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Andrea Grenadier

Class of 2016
Master of Public Administration

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent those of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or the Federal Reserve System.

Tell us more about your current role at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

As part of my role at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, my team regularly meets with business, community, academic, and government leaders to obtain on-the-ground insights to inform our understanding of the national and regional economy. The work I do is extremely rewarding because it helps to humanize the data and bridge the gap between economic indicators and real-world experiences. I appreciate that the role is people-centered, and it feels good to know that the stakeholders I meet help to influence the monetary policy making process.

Why did you choose to study public administration?

I’ve always gravitated towards people-centered and mission-driven work and realized early that a public administration degree was necessary for career mobility. I saw the value of having a broad-based degree as a pathway to good-paying, stable jobs and wanted a foundation that would give me flexibility without pigeon-holing myself into one or two “types” of jobs/titles. Further, I knew that I could market myself for any position in the public or private sector.

Why did you choose to enroll in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) at Pace?

I chose to enroll in Pace’s MPA program (government track) because, first, it had an amazing reputation for those interested in a public sector career in downstate New York. Second was its convenience as I wanted to continue working full-time while getting my master’s degree, and Pace’s program allowed me to, ‘have my cake and eat-it too’–and not have to put my career on hold. At the time I was getting my master’s, most schools did not offer fully online programs or classes. Because of its bi-campus structure, Pace was ahead of the curve in the modality of its course offerings.

How have faculty in the MPA program been instrumental in your academic journey?

The Public Administration faculty are approachable, down-to-earth, and extremely considerate. They were always willing to meet with me and set me up for success. As a testament to the exemplary faculty, the relationships I built have lasted for years after graduation. Whether I’ve needed advice or a reference, I’ve relied on the strong relationships I built with them. A few of the jobs I’ve had during, and post-degree were a direct result of the faculty at Pace. They truly want to elevate their students.

Pace has opened many doors for me and was the catalyst to my career. I could not be happier with my decision almost 10 years ago to attend Pace.

How have your studies in the MPA program benefited you in your career?

My studies in the program have helped me to reflect on and analyze experiences in my career. I’m able to understand the systems/processes of the institutions I interact with and the degree allowed me to build a strong foundation which has made career progression easier. Many job postings require a certain number of years of experience or education/coursework in a relevant field. Consequently, the degree has been invaluable to me in terms of return-on-investment and career progression.

How did you get started in your career; what has been your trajectory to the present?

I started my career in municipal government in Westchester County, serving as a congressional staffer for a Westchester representative. From there, I pivoted to a communications role with a New York State Assemblyman who, after two years, gave me the opportunity to lend my communications skills to the Westchester County Executive campaign. I then landed a position with the New York City Mayor’s Office as an advance associate for Mayor DeBlasio.

Post-pandemic, I was able to pivot to the City Legislative Affairs Unit, where I stayed for half a year. Next, during the mayoral transition, I worked for the New York City Economic Development Corporation. In 2022, I found my way to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

How has your time as a Pace student influenced the person you are today?

Pace’s motto of Opportunitas has influenced the person I am today. My career has had peaks and valleys, and even during challenging and difficult situations, the motto of Opportunitas has allowed me to reframe and embrace the experiences as learning opportunities. I will always be grateful and pay it forward, as I keep in touch with many of my peers and classmates from the program who continue to inspire me both personally and professionally. Ultimately, my life would be a lot less rich if Pace was not a part of my story.

In addition, outside of Westchester County, I’ve been outnumbered by my peers with the same degree from Harvard, NYU, and Baruch. Though at first, I was intimidated, I quickly began to view being a Pace graduate as a competitive edge. Pace has opened many doors and was the catalyst to my career. I could not be happier with my decision almost 10 years ago. Go Setters!

President Marvin Krislov recently joined the Future U. podcast at Google Public Sector GenAI Live & Labs, recorded at Google’s headquarters on Manhattan’s Pier 57. In a conversation alongside Ann Kirschner, PhD, of CUNY and Arizona State University, and Chris Hein, Field CTO at Google Public Sector, Krislov explored the profound impact of AI on higher education and the workforce.

Hosted by Future U.’s Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo, the discussion centered on the need for institutions to develop a strategic approach to AI, its role in shaping the future of work, and the importance of university-industry partnerships in ensuring equitable access to AI-driven education.

Krislov emphasized that AI is not just a passing trend—it requires proactive planning, faculty training, and industry collaboration to prepare students for the evolving job market.

“Pace has always been focused on preparing people for the next step. Thinking about your career, your job, skills, and internships is part of the discussion the minute you enter Pace University,” said Krislov. “When we saw the important change happening with technology and AI, we said, We owe it to our students and our faculty to help them navigate this.”

