25, 2006 The Reemployment of Retired Public Employees: Rules and Background, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, January 23, 2006 Resuscitating the Workers' Compensation Security Fund, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, November 14, 2005 A Legislator's Guide to New York State's Private Sector Unions, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, June 30, 2005 The Minimum Wage: Its Idea, Origin, and Current Operation, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, June 9, 2005 State Employees' Unions and Representative Organizations: A Legislator's Guide, 2005 Edition, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, June 8, 2005 The Heart Presumptions, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, February 111, 2005 Workers' Compensation: Benefits and Procedures, New York State Senate Research Service
Issues in Focus, February 2, 2005 The Pension Financing Reform Bills of 2003 and 2004: Alleviating the Local Government Pension Burden, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, January 10, 2005 The Workers' Compensation Idea and its Early History in New York, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, January 6, 2005 Davis Bacon Act, Encyclopedia of Labor History, Worldwide (Gale, 2004) Employee Retirement Income Security Act, Encyclopedia of Labor History, Worldwide (Gale, 2004) Lochner v. New York, Encyclopedia of Labor History, Worldwide (Gale, 2004) Taylor Law, Encyclopedia of Labor History, Worldwide (Gale, 2004) Route 66, Encyclopedia of the Great Depression (Gale, 2004) United Farmers' League, Encyclopedia of the Great Depression (Gale, 2004) 'Not Ascribable to His Own Negligence': Picture Bills. New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, June 30, 2004 New York State's Child Labor Laws, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, May 16, 2004 Studies in the Law of Labor Relations: The Railway Labor Act, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, April 13, 2004 Indemnification and Defense of Public Employees, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, January 16, 2004 Working Hours, Work in America: An Encyclopedia of History, Policy, and Society (ABC- CLIO, 2003) Part-Time Work, Work in America: An Encyclopedia of History, Policy, and Society (ABC- CLIO, 2003) The Federal Unemployment Insurance Loan Program, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, November 18, 2003 Studies in the Law of Labor Relations: The Taylor Law, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, October 28, 2003 Studies in the Law of Labor Relations: The National Labor Relations Act, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, June 2, 2003 Hatched: The Political Activity of Public Employees, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, April 11, 2003 Call-Up: Employer Obligations to Employees in the Military, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, April 4, 2003 The Basics of Private Sector Pensions, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, March 24, 2003 Public Work in New York State: Rules, Issues, Controversies, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, February 19, 2003 Binding Interest Arbitration in New York State: Idea, Origin, Practice, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, January 21, 2003 Of Golden Parachutes: The History and Nature of Early Retirement Incentives, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, July 9, 2002 A Legislator's Guide to New York State's Private Sector Unions, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, June 27, 2002 ERISA: An Overview of the Primary Federal Private Pensions Law, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, June 17, 2002 Jurisdictional Classification in the New York State Civil Service, New York State Senate
Research Service Issues in Focus, May 20, 2002 The New York State Shared Work Program: Idea and Practice, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, April 16, 2002 A Guide to the SUNY/CUNY Optional Retirement Program, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, March 4, 2002 The Idea of a Civil Service Merit System: The Idea Behind the Practice, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, November 16, 2001 The Department of Civil Service and the Civil Service Commission, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, June 20, 2001 Alternative Work Schedules, Their Nature and Uses, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, June 18, 2001 State Employees Unions and Representative Organizations: A Legislator's Guide, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, June 8, 2001 The Future of the American Labor Movement: Problems and Opportunities (presented at a meeting of the New York State Political Science Association, May 2001) New York State's Public Employee Pension Systems: An Overview, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, April 17, 2001 A Time of Transition: The Federal Workforce Investment Act and New York State's Workforce Development Policy, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, April 17, 2001 A Permanent Cost of Living Adjustment for New York's Retired Public Employees, New York State Senate Research Service Issues in Focus, April 16, 2001 Published comments on proposed skills standards for the manufacturing sector, promulgated by the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council (2001) The Presidency in Darkness: A Preliminary Investigation into Presidential Impeachment (presented at a meeting of the American Political Science Association, September 1999) The Politics of Death: Mario Cuomo, the Death Penalty, and the Tragedy of Moral Leadership in Politics (presented at a meeting of the New York State Political Science Association, May 1999) Research assistance credited in Joseph F. Zimmerman's book The New England Town Meeting: Safeguard for Democracy (1999) Prince of Darkness: Visions of Machiavelli in the International Relations Literature (presented at the International Relations Round Table, February 1999) Virtual Thunder: The Internet, the Right, and the Changing Terms of American Politics (presented at the Critical/Social Theory Round Table, November 1998) Selected Legislative Accomplishments: While working at the New York State Senate, I was involved in the enactment of several bills into law. Here is a partial list. Banning mandatory overtime for most nurses (Chapter 493 of the Laws of 2008) Wicks Law reform (Part MM of Chapter 47 of the Laws of 2008) Workers' Compensation reform (Chapter 6 of the Laws of 2007) Alleviating the local government pension payment burden (Chapter 49 of the Laws of 2003) Two-Track Early Retirement Incentive (Chapters 69 and 90 of the Laws of 2002) Cost-of-Living-Adjustment for retired government employees (Chapter 125 of the Laws of 2000)