Marc Cohen brings an impressive array of government, advocacy, and business experience and relationships to his role as OD&A’s Vice President of Government Affairs. He has been a key member of OD&A’s Executive Leadership Team since joining the firm in September 2024.
As Chief of Staff at the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, Cohen worked with former New York Lieutenant Governor Bob Duffy to advance the needs of over 1,300 members to create jobs, support business, and improve the quality of life throughout the nine-county Finger Lakes Region. Cohen played a key role in securing wins for members with various agencies including the NYS Departments of State, Health, Transportation, and Motor Vehicles as well as the State Liquor Authority, Office of Cannabis Management, and Empire State Development. Cohen also played a key role as the Rochester Chamber’s lead staffer in the successful Rochester-Buffalo-Syracuse bid for the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub designation while serving as the principal staff lead for Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council Co-Chair Bob Duffy. At the Chamber, Marc oversaw government relations, