About the NYSCCRR Commission

Jennifer Jones Austin is the CEO and Executive Director of FPWA, an anti-poverty policy and advocacy nonprofit with 170 member organizations; its work is centered on economic opportunity and upward mobility. She is a radio host, an author, and public speaker, and sits on the board of many organizations including the National Action Network, the Fordham University Feerick Center for Social Justice, the Center for Law, Brain and Behavior at Harvard University, and the NYC Board of Correction for which she is Chair. Ms. Jones Austin is the chairperson and a commissioner of the NYC Racial Justice Commission, the first commission of its kind in the nation tasked with targeting and dismantling structural and institutional racism across the city. Ms. Jones Austin is also a member of The African American Task Force for Vaccine Equity and Education, which is dedicated to helping overcome their inequitable barriers Black communities face during the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine; and she was a co-sponsor of the New York Police Department Reform and Reinvention Collaborative to end racialized policing and the criminalization of poverty. Ms. Jones Austin previously co-chaired the Mayoral Transition for Bill de Blasio and the NYC Procurement Policy Board. Ms. Jones Austin is an appointee selected by Governor Hochul.

Timothy R. Hogues serves as the Commissioner for the Department of Civil Service and President of the Civil Service Commission. He was nominated by Governor Kathy Hochul to serve in these roles in April 2022 and unanimously confirmed by the New York State Senate in June 2022. Prior to joining the Department of Civil Service, Commissioner Hogues served as the Personnel Commissioner for Erie County where he was responsible for overseeing services provided to over more than 130 appointing authorities and approximately 24,000 employees countywide through the implementation and maintenance of services that support and facilitate the recruiting, selection, hiring, development, and retention of local government and school district employees in accordance with Civil Service Laws and Regulations. Commissioner Hogues began this role after being appointed by Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz in 2019. Commissioner Hogues is a proud graduate of University of Buffalo where he graduated with a B.A. in Business Administration and Management. Mr. Hogues is an appointee selected by Governor Hochul.

Linda Brown-Robinson is the New York State NAACP Western Regional Director. A born and raised proud New Yorker and a native of Mt. Vernon, Linda’s activism first took hold upon relocating to upstate New York in 1968, where she joined a number of boards. She recalls that one of her first impactful boards was then known as the “Community Folk Art Gallery.” A former Board Member of FOCUS Greater Syracuse, and past member of the Executive Committee for the Onondaga County Democratic Committee, Ms. Brown-Robinson currently serves on the Democratic 5th Ward Committee. Ms. Brown-Robinson is a 2021 InterFaith Leadership Award recipient and was recently appointed as the NYS NAACP Western Region Director, where she oversees 11 Upstate NAACP Branches. Ms. Brown-Robinson is an appointee selected by Governor Hochul.

Darrick Hamilton, Ph.D. is the University Professor and Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy at The New School, where he also founded and directs the Institute on Race, Power & Political Economy. He additionally serves as Chief Economist at the AFL-CIO. Widely regarded as one of the nation’s foremost public intellectuals, Professor Hamilton reimagines how an economy should work—identifying bold opportunities to invest in our human capacity and fostering collaborations that advance economic inclusion, social equity, and civic engagement in the United States and around the world. A pioneer in the economics subfield of identity group stratification, Professor Hamilton’s research has been featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Bloomberg Businessweek, and The Wall Street Journal. He has developed and advised on transformative policy proposals—such as baby bonds, guaranteed income, and a federal job guarantee—that have inspired legislation and shifted billions of dollars toward building a fair and inclusive economy. In 2025, Professor Hamilton was named the Katherine Hampson Bessell Fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute and was recognized as a Freedom Scholar by the Marguerite Casey Foundation in its 2020 inaugural class. He has advised national and global leaders on economic policy, including the U.S. Joint Economic Committee and the Senate Banking Committee and also serves on the board of directors of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Born and raised in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, Professor Hamilton earned his bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Linda Tarrant-Reid is an author, historian, freelance journalist, photographer and community activist. Although most of her career has been focused on literary pursuits, she is currently administrating grow! Eat, a project to grow fresh produce to distribute free-of-charge to the food insecure in Westchester County. The initiative is a program of The Lincoln Park Conservancy, of which Ms. Tarrant-Reid is the Executive Director. Ms. Tarrant-Reid Linda graduated from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in Virginia with a BA in English. Ms. Tarrant-Reid is an appointee selected by Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins.

