Melissa DeRosa

Last updated

Matthew Wing
​
​
(m. 2016;div. 2021)​
Melissa DeRosa
Melissa DeRosa Chanel Dinner.jpg
Secretary to the Governor of New York
In office
April 17, 2017 –August 24, 2021
Alma mater Cornell University

Melissa DeRosa is an American former government official. [1] She served as Secretary to the former Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, from 2017 until 2021. She was described by the New York Times as the most powerful appointed official in the state as well as being the first woman appointed to the role. During her tenure, she helped steer bills through the legislature, including the $15 minimum wage, paid family leave and expanded insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization. In 2023, she released a memoir titled What’s Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis.

Contents

Early life and education

DeRosa was born on September 29, 1982 in Rochester, N.Y. and raised in Albany and Saratoga Springs, New York and has two siblings. [2] [3] [1] [4] She is the daughter of Giorgio DeRosa, a lobbyist who is a senior partner at Bolton-St. Johns, an Albany-based lobbying firm, and Melody DeRosa, a retired education technology consultant for Texas Instruments. [5] [1] [6] [7]

At 16, she was an intern for the political director of the New York State AFL–CIO. [5] [8]

DeRosa attended the private school, Albany Academy for Girls, graduating in 2000. [9] [10] She then attended Cornell University, graduating in 2004 from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. While an undergraduate student at Cornell, she worked in the Senate office of Hillary Clinton in Washington, D.C. during a summer. [11]

After graduating from college in 2004, DeRosa worked for a year as a publicist for Theory, a fashion house in New York. [1] She then worked as a lobbyist for Bolton-St. Johns. [1] In 2009, she completed an MPA from the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs. [11]

Career

From 2009-2011, DeRosa was the New York State Director of Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee founded after the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. She had previously worked as Director of Communications and Legislation for the Albany-based lobbying firm Cordo & Company. [8] [12] In 2011, DeRosa became Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director for New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. [8] [5] [13]

In March 2013, she became Director of Communications for Governor Andrew Cuomo. [14] [8] [13] DeRosa later became strategic adviser. [5] In 2015, DeRosa was appointed Chief of Staff. [5] In 2020, DeRosa was appointed to serve on the transition committee to then President-Elect Joe Biden, serving as senior advisor to Steve Ricchetti, the White House’s incoming counselor and helping to assist the incoming administration's COVID response. [15]

Secretary to Governor Cuomo

In 2017, DeRosa was promoted to Secretary to the Governor of New York, and became Cuomo's top aide and one of his closest advisers. [14] [16] [17] [5] [18] The Secretary to the Governor was described by The New York Times as the most powerful appointed official in the state, and she was the first woman appointed to the role. [1] [17]

She helped steer bills through the legislature, including the $15 minimum wage, paid family leave and expanded insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization. [19] [1] [13] She was also the chair of the New York State Council on Women and Girls and head of the Covid-19 maternity task force, [1] and in 2017, DeRosa spoke publicly about her experience with sexual harassment and encouraged women to "speak up and speak out." [20] DeRosa also chaired the New York State Domestic Violence COVID Task Force. [21]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she had a major role in the coordination and management of the New York response. [19]

In March 2020, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York when testing was significantly limited, Cuomo’s administration received access to priority rapid coronavirus testing and fast results, according to The New York Times. [22] In May 2021, federal prosecutors began to investigate the priority testing program but no charges were ever brought. [22] It was also reported that the Health Department decided to test Melissa DeRosa's father as a priority after he was exposed to someone with COVID-19 who had recently been hospitalized and died, due to his daughter’s close and regular contact with the governor and others involved in the pandemic response. [22] [23]

In March 2021, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported on allegations that a group of Cuomo administration officials, including DeRosa, convinced public health officials to change a July 2020 report on nursing home deaths from COVID-19 in New York that would have otherwise shown more deaths than originally reported, [13] [24] [25] after New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report in January 2021 that indicated the original published death toll was less than half of the 15,000 deaths attributable to COVID-19. [26] According to the Cuomo administration, through counsel, "the out-of-facility data was omitted after D.O.H. could not confirm it had been adequately verified" and the conclusions of the report, which looked at factors contributing to the spread of COVID-19, were not altered. [25] [24]

In April, 2021, The New York Times reported that several Cuomo employees alleged Cuomo and staff members, including his top aide, Melissa DeRosa, fostered a stressful workplace environment. [27]

DeRosa was named in an August 3, 2021, report by the New York State Attorney General as having spearheaded efforts to retaliate against and discredit a woman who has accused Cuomo of sexual harassment. [14] [28] At the time, an attorney representing DeRosa denied the allegations, and a civil lawsuit, subsequently filed based on the Attorney General's findings against DeRosa, was dismissed by a federal judge in 2023. [29] [30]

