# Matt Nelligan | Best in Government Affairs NY 2026 > Matt Nelligan 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/matt-nelligan --- [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)› **Matt Nelligan** USLege · Best in Government Affairs · New York New York · 2026 Honoree ![Matt Nelligan, President & CEO, Syndicate Strategies (association manager for New Yorkers for Affordable Energy) at New Yorkers for Affordable Energy (NYAE) — winner, Association Advocates of the Year, 2026 Best in Government Affairs New York](/assets/awards/ny-2026/matt-nelligan.jpg) Category [Association Advocates of the Year](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/association-advocates) Organization New Yorkers for Affordable Energy (NYAE) Title President & CEO, Syndicate Strategies (association manager for New Yorkers for Affordable Energy) [View LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-nelligan-a51a1010) [01 · Association Advocates of the Year](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/association-advocates) # Matt Nelligan **President & CEO, Syndicate Strategies (association manager for New Yorkers for Affordable Energy)**, New Yorkers for Affordable Energy (NYAE) > electrification mandates and gas appliance bans seemed all but certain > > one peer nominator Before he built a coalition for New Yorkers for Affordable Energy, Matt Nelligan spent more than 16 years shaping New York energy and public-safety policy from inside the State Legislature. As Director of the Senate Committee on Energy and Telecommunications, he helped author the Recharge NY Program and reform how major electric generating facilities are sited; as Chief of Staff to Senator George Maziarz, he wrote the legislation that let Nik Wallenda walk a high wire across Niagara Falls on live television, the first sanctioned event of its kind. He went on to serve as Chief of Staff to Senators Rich Funke and Mike Martucci before founding the government affairs firm Syndicate Strategies in 2023, pairing traditional lobbying with digital communications and public-affairs strategy. Syndicate Strategies' flagship account is New Yorkers for Affordable Energy, the coalition Nelligan's firm has managed since the year he founded it — making him NYAE's association manager and lead advocate, not a formal NYAE officer. Nelligan took on that work at a moment when, as one peer nominator recalled, "electrification mandates and gas appliance bans seemed all but certain." NYAE's goals were to stop bans on natural gas, expand pipeline capacity, amend the state's climate law, and defeat the NY HEAT Act. In the most recent legislative session, each of those fights moved NYAE's way: there have been no new gas bans, the NY HEAT Act did not pass, the state's climate law was amended on terms more favorable to NYAE's members, and the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline advanced in downstate New York. NYAE was only one voice in that debate, but Nelligan's coalition-building — bringing more labor, business, and trade groups into the fold — was credited by supporters and critics alike as playing a real role, and coalition membership has more than doubled during his tenure. That record reflects the same instincts Nelligan honed over 16 years in the Legislature: patient coalition-building and a knack for moving technical, high-stakes policy across the finish line. As New York continues to weigh climate goals against energy affordability, Nelligan and NYAE's larger, more diversified coalition are positioned to keep shaping that debate in the sessions ahead. 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/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/ashley-stuart.jpg) **Ashley Stuart**New York Health Plan Association ](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/ashley-stuart)[![](/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)