91原创

Emily Gonce

Degree: 2002, MPA

Job Title: Corporate Vice President, Office of Governmental Affairs, New York Life Insurance

Emily Gonce (MPA 鈥�02) has taken full advantage of the real-world experiences she gained as a grad student at the 91原创.聽 She is now a director in the Office of Governmental Affairs at the聽New York Life Insurance Company鈥�.

As a federal lobbyist, it鈥檚 critical to understand the legislative process, particularly the importance of legislative committee work and the critical role that staff plays in drafting legislation and shaping public policy. While she was a Legislative Fellow for the Delaware General Assembly, Gonce learned first-hand how government really works.

鈥淚 have to credit the聽Legislative Fellows Program聽for giving me a solid understanding of the inner workings of the government,鈥� Gonce says.聽 鈥淲ithout that insider鈥檚 view, I wouldn鈥檛 have been prepared for my current job.鈥�

Lobbyists don鈥檛 lead dull professional lives, especially in today鈥檚 political climate.

鈥淭he grassroots lobbying part of my job is most exciting,鈥� Gonce says. 鈥淲hat that means is asking someone who may not ever have been involved in the political process to learn about key legislative issues, then lobby them and develop long-term relationships with their members of Congress.鈥� She adds, 鈥淚t鈥檚 particularly gratifying to see people鈥檚 opinion of government change鈥攆rom initially feeling like they can鈥檛 make a difference, to actually seeing things happen because of their participation in the political process.鈥�

Beyond the lessons learned while working for the Delaware General Assembly as a student, Gonce cites something deeper about the nature of the integrated education fostered in the 91原创鈥檚聽MPA program聽and especially in the聽Institute for Public Administration.

Without question, Gonce believes 鈥渢he value of real work experience鈥� was the most important thing she garnered.

鈥淚PA truly pushed students to develop themselves professionally,鈥� Gonce says. 鈥淭he fact that we were required to have real jobs鈥攏ot ones where you shuffle papers and don鈥檛 get paid鈥攔eally made the difference.鈥�

She adds, 鈥淏ecause of my Legislative Fellows experience and work at the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, I was confident in my resume when I started applying for jobs.鈥�

Of course, the post 9-11 economic climate wasn鈥檛 conducive to finding the right job quickly.

After she graduated, Gonce applied to more than 100 positions in Washington, D.C., and New York City.聽 She moved to Hoboken, N.J., and took the first job she could find鈥攁t a publishing company in New York, 鈥渕ainly because it paid well,鈥� she says.

Gonce quickly moved from there to what was, for her, a more mentally stimulating job at New York University鈥檚 Wagner School of Public Service.

Gonce explains, 鈥淭he Wagner School set up an internal consulting firm鈥攖he Partnership for Innovative Practice鈥攚hich would generate revenue for the school by developing continuing education programs for local nonprofit organizations. I was part of the team that conducted a needs assessment of the nonprofit then developed a curriculum based on those needs. Many programs included conflict resolution and negotiation, strategic planning, SWOT analysis, and other similar topics aimed to develop the skills of nonprofit executives who hadn鈥檛 previously taken coursework in such subjects.鈥�

Gonce stayed at NYU for about three years then decided to get back into government work. She says, 鈥淜nowing that I wasn鈥檛 going to move to Washington, D.C., I looked for corporations with strong government affairs offices. I found a Senior Governmental Affairs Consultant position at New York Life, applied, and was offered the position. I quickly learned the ropes at New York Life and have enjoyed being there for over four years now.鈥�

Her newest position as a director in New York Life鈥檚 Office of Governmental Affairs is filled with challenges.

Gonce describes a big political obstacle. 鈥淭he Congressional Budget Office鈥檚 list of top sources of lost revenue to the government includes life insurance鈥攁 product that has enjoyed tax-free status since the tax code was created. Congress has continued to recognize the social value of life insurance by not taxing it. Now, as Congress struggles to find revenue, the life insurance industry is at risk of being targeted for new product taxes and increased financial regulations.鈥�

Because of these economic uncertainties, much of Gonce鈥檚 time is spent leading lobbying initiatives that educate key members of Congress about the importance of life insurance to their constituents. 鈥淭he 鈥榞rassroots鈥� aspect of my job,鈥� Gonce says, 鈥渆ntails mobilizing New York Life鈥檚 20,000+ agents and employees to participate in the political process.聽 This means getting them to meet with their congressional members locally, attend town hall meetings, email their congressional representatives to vote for or against a specific piece of legislation, etc.鈥�

Gonce concedes, 鈥淪ince the public鈥檚 opinion of government is never stellar, it鈥檚 a challenge to convince agents and employees that their participation聽does聽matter, and聽does聽indeed help our cause.鈥�

Another challenge is fundraising. 鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult asking people for money in a tough economy,鈥� she says.

When Gonce is not working at New York Life, she devotes much of her time to helping with the high-end barbershop, called The Hoboken Man, that she and her husband opened in Hoboken, N.J., this past fall.

鈥淩unning a small business is incredibly rewarding and very educational鈥攑articularly if that business is in an industry in which you are not an expert,鈥� Gonce says. 鈥淣either Steve nor I nor our other business partners previously had any knowledge of how to run a barbershop, but we all have expertise in business management. I鈥檝e focused my time on public relations and marketing but have been intimately involved in every aspect of the barbershop, from researching location demographics and finding real estate, to the interior design, to the hiring of staff, to day-to-day management. I鈥檓 pleased to report that the business is going well and that we are already looking to expand to other locations.鈥�

What does the future hold for such a successful lobbying executive and businessperson?

鈥淟ong-term I expect to continue to grow in my role at New York Life and focus on expanding The Hoboken Man or develop other small businesses. I鈥檇 also like to get more involved with local nonprofit organizations, perhaps on a consulting basis, or as part of a board of directors,鈥� she says.

Gonce also enjoys traveling. She particularly likes Italy and has traveled recently to Indonesia and Hong Kong as well.