Jim Malatras is the President of the Rockefeller Institute of Government for the State University of New York System —a think-tank providing cutting-edge evidence-based public policy to decision makers across the nation. At the Rockefeller Institute, Dr. Malatras has written extensively on energy policy, including replicating state and local-level greenhouse gas emission consortia in the face of federal regulatory rollbacks.
Prior to his appointment as President of the Rockefeller Institute of Government, Jim served as New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Director of State Operations where he ran the day-to-day operation of New York State government’s agencies, 180,000 plus workforce, and $155 billion budget. As Director of State Operations, Malatras was Governor Cuomo’s point person on policy and served as a chief negotiator with the state legislature. As Director of State Operations, he successfully secured important jobs and energy deals with industry for the State.
Malatras created and led many of Governor Cuomo’s transformative energy initiatives, including the adoption of the New York’s nation-leading Clean Energy Standard mandate; implementing the $1 billion NY-SUN solar installation program; the nation’s first statewide on-bill energy efficiency financing law—a program former President Bill Clinton called a “groundbreaking energy-efficiency financing program”; a $100 million Cleaner, Greener carbon reduction smart growth program; and the state’s program to retire all coal-producing plants by 2020.
In addition, Malatras has served as Vice Chancellor for Policy and Chief of Staff at the State University of New York, running the operations of SUNY System Administration and serving as chief negotiator on complex transactions, such as hospital closures and redevelopment deals. Malatras also served as Governor Cuomo’s Deputy Secretary for Policy Management from January 2011-June 2013, Deputy Director of Policy to Governor Cuomo’s successful 2010 and 2014 gubernatorial campaigns, then Attorney General Cuomo’s Executive Director of Legislative Affairs and State Policy, and Legislative Director to former Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky, Chairman of the Environmental Conservation and Corporations, Authorities and Commissions committees.
Dr. Malatras received his B.A. (summa cum laude), M.A., and Ph.D. in political science from the University at Albany where he won the Presidential Distinguished Dissertation Award.