DeRosa resigned as Secretary to the Governor on August 8, 2021. [31] [32] [33] Her resignation was effective August 24. [34]

Post-public office

DeRosa opened a consulting business providing services including crisis communications, executive operations, and high-level government affairs strategy. [35] She is a contributor to the Daily Beast and provides regular political commentary and analysis, frequently appearing on various networks, including Fox News, CNBC, and NewsNation. [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] In 2025, she served as an unpaid advisor to former Governor Cuomo's Mayoral campaign for Mayor, and currently serves as a member of Cornell University's Communications Advisory Board. [41] [42] [43]

What’s Left Unsaid

In October 2023, DeRosa released a memoir titled What’s Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis, published by Union Square. [44] [45] Kirkus Reviews described the book as "An angry, raw, and briskly told memoir." [46] A review by Lloyd Green in The Guardian states, "DeRosa's memoir is pocked with scenes of a marriage gone south, of trying to cope with Covid-19 and of general governmental strife. She punches hard. Her anger is white hot. Her book is deliberate and focused." [47] According to a Publishers Weekly review, "While this glowing defense of Cuomo will appeal to his supporters, it’s unlikely to mollify his detractors." [48]

Personal life

In 2016 she married Matthew Wing, an Uber senior communications officer, formerly a Cuomo press secretary in 2013 and 2014, and then communications director for the governor’s re-election campaign. [6] They met in 2013 when both worked for Cuomo, when DeRosa was the communications director and Wing was a press secretary. [1]

DeRosa and Wing divorced in 2021. [49] [50] [51] Her former mother-in-law is Audrey Strauss, who served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2020 to 2021. [13]

