Michael Schmidt


New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has nominated Michael Schmidt as the new commissioner of the state Department of Taxation and Finance, according to the Albany Times Union. Schmidt is currently serving as senior economic adviser to the governor, having been appointed to the position this past April. If approved by the state Senate, he would replace Acting Commissioner Nonie Manion, who has been leading the department since the previous commissioner, Jerry Boone, abruptly retired in September of 2016. 

Prior to his current position, Schmidt served as deputy secretary for economic development, where he oversaw policy and operations for 12 state agencies and authorities, including Empire State Development, the Department of Taxation and Finance, the Division of Homes and Community Renewal, and the Department of State. Previously, Schmidt served as economic policy adviser to Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign, leading the development of her agenda on financial regulation, trade, infrastructure, housing, small business and economic development. He has also served in the Office of Domestic Finance at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and as a senior financial analyst at the Yale Investments Office. He holds a J.D. and a B.A from Yale.