As First Deputy Executive Director, Amanda Melillo leads the Strategy, Products and Innovation division and implementation of the agency’s strategic plan. Prior to that, she held the role of Deputy Director of Public Affairs and led the agency’s voter engagement and education efforts initiatives through NYC Votes, reaching five million New Yorkers. Amanda has served at the CFB since 2014 and previously held the roles of Policy & Data Research Analyst and Public Affairs Officer. Previously, she worked on the Voting Rights and Elections team at the Brennan Center for Justice, where she oversaw communications research and trained organizations around the country on how to tailor communications best practices to advance legislative priorities around voting reform. She began her career working in media and local journalism, including the New York Post. Amanda holds a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College, and a master’s in political science from Columbia University, where she studied elections and legislative behavior.

Daniel Cho is the Assistant Executive Director for Candidate Guidance & Policy at the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB). He serves on the Executive team and manages policies and procedures that affect candidates and their campaign staff in complying with the Campaign Finance Act and Board Rules. Mr. Cho oversees the communications and advice related to campaign financial disclosures and the public matching funds program. He has served in various roles at the CFB as Director of Candidate Services, Payment Coordinator, Auditor, and Compliance Analyst.

Mr. Cho is a past Co-Chair of the Program Committee for the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) and participant in the New York City Leadership Institute. He is a past Chair and Vice-Chair of the Steering Committee for the Korean American League for Civic Action (KALCA). He currently serves as the Vice-President of Civic Engagement for the Korean American Association of Greater New York (KAAGNY) and is a member of the Council of Korean Americans. Mr. Cho holds a B.A. in Political Science from Boston College.

As Interim General Counsel, Joseph Gallagher manages the CFB’s legal team, which is responsible for enforcing New York City’s campaign finance laws; drafting rulemakings, legislation, and advisory opinions; representing the agency in litigation; and providing in-house legal counsel. As a member of the executive team, Joseph Gallagher also serves as a senior policy advisor. Joseph Gallagher started with the CFB in 2016 as an Associate Counsel and has served in a variety of roles, most recently as Deputy General Counsel. Prior to joining the CFB, Joseph Gallagher worked as an Associate at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP. Joseph holds a B.S. from the City University of New York, an M.F.A. from Yale University, and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

As the Assistant Executive Director for Operations & Finance, Carlos Obando oversees the Campaign Finance Board’s Agency Chief Contracting Officer (ACCO), Finance Department and Facilities Management/Support Services units. With the support of these areas, Mr. Obando is responsible for the agency's financial, contract and procurement actions, including the facilities management for the agency. Mr. Obando provides recommendations to CFB’s board, senior level executives and program staff on major budget issues, critical agency policy initiatives and resource allocations related to the program areas.

Prior to joining the CFB, Mr. Obando was the Financial Services Executive Director at the NYC Department of Homeless Services, where he managed the Financial Services Department consisting of the Administrative Contracts Unit, Budget Operations and Payment Management Services. These units provided agency wide support related to emergency, non-human services contracts, budget and payment actions in excess of $300 million dollars. Mr. Obando comes to the CFB with over 20 years of city government experience having worked at several mayoral agencies including, the Office of Management & Budget, Housing Preservation and Development and other city agencies. He graduated from CUNY’s Hunter College and has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

As Director of Product Management and Operations, Crystal Choy oversees the unit’s project management team, which coordinates the planning, execution, and delivery of major/recurring projects such as the Voter Guide, candidate materials, and agency publications. This includes managing project schedules, estimating and procuring resources, identifying and mitigating risks, managing vendor relationships, and ensuring materials are compliant with accessibility mandates. She oversees the Language Access team in fulfilling the translation, interpretation, and other language needs of the agency. She also oversees updates and maintenance of the CFB website and other web properties. Additionally, Crystal manages procurement and budget tracking for the Public Affairs division. She collaborates with the Operations and Finance teams to track contract expiration dates and renewals, monitor spending, coordinate invoice approvals, and ensure the quality and timely delivery of billed work.

Crystal has served at the CFB since 2003 and previously held the roles of Compliance Analyst, Publications Coordinator, Designer (Print & Web), Communications Production Manager, and Associate Director of Production.

As Director of the Candidate Services Unit, Hannah Egerton manages the outreach, trainings, and guidance that the CFB provides to candidates and their staff in order to help them comply with the Campaign Finance Act and Board Rules. Ms. Egerton joined the CFB in 2012 as a Candidate Services Liaison, and most recently served as Deputy Director of Candidate Services. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Government from Smith College, and a Master’s degree in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy from NYU Wagner. Ms. Egerton is a graduate of the New York City Leadership Institute.

As Director of Marketing and Digital Communications, Alissa Guzman leads the top-level marketing and communications strategy for the CFB, and creates the strategy behind all public-facing materials that directly engage and serve the needs of five million New Yorkers in thirteen languages. She leads a skilled team of content creators, social media experts, and graphic artists. Alissa works in tandem with the directors of Partnerships and Outreach, Policy and Research, Product Management and Operations, and Public Relations to expand the CFB mission to make all city elections fair and transparent. Alissa has served at the CFB since 2023, having previously worked as a Senior Director of Creative Marketing in the consumer lifestyle space.

As Director of Public Relations, Amy Lebowitz oversees the media and communications strategy of the CFB. Her team works with journalists to navigate and report on complex campaign finance issues, establish best practices on communicating about elections and voting using inclusive language, and land accurate, informative coverage of democracy issues that matter to New Yorkers. The Public Relations team also runs the NYC Debates program, providing the public a clear view of mayoral candidates’ positions on voters’ top priorities. Amy brings a long-view, impact-driven approach to public relations, collaborating across the Public Affairs team to tell stories that advance local and national conversations about protecting democracy, pushing government to be more transparent, and making elections more accessible. Prior to joining the CFB, Amy was a Vice President at BerlinRosen, where she led communications strategies on behalf of grassroots political and organizing campaigns, economic researchers, activist shareholders, and progressive advocacy organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and lives in Brooklyn.

As Director of Records, Data, and Information, Rhonda Gaskins supervises the management of all incoming documentation and data, including mail, hand-delivered campaign related documentation, and electronic submissions. Ms. Gaskins also establishes procedures within her unit to meet business needs and communicates them to affected staff. She has been with the Campaign Finance Board for 16 years as of July 2021.

As the Director of Policy and Research, Allie Swatek leads the team that conducts intergovernmental outreach, performs policy and legislative analysis, and produces original, data-driven research on voting and campaign finance issues. Her team writes the Voter Analysis Report and the Post Election Report and manages voter education content, such as the campaign to familiarize New Yorkers with ranked choice voting. Allie also worked as a Candidate Services Liaison during the 2013 election cycle. Prior to returning to the CFB, Allie worked on elections and finance policy issues at the 2019 NYC Charter Revision Commission and supported the governmental affairs team at JPMorgan Chase. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study and a Master of Public Affairs degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin.

As Director of the Candidate Policy & Communications Unit, Elizabeth A. Upp oversees policy analysis and candidate communications related to compliance with the Campaign Finance Act and Board Rules. Ms. Upp joined the CFB as Chief of Publications, and most recently served as Director of Communications in Public Affairs. She has served on the Publications Committee and chaired the Technology Committee for the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL), and was a moderator and panelist at several of its annual conferences. Prior to joining the CFB, she was Managing Editor of The C++ Report, The Journal of Object-Oriented Programming, and The X Journal, and founding Managing Editor of Object Magazine for SIGS Publications. Ms. Upp holds a degree in English literature from Fordham University and is a graduate of the New York City Management Academy.