He highlighted Pace University’s leadership in AI education, including AI-integrated coursework across disciplines, real-world partnerships, and initiatives like the "AI in the Workplace" program. As AI continues to reshape industries, Krislov reinforced that higher education must not just adapt, but lead, ensuring students graduate not just AI-literate, but AI-ready.

Listen to this episode of Future U. now.

It’s our new best friend!

It’s the end of critical thought!

It will destroy/revolutionize education!

Many if not most of us are grappling with understanding and learning a suddenly pervasive technology: generative AI (GenAI). Like most new technologies, GenAI carries a load of anxieties along with its benefits, presenting not only skills issues but also wider ethical questions.

Though the death of writing appears to have been exaggerated, there is still plenty to be concerned about during this rapid adoption. Is it possible to use GenAI in a way that feels safe and principled?

Here are a few things you might worry about when using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any of the array of AI models, and how you might adjust your practices.

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Privacy

Since the advent of GenAI tools, privacy has been an issue. Any info that you put into a GenAI tool—including the content you create, like prompts or material you upload to work on—can theoretically be used to train the AI. If it trains on your work, your work may come out in another user’s output.

Big AI companies usually claim that user information is not used as training material, but their privacy policies and terms of use say otherwise.

An even more obvious privacy problem comes from the fact that AI companies can collect your identity and contact data, IP address (which indicates your location), device and network information, and possibly other information as available to them.

What can I do to safeguard my privacy?

Better safe than sorry. You can proactively opt out of having your data kept and possibly used by an AI company by finding the opt-out process. (Not all US states have opt-out requirements for companies that gather personal data, but enough of them do that there should be a mechanism.) The companies don’t make it easy to locate, but it is usually in the privacy policy or the terms of use.

Environmental Cost

Generative AI is extremely sophisticated and powerful, and it requires sophisticated and powerful computers to run it. These, in turn, demand enormous amounts of energy and water.

It has been estimated by The Washington Post that every prompt entered into a GenAI tool consumes about a bottle’s worth of water. That’s not a lot, but it’s 10 times as much as a Google search, and over the course of a big project, you could end up using a truckload of bottles.

What can I do to reduce AI-induced waste?

Abandoning AI isn’t the answer. Even the greenest among us are using resources all the time—simply by being alive—and it’s possible that AI will be able to reduce our energy use in the long run. For now, while the short-term costs are high, the best thing you can do is be efficient about how you use it.

Learn how to write good prompts (you can use LinkedIn Learning through Pace ITS or review Pace’s resources on prompting), think them out beforehand, and you’ll need to use fewer of them.

Loss of Skills

This is the one that probably worries us, as university affiliates, the most. We’re in the business of teaching and learning; what happens when we outsource planning, writing, even drawing to AI? It seems like uniquely human abilities—critical thinking, logical planning, creativity—can’t help but atrophy.

What can I do to make sure my skills stay sharp?

Don’t panic. ChatGPT may be able to produce 500 readable words that address a topic, but truly useful content requires a lot of human intervention. AI doesn’t do your weightlifting for you; it’s the gym equipment that makes it easy and convenient for you to do the weightlifting yourself.

As a result, those high-level intellectual skills are still very much required to get good results out of GenAI. A prompt that produces what you want must be planned and broken down, step by step, and written carefully with attention to detail and subject-specific knowledge.

Conclusion

These aren’t the only issues with AI, and these suggestions aren’t the only ways to improve your relationship with AI. But, if you’re a member of the Pace Community, the Pace Library can help you with specific questions, instruction, class policies, and more. Ultimately, it’s up to each of us to balance these ethical challenges with AI’s potential, ensuring AI is used effectively, thoughtfully, and responsibly.

For more information, check out the Pace Library’s faculty and student guides to AI, or set up an appointment with a librarian in NYC or Westchester.

The Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems’ Pace Data Science Club recently hosted an exciting and informative event featuring Thunder Compute, a Y-Combinator-backed pioneering company in GPU cloud computing. Co-founders Carl Peterson and Brian Model joined Pace students to share insights into their cutting-edge technology and its impact on the future of deep learning.

Thunder Compute is known for revolutionizing the deep learning landscape with its GPU virtualization technology, which powers a highly efficient cloud platform and makes user access to powerful GPUs significantly more accessible.

During the event, the co-founders provided an in-depth look into their innovative platform before guiding students through a hands-on installation process. Their interactive approach ensured that attendees received personalized support and had their questions addressed effectively. The session aimed to demystify GPU virtualization and provide students with firsthand experience in setting up and utilizing powerful cloud-based compute instances.

As part of the event’s hands-on session, participants ran a deep learning model script developed by the Pace Data Science Club. By leveraging Thunder Compute’s GPU acceleration, students were able to experience the significant performance improvements firsthand, reinforcing the advantages of such a solution for deep learning applications.

