The Parkside Group welcomed three new team members this month: Beth Warren, Kathryn “Kat” Gordon, and Shakiya Booker.

Beth joins Parkside as its new Deputy Chief Operating Officer, where she will contribute deep programmatic know-how and a refined operational acumen to all of Parkside’s internal initiatives. Her new position is indicative of Parkside’s significant growth.

Prior to joining Parkside, Beth spent most of her career working in New York’s public sector – at nonprofits, and in city and state government. Most recently, she worked as a Senior Advisor to the Deputy Mayor for Operations of the City of New York where she provided strategic and operational leadership on multiple cross-office and cross-agency initiatives.

Kat joins Parkside as its new Vice President of Government Relations. A seasoned government affairs specialist with over twenty years of experience working in and with NYS government, Kat has significant experience in healthcare policy, administration, and advocacy, and will be working with Parkside’s health-related clients.

Previously, Kat directed government affairs efforts for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG District II), and the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), a statewide hospital association and New York’s largest administrator of family home care. Before that, she spent a decade working in the NYS Senate as the legislative director for two Senators.

Shakiya joins Parkside as its new Albany Policy Associate, where she’ll support the entire Albany team on legislative tracking, monitoring hearings, drafting research briefs for clients, and more.

She started her professional career working as an educator for KIPP DC. Before moving back to New York, she spent three years teaching U.S History and Government, and World History & Geography ll, to tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders. More recently, Shakiya had the opportunity to lead high school students on a service learning expedition throughout Ecuador with the Harlem Education Activities Fund.

Shakiya’s interest in policy peaked in 2019 after founding an organization, Afro Puff Co., advocating for recreational cannabis use. Through this work, she’s been able to amplify misrepresented voices in the industry while working with community organizations in New York and Washington, DC

To learn more, please visit their profiles: Beth, Kat, and Shakiya.