# Robert Megna | Best in Government Affairs NY 2026

> Robert Megna is a 2026 Best in Government Affairs New York honoree, recognized as Longtime Legends in Government Affairs.

Canonical: https://www.uslege.ai/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/robert-megna

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[Best in Government Affairs](/best-in-government-affairs)› [New York](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york)› [2026](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york#honorees)› [Longtime Legends in Government Affairs](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/longtime-legends)› **Robert Megna**

USLege · Best in Government Affairs · New York

New York · 2026 Honoree

![Robert Megna, President at Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government — winner, Longtime Legends in Government Affairs, 2026 Best in Government Affairs New York](/assets/awards/ny-2026/robert-megna.jpg)

Category

[Longtime Legends in Government Affairs](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/longtime-legends)

Organization

Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government

Title

President

[02 · Longtime Legends in Government Affairs](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/longtime-legends)

# Robert Megna

**President**, Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government

> a road map of consequential public service
> 
> one peer nominator

Robert Megna's career reads as a tour of New York State's fiscal machinery — one peer nominator called his record "a road map of consequential public service" — and few names carry more weight in that world. As Budget Director for the New York State Division of the Budget, he guided the state to its highest financial rating in 40 years from three major credit-rating agencies and helped deliver four consecutive on-time budgets, a feat New York hadn't managed since the 1970s. He also chaired the Financial Restructuring Board and the Public Authorities Control Board, served on the board of the New York Racing Association, and previously served as Commissioner of the Department of Taxation and Finance.

That command of state finance was forged over decades, including earlier posts as Director of the Revenue and Economics Unit at the Division of the Budget and Deputy Director of Fiscal Studies for the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, plus stints leading the Thruway Authority and Canal Corporation and as SUNY's chief operating officer. Today, he also chairs the board of the New York State Thruway Authority.

Today, as President of the Rockefeller Institute of Government, Megna leads the nonpartisan research arm that Governor Hochul tasked with reviewing New York's Foundation Aid education funding formula, work that directly informed the state's most recent budget cycle. He also mentors rising public servants through the Empire State Fellows and New York State Science Policy Fellowship programs — bringing a formal grounding to the role, with a master's in economics from the London School of Economics and a BA in economics and an MPA, both from Fordham University.

Same category

## More _Longtime Legends in Government Affairs_ honorees.

 [![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/perry-ochacher.jpg) **Perry Ochacher**Willett Public Affairs](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/perry-m-ochacher)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/bill-ferris.jpg) **Bill Ferris**AARP New York ](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/bill-ferris)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/rick-ostroff.jpg) **Rick Ostroff**Ostroff Associates ](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/rick-ostroff)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/christine-rutigliano.jpg) **Christine Rutigliano**Roffe Group of Robinson+Cole ](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/christine-rutigliano)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/patricia-reilly.jpg) **Patricia Reilly**Patricia Reilly Consulting ](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/patricia-reilly)[![](/assets/awards/ny-2026/ross-frommer.jpg) **Ross Frommer**Columbia University Irving Medical Center](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/2026/ross-frommer)

[All New York honorees](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york#honorees) [Longtime Legends in Government Affairs](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/longtime-legends) [The September 16 ceremony](/best-in-government-affairs/new-york/ceremony)

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