DeRosa's brother Joseph DeRosa and her sister Jessica Davos also work at Bolton-St. Johns. [52]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 La Ferla, Ruth (May 14, 2020). "Who Can Say 'No' to Cuomo? His Top Aide, Melissa DeRosa". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Melissa DeRosa". Goodness Hero. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  3. ↑ Salerno, Heather (March 2018). "Corridors of Power". Cornell Alumni Magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  4. ↑ Chodak, Adam (November 30, 2023). "New book by Cuomo key aide tells her story". RochesterFirst. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Foderaro, Lisa W. (April 17, 2017). "Cuomo Promotes Chief of Staff, Melissa DeRosa, to Be His Secretary". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Melissa DeRosa, Matthew Wing". The New York Times. August 28, 2016. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  7. ↑ Lauren Evans (April 20, 2017). "Cuomo Evades Reporters' Questions About New Top Aide's Ties By Calling Them Sexist". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on September 7, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Kaplan, Thomas (March 15, 2013). "Cuomo Drafts Communications Director From Attorney General's Staff". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Melissa DeRosa's rise to top aide and how her appointment made history". August 9, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Photos: Albany Academy for Girls commencement". Times Union. June 11, 2018.
  11. 1 2 Oza, Anil (April 30, 2020). "From Ithaca to Albany: How Cornell's Melissa DeRosa is Leading New York's COVID Response". The Cornell Daily Sun. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  12. ↑ "DeRosa to Organize for America". The New York Observer . July 22, 2009.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Banjo, Shelly; Goldman, Henry (March 25, 2021). "Cuomo's Top Aide Defends Her Boss and Herself: 'I'm a Human Being'". Bloomberg. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  14. 1 2 3 Dawsey, Josh (August 3, 2021). "Cuomo report spotlights role of top aide Melissa DeRosa in trying to contain sexual harassment crisis". The Washington Post . Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Cuomo top aide, Melissa DeRosa assisting Biden transition team on COVID response". New York Daily News . January 15, 2021.
  16. ↑ Vilensky, Mike (April 20, 2017). "New York's First Female Secretary to the Governor Faces Ethical Minefield; Melissa DeRosa will have to be vigilant, as her husband and father's jobs could present challenges". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  17. 1 2 Lovett, Kenneth (April 17, 2017). "Melissa DeRosa named New York's first female secretary to the governor". The New York Daily News. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  18. ↑ Ferré-Sadurní, Luis; Glueck, Katie (August 23, 2021). "Cuomo Blames 'Political Pressure and Media Frenzy' in Farewell Speech". The New York Times.
  19. 1 2 Minutaglio, Rose (April 13, 2020). "How Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa Is Leading Cuomo's Coronavirus Response". ELLE. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  20. ↑ Vielkind, Jimmy (October 18, 2017). "DeRosa recalls sexual harassment, urges women to speak up". Politico. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Behind the New York Domestic Violence Task Force Launched in Response to COVID-19". Vogue. June 12, 2020.
  22. 1 2 3 Goodman, J. David (May 19, 2021). "U.S. Inquiry Into Cuomo Widens to Examine Virus Tests for 'Specials'". The New York Times.
  23. ↑ Hogan, Bernadette (May 19, 2021). "Cuomo's family got special COVID-19 testing even while he was under fire for it". New York Post.
  24. 1 2 Palazzolo, Joe; Vielkand, Jimmy; O'Brien, Rebecca Davis (March 4, 2021). "Cuomo Advisers Altered Report on Covid-19 Nursing-Home Deaths". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  25. 1 2 Goodman, J. David; Hakim, Danny (March 4, 2021). "Cuomo Aides Rewrote Nursing Home Report to Hide Higher Death Toll". The New York Times. Retrieved December 8, 2021. Updated Sept. 23, 2021
  26. ↑ Rosa-Aquino, Paola (April 28, 2021). "Cuomo Aides Accused of Hiding COVID Nursing Home Death Toll: Report". The Intelligencer. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  27. ↑ Rosenthal, Brian M.; Ferré-Sadurní, Luis (March 12, 2021). "For Some Women, Working for Cuomo Is the 'Worst Place to Be'". The New York Times.
  28. ↑ Niedzwiadek, Nick; Gronewold, Anna (August 5, 2021). "All the governor's men — and women". Politico. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  29. ↑ Ferré-Sadurní, Luis; Bromwich, Jonah E. (August 5, 2021). "How Cuomo and His Team Retaliated Against His Accusers". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  30. ↑ Ryan, Stephanie (September 29, 2023). "Lawsuit against two former Cuomo aides, accusing them of retaliation, dismissed". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  31. ↑ Dawsey, Josh (August 8, 2021). "Melissa DeRosa, top aide to Cuomo, resigns in wake of state attorney general's report". The Washington Post . Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  32. ↑ Gronewold, Anne; Mahoney, Bill (August 8, 2021). "Melissa DeRosa, Cuomo's top staffer, resigns". Politico. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  33. ↑ Ferré-Sadurní, Luis (August 8, 2021). "Cuomo's Top Aide, Melissa DeRosa, Resigns as He Fights to Survive". The New York Times . Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  34. ↑ Goldmacher, Shane (August 10, 2021). "Cuomo Will Resign Amid Sexual Harassment Scandal". The New York Times. Retrieved August 10, 2021. Melissa DeRosa is still serving as Cuomo's top aide. Though she submitted her resignation, she did so without a date. She set the date to be 14 days away — lining up with Cuomo's own resignation.
  35. ↑ Vilensky, Mike (January 17, 2024). "Her Boss Got #MeToo'd. She's Still Standing by Him". bustle.com.
  36. ↑ "Contributor Melissa DeRosa". thedailybeast.com.
  37. ↑ DeRosa, Melissa (November 11, 2024). "MELISSA DEROSA: Democrats face a painful question: What went wrong". foxnews.com.
  38. ↑ "2024 election and the economy: How does inflation impact the presidential election?". cnbc.com. January 23, 2024.
  39. ↑ "Top aide to Fmr. Gov. Andrew Cuomo talks decision to halt congestion pricing in NYC". CNBC. January 23, 2024.
  40. ↑ "Melissa DeRosa on NewsNation Live 9 16 2024". Guarsico Group. September 16, 2024.
  41. ↑ Dovere, Edward-Isaac (June 29, 2025). "The inside story of Andrew Cuomo's campaign collapse". MSN.com.
  42. ↑ "Adviser Melissa DeRosa discusses Cuomo's campaign". ny1.com. November 10, 2025.
  43. ↑ "Advisory Board". cals.cornell.edu.
  44. ↑ Coltin, Jeff (October 24, 2023). "'This is not a burn book': Cuomo aide's new book takes on foes". Politico . Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  45. ↑ Smith, Chris (October 18, 2023). "Melissa DeRosa Isn't Done Defending Andrew Cuomo". Vanity Fair . Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  46. ↑ "WHAT'S LEFT UNSAID". Kirkus Reviews . November 1, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  47. ↑ Green, Lloyd (November 4, 2023). "What's Left Unsaid review: Andrew Cuomo and the case for his defense". The Guardian . Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  48. ↑ "What's Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis by Melissa DeRosa". Publishers Weekly . October 24, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  49. ↑ Traister, Rebecca (October 15, 2021). "Melissa DeRosa's Revenge Campaign". New York Post. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  50. ↑ Traister, Rebecca (October 24, 2023). "Melissa DeRosa's Revenge Campaign". Intelligencer . Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  51. ↑ Traister, Rebecca (November 10, 2025). "Melissa DeRosa's Revenge Campaign". New York Post. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  52. ↑ "Cuomo gave immunity to nursing home executives after big campaign donations". The Guardian. May 26, 2020.
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