Darci Lindgren

Darci Lindgren came to the New York State Capitol as a college intern and never left. Fourteen legislative sessions later, she serves as Assemblymember Charles D. Lavine's Legislative Director, having helped advance more than 100 bills through both houses of the Legislature. What began as a senior-year internship while she earned her bachelor's degree in Political Science, with minors in Sociology and History, from the University at Albany has become a career built around navigating the legislative process, solving difficult policy problems, and turning ideas into results. As one colleague nominating her put it, "Darci is by far one of the best Assembly staffers that I have worked with in recent years."

Over the course of her career, Lindgren has worked on issues ranging from modernizing New York's courts and strengthening election laws to protecting tenants, students, consumers, domestic violence survivors, and other vulnerable New Yorkers. She has helped modernize the state's legal system through legislation on electronic wills, court e-filing, judicial security, anonymous juror protections, abortion-provider protections, and the repeal of New York's antiquated adultery statute, and her election law work during a period of major modernization included early voting, military ballots, and voter preregistration. Behind the scenes, she has also been entrusted with some of the Legislature's most sensitive Judiciary matters, including the proposed impeachment of former Governor Andrew Cuomo and the investigation into Assemblymember Lester Chang's eligibility to take office.

Lindgren has become particularly recognized for taking issues that have been overlooked and turning them into meaningful legislative priorities. She helped bring statewide attention to veteran suicide through the Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Flag initiative and advanced legislation to codify the Veterans Suicide Mortality Review Board, work that earned her the Dan Daly Award. She has also helped revive guardianship reform after roughly three decades of limited legislative activity, bringing renewed attention to the shortage of qualified guardians and the need for stronger protections for vulnerable New Yorkers. Outside the Capitol, Lindgren is the mother of a six-year-old daughter and two-year-old son, who she says provide a daily reminder of the families and future generations at the heart of her work.