Seanelle Hawkins serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Rochester, an affiliate of the National Urban League. Dr. Hawkins is an expert in community engagement and cultural change, advocacy, transitional and permanent supportive housing, fiscal stewardship, strategic planning, and staff development. Her nonprofit executive leadership includes over 20 years in various executive leadership roles for nonprofits and program consultancies in New York and Washington, DC. She also serves as an adjunct professor at St. John Fisher College in its doctoral program of Executive Leadership. A native of Brooklyn, NY, Dr. Hawkins received her bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University, master’s in strategic leadership at Roberts Wesleyan College, and her Doctorate of Education from the Executive Leadership Program at St. John Fisher College. Dr. Hawkins is an appointee selected by Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins.

Dr. Ron Daniels is Founder and President of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW), a progressive, African centered, action-oriented Resource Center dedicated to empowering people of African descent and marginalized communities. As the administrator for the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC), IBW has emerged as a leading organization within the U.S. and global reparations movements. Dr. Daniels serves as the Convener of NAARC. Dr. Daniels holds a BA in History from Youngstown State University, an MA in Political Science from the Rockefeller School of Public Affairs in Albany, New York and a Doctor of Philosophy in Africana Studies from the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati. Dr. Daniels is a Distinguished Lecturer Emeritus at York College, City University of New York where he taught courses in Political Science. Dr. Daniels is an appointee selected by Speaker Heastie.

Rev. Dr. Deborah D. Jenkins serves as Vice Chair of the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies. She is a public theologian, educator, and nationally recognized leader whose work bridges education, faith, civic engagement, and racial justice. Dr. Jenkins is the Founder and CEO of DDP Education Consulting, LLC, where she develops innovative educational initiatives that strengthen literacy, civic engagement, family partnerships, and community-based learning. She is also the founder and President of the Pressley Family Institute, whose work advances educational equity and community transformation. A former child protective specialist and youth development professional with more than three decades of experience, Dr. Jenkins has devoted her career to expanding opportunities for children, families, and historically underserved communities. She is the Founding Pastor Emerita of Faith @Work Christian Church, where she provided visionary leadership for twenty years, cultivating a legacy of faith-based community engagement, educational empowerment, and public service. An educator in both higher education and New York City public schools, Dr. Jenkins has taught graduate students in public administration and currently serves as a high school special education teacher. Her scholarship centers on Prophetic Education, an interdisciplinary framework she developed to examine how Black faith traditions have cultivated literacy, democratic participation, the recovery of collective memory, and community repair as enduring practices of freedom. Her research explores the role of Black educational traditions in advancing democratic participation, restoring historical consciousness, and strengthening communities across generations. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Prophetic Education: Black Faith, Freedom Schools, and the Work of Repair. Dr. Jenkins earned a Bachelor of Arts from Herbert H. Lehman College, a Master of Arts in Political Science from Brooklyn College, and both the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from New York Theological Seminary.

Laura Harding, Esq. is a seasoned attorney, advocate, and strategist dedicated to advancing equity, education, and justice. Ms. Harding is the Founder and CEO of Harding Strategies & Consulting, LLC, a firm that collaborates with mission-driven organizations to build capacity, strengthen leadership, and drive measurable community impact. Her expertise spans strategic planning, fundraising, program development, and equity-centered organizational growth. In this role, she supports nonprofits and other organizations in advancing fair, affordable, and inclusive housing as well as educational equity. An accomplished leader in civil rights and education, Ms. Harding previously served as President of ERASE Racism, a Long Island–based nonprofit combatting structural racism in housing and public education. Her extensive public service includes leadership roles within the District of Columbia Public Schools, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (Washington, DC), and the New York City Department of Education, where she advanced initiatives in access, inclusion, equity, youth development, and student safety. Ms. Harding began her career as a forensic social worker with The Bronx Defenders and the Juvenile Rights Division of the Brooklyn Legal Aid Society. As an attorney, her roles have included clerking in the Queens County Supreme Court, Civil Term and working as a staff attorney with Legal Services New York, concentrating on tenants' rights. Ms. Harding holds degrees from Adelphi University, the University of Chicago, and Howard University School of Law.