For Immediate Release
#15-23

NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HOSTS GRADUATION CEREMONY FOR JOHN D. SOLOMON FELLOWSHIP FOR PUBLIC SERVICE GRADUATES

May 12, 2023 — New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol and First Deputy Commissioner Christina Farrell presided over a graduation ceremony for the ten graduate students who completed the 2022-2023 John D. Solomon Fellowship for Public Service. The graduation ceremony was held Wednesday, May 10, at the agency’s headquarters in Brooklyn. A recording of the graduation is available on the agency's YouTube channel.

The ten fellows, who are graduate students from New York University, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Columbia University, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Hunter College, and St. John’s University, completed a nine-month fellowship focused on emergency management at seven City agencies and the American Red Cross of Greater New York.

“For the last 11 years, the John D. Solomon Fellowship for Public Service has prepared the next generation of public servants. Fellows learn first-hand from experts in the field while gaining invaluable experience from their respective agencies,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “We are extremely proud to work alongside the Solomon family to ensure the public sector has the best and brightest talent.”

The family and friends of the late John D. Solomon, an accomplished journalist who focused on homeland security and other public policy issues, established the John D. Solomon Fellowship for Public Service in 2012. A devoted public servant and active member of his local New York City Community Emergency Response Team (NYC CERT), John was a passionate advocate of emergency preparedness and resilience.

“Congratulations to the remarkable 2022-23 John D. Solomon Fellows for your inspiring example and substantive accomplishments this year, and to the extraordinary Fellowship as it enters its second decade,” said John’s brother, James Solomon. “With its nearly 100 graduates, including John D. Solomon Alumni currently working at 13 different New York City government agencies, the Fellowship is now considered the gold standard for aspiring emergency managers. John would be in awe of and humbled by the Fellowship’s impact on his beloved City. We are deeply grateful to the Program’s administrators, mentors, fellows, alumni, and New York City Emergency Management, for a Fellowship truly worthy of its extraordinary namesake.”

During the nine-month fellowship program, fellows represented their respective agencies at virtual and in person meetings, undertaking various individual and agency-directed projects. The New York City Emergency Management Department administers the John D. Solomon Fellowship for Public Service, the first student fellowship in New York City devoted specifically to emergency management.

To date, the program has welcomed more than 95 fellows over 11 years into 15 different New York City agencies and organizations, representing close to 42,000 service hours. Over 42 percent of fellowship alumni have moved on to careers in New York City or New York State government.

The 2022-2023 John D. Solomon Fellowship for Public Service graduating class members are:

• Aisha Ali, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City Department of Environmental Protection;
• Josh Bryant, CUNY John Jay College for Criminal Justice, New York City Emergency Management;
• Galios Yerania Diaz Corredor, St. John’s University, New York City Police Department;
• Maya Dutta, Columbia University, NYC Emergency Management;
• Jayeda Hossain, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City Department of Education;
• Antony Nguyen, Columbia University, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene;
• Valerie Reynoso, Columbia University, American Red Cross of Greater New York;
• Emmet Teran, CUNY Hunter College, New York City Fire Department;
• Jeremy Thompson, CUNY John Jay College for Criminal Justice, NYC Housing Authority; and
• Holly Wertman, Columbia University, New York City Emergency Management

The next fellowship for the 2023-2024 academic year will begin in September 2023. NYC Emergency Management staff is in the process of matching prospective fellows with their agencies for the fall. For more information on this year’s ten graduates, visit https://www1.nyc.gov/site/em/about/meet-fellows.page.

MEDIA CONTACT:                        Press Office (718) 422-4888

STAY CONNECTED:                     Twitter:           @NotifyNYC (emergency notifications)

                                                                           @nycemergencymgt (emergency preparedness info)

                                                       Facebook:       /NYCemergencymanagement