Throughout the session, students actively engaged with the co-founders in discussions about the evolving landscape of cloud-based GPU computing, particularly in data science and machine learning. These conversations highlighted the growing significance of cost-efficient, high-performance solutions in the industry, reinforcing Thunder Compute’s unique value proposition. The dialogue also explored broader industry trends, including AI model training, scalability challenges, and the future of cloud-based infrastructure.

The event concluded with a heartfelt expression of gratitude to Carl and Brian for traveling to New York to share their expertise and connect with Pace students. Their visit provided a valuable opportunity for attendees to gain hands-on experience while expanding their professional networks in the tech industry. With the rapid advancements in AI and machine learning, events like these serve as crucial learning experiences, empowering students with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the evolving landscape.

On March 8–9, 2025, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University hosted the 2025 Regional Round for the Americas and the Caribbean of the International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition (ICC Moot). The event brought seven teams to Haub Law, with the top US teams qualifying for the global ICC Moot Court Competition held annually in The Hague, Netherlands. This year, Haub Law’s team qualified as a finalist and will be traveling to The Hague in June.

“Haub Law’s team was impressive in the qualifying rounds,” said Bradford Gorson ’13, one of the team’s coaches. “Each student prepared diligently for this competition and the results are reflective of that.” The Haub Law team consists of 3L Priscilla Holloway, 2L Sophie Bacas, 2L Jacob Cannon, 2; Tenzin Lhamo, and 2L Victoria Perretti. The team was coached by two Haub Law alumni, Bradford Gorson ’13 and Steph Areford ’24, along with David Anderson. In addition to the team advancing, Sophie Bacas was awarded first place in the Best Prosecutor category for her performance during the competition.

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“Our team dedicated seven months of rigorous preparation to this competition, and the journey was nothing short of challenging—especially since none of us had prior experience with the ICC,” said 2L Tenzin Lhamo. “However, with the guidance of our exceptional coaches, Bradford Gorson, David Anderson, and Steph Areford, we were able to rise to the challenge.” Notably, alumni coach Bradford Gorson was part of the Haub Law team that competed in The Hague 12 years ago.

“Haub Law founded the ICC Moot and as it has grown into a global competition we now host the qualifying round for American teams hoping to compete in The Hague,” said Professor Alexander K.A. Greenawalt, who serves as faculty director of the Moot. “It is wonderful to have a Haub Law team advancing once again to the global competition.” The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is home to a top ranked trial advocacy program. In 2024, it was ranked #13 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, placing it impressively among the top 10% of schools nationwide.

The ICC Moot was first organized in 2004 by Haub Law Professor Emeritus Gayl S. Westerman and Matthew E. Brotmann. At the time, the moot was the world’s only moot court competition based on the law and procedures of the newly created ICC, the first permanent international tribunal dedicated to the prosecution of international criminal offenses. Since 2004, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has grown, and the Competition has grown with it. In 2014, Haub Law partnered with the International Criminal Court and the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies, Leiden University to create a global competition, the ICC Moot Court Competition, which is held annually in The Hague, Netherlands, with the final round judged at the ICC itself by ICC judges and legal officers. More recently, in 2017, the ICC Moot started its collaboration with the International Bar Association (IBA), and in 2020 the IBA became a name partner in the Competition.

This year, the five top US teams were the University of Chicago, Georgetown University Law Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, and Tulane University School of Law. These top five teams all qualified for the International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition to be held in June in The Hague.

2025 Regional Qualifying Round for the Americas and Caribbean results

Best Overall

• First: University of Chicago
• Second: Georgetown University Law Center
• Third: Case Western Reserve University School of Law

Best Preliminary Round Oralists – Prosecution

• First: Sophie Bacas, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
• Second: Jade Armstrong, University of Miami School of Law
• Third: Kaylara Benfield, Case Western Reserve University School of Law

Best Preliminary Round Oralists – Defense

• First: Inanna Khansa, University of Chicago
• Second: Rose Leakin, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• Third: Luke Dykowski, Georgetown University Law Center

Best Preliminary Round Oralists – Victims’ Advocate

• First: Vikram Ramaswamy, University of Chicago
• Second: Haley Dykstra, Tulane University School of Law
• Third: Minah Malik, University of Miami School of Law

Best Prosecutorial Memorial

• First: Georgetown University Law Center
• Second (TIE): Tulane University School of Law
• Second (TIE): Case Western Reserve University School of Law

Best Defense Memorial

• First: Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• Second: Georgetown University Law Center
• Third: University of Miami School of Law

Best Victims’ Advocate Memorial

• First: Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• Second (TIE): University of Miami School of Law
• Second (TIE): Georgetown University Law Center

Semifinalist Teams

• University of Chicago
• Georgetown University Law Center
• Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
• Tulane University School of Law

Participating Teams

• Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
• Georgetown University Law Center
• Tulane University School of Law
• University of Chicago
• University of Miami School of Law
• Chicago-Kent College of Law