# Ashley Stuart | Best in Government Affairs NY 2026 > Ashley Stuart of New York Health Plan Association is a 2026 Best in Government Affairs New York honoree, recognized as Association Advocates of the Year. Canonical: https://www.uslege.ai/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/ashley-stuart --- [Best in Government Affairs](/best-in-government-affairs)› [New York](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york)› [2026](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york#honorees)› [Association Advocates of the Year](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/association-advocates)› **Ashley Stuart** USLege · Best in Government Affairs · New York New York · 2026 Honoree ![Ashley Stuart, Vice President of Government Affairs at New York Health Plan Association — winner, Association Advocates of the Year, 2026 Best in Government Affairs New York](/assets/awards/ny-2026/ashley-stuart.jpg) Category [Association Advocates of the Year](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/association-advocates) Organization New York Health Plan Association Title Vice President of Government Affairs [01 · Association Advocates of the Year](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/association-advocates) # Ashley Stuart **Vice President of Government Affairs**, New York Health Plan Association > vigorous in defending her members' priorities before both the legislature and the executive > > one peer nominator Ashley Stuart has spent more than 20 years shepherding complex campaigns from inception to completion, and today she puts that experience to work as Vice President of Government Affairs at the New York Health Plan Association (NYHPA), where she is the voice for health plans across New York State. This year, she led the push to reform New York's Independent Dispute Resolution process during the budget — one piece of a portfolio that requires her to track a highly technical policy area and keep HPA's members current on every budget and regulatory development that affects them. One peer nominator called her "vigorous in defending her members' priorities before both the legislature and the executive," crediting the relationships she's built with creating "real value for HPA members." Stuart's path to HPA runs through Albany's legislative and executive branches. She spent nearly a decade as Legislative Director for the New York State Assembly under Assemblyman Hevesi, where she helped usher eleven bills into law and negotiated a $2 million annual budget appropriation over three years, before moving to the SUNY Polytechnic Institute, where she served as Assistant Vice President of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, managing a $600,000 annual research fund and mentoring graduate students who went on to win competitive U.S. Department of Energy fellowships. She joined NYHPA in 2019, rising from Director to Vice President of Government Affairs in 2022. As one colleague put it, "she works to build bipartisan and external coalitions in support of expanding healthcare access in New York State." That combination of legislative fluency and coalition-building has earned Stuart recognition beyond her own membership: HPA itself was recently named a Top Trade Association of 2026 by City & State, and Stuart was named to City & State's Albany 40 Under 40 Class of 2022. She holds a Master of Arts in Political Communications and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Japanese Studies, both from the University at Albany. "Ashley truly takes the time to listen to, communicate with and understand the concerns of HPA's membership, policymakers and staff," one nominator wrote — a fitting description of a career built on being the steady, technical expert her members and colleagues rely on. Same category ## More _Association Advocates of the Year_ honorees. [![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/therese-daly.jpg) **Therese Daly**United Way of New York State and 211 New York Inc.](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/therese-daly)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/catherine-chen.jpg) **Catherine Chen**Asian American Federation ](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/catherine-chen)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/kei-williams.jpg) **Kei Williams**NEW Pride Agenda ](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/kei-williams)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/matt-nelligan.jpg) **Matt Nelligan**New Yorkers for Affordable Energy (NYAE) ](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/matt-nelligan)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/jessica-klos-shapiro.jpg) **Jessica Klos Shapiro**Early Care & Learning Council ](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/jessica-klos-shapiro)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/caroline-bobick.jpg) **Caroline Bobick**New York State School Boards Association](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/caroline-bobick) [All New York honorees](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york#honorees) [Association Advocates of the Year](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/association-advocates) [The September 16 ceremony](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/ceremony) The platform behind the awards ## Track the New York Legislature the way _honorees do_. USLege covers the New York Legislature and New York City Council with live video, searchable transcripts, and cited AI answers, the same coverage Capitol Confidential Pro is built on. [Explore USLege New York](/states/new-york) [Built for lobbyists](/for/lobbyists)