Dana Politis

Associate Commissioner for Workforce Development

Dana serves as the Associate Commissioner for Workforce Development. In her role, she leads special projects and initiatives to support New York’s workforce. Her goal is to ensure all New Yorkers are empowered with the right education, training and skills for the jobs of the future.

Career Background: Prior to her role at DOL, she was the founding Director of Community Workforce Programs at Montefiore Medical Center, leading community workforce development strategy and implementation. She implemented new partnerships with the NYC Department of Education, CUNY, and other community-based organizations to design employer-led career readiness and workforce training programs in healthcare. 

Education: A Bronx native, Dana is a first-generation Greek American who was the first in her family to graduate from college. She has a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College and a master’s degree in Public Health from the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.

April Contreras

Product Manager, NYPA

April Contreras is a Product Manager working on new business models and supporting the roll out of product management at NYPA. April is passionate about improving the customer experience, ensuring that she brings products and services to market that meet customer’s needs. April has 7 years of experience with NYPA’s customers and product suits. She has worked in Customer Project Delivery as a Project Engineer where she managed the construction of the City of Syracuse’s $38M LED street lighting upgrades and Smart City integration project, and in Key Account Management, developing business for both energy services and supply customers in Western NY.

Furthermore, April completed her MBA in February 2021 from SUNY Buffalo. She was also featured in the July 2022 Public Utilities Fortnightly under Forties as an up-and-coming rising star in the utility industry. April takes pride in being a positive role model for her community. She is a trailblazer and is passionate about encouraging STEM to students of all ages.

Natalie Terhaar

Community Engagement Manager for National Grid Ventures   and Community Offshore Wind

Natalie is the Community Engagement Manager for National Grid Ventures and Community Offshore Wind. In her role, she administers grants and creates programming for the community, specifically in the areas of STEM education, environment, and sustainability. Natalie holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from D’Youville College. She is active with the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, was on the board for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie, Niagara, and the Southern Tier for six years, was a KidWind Advisory Member, and assists Hospice Buffalo with their fundraising efforts. She was a Leadership Buffalo graduate in 2020 and participated in the University at Buffalo’s Leadership Accelerator program in 2024. She is a Buffalo native and lives with her husband and two children.

Nicole Morris-McLaughlin

Program Manager Communties & Local Goverments, NYSERDA

Nicole has worked at the community level, local municipality level, county level, and now state level, advancing equitable clean energy policies and programs. She started her clean energy career in Massachusetts, working closely with communities to push for the addition of clean energy into the country’s largest bulk energy purchasing group, which consists of over 40 municipalities. This work was done through the Environmental Justice organization Southcoast Energy Challenge. In that role, she also worked alongside Vineyard Wind, the country’s first large-scale offshore wind farm, to communicate to the public the opportunities associated with the offshore wind industry and the health and economic benefits that would follow for the region.

Nicole then returned to her hometown in Western New York to work for Erie County’s Department of Environment and Planning, managing the development of a program that would connect income-qualified residents and HEAP recipients to clean energy, energy efficiency, and energy poverty alleviation opportunities. She has volunteered on her Town’s Climate Smart Community Taskforce to recommend clean energy and sustainability policies and support community campaigns to educate people about clean energy options.

Nicole currently works for the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) to support municipalities to decarbonize their communities strategically. Nicole has two adult children and a partner who inspires her every day. She finds wonder in nature and community that beautifully spur on the challenging work that she is engaged in.

Stephan Tucker

President & CEO, Northland WorkforceTraining Center

Stephen Tucker is the inaugural President & CEO of Northland Workforce  Training Center in Buffalo, New York responsible for the management, oversight and day to day operations of a new 90,000 square foot facility focused on training  and preparing Western New Yorkers for careers in advanced manufacturing and  clean energy. Mr. Tucker, a veteran of the United States Air Force also  previously served as the Assistant Executive Director with Partners for a  Competitive Workforce and the Vice President of Workforce Development with  the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati.  

His educational achievements include an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan  University, a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Wilberforce  University, and an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration from the  University of Cincinnati. Mr. Tucker is a 2008 graduate of the Urban League’s  African American Leadership Development Program, the 2009 recipient of the  State of Ohio Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Economic Opportunity, a 2010  YMCA Black & Latino Achiever, and a graduate of National Urban League’s  Emerging Leaders Program. Stephen is also a Murano Fellow as a graduate of  Aspen Institutes’ Sector Skills Academy and an Adjunct Business Professor at  Central State University and Cincinnati State. 

Mr. Tucker was appointed to the Western New York Regional Economic  Development Council in 2018 and received the Arthur O. Eve Award for  Economic Opportunity presented by the New York State Association of Black  and Puerto Rican Legislators in 2020. Mr. Tucker is a Commissioner with the  Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority and serves on the Board’s of the  Buffalo Niagara Partnership, Buffalo Urban League, Leadership Buffalo,  Independent Health Foundation, and Insyte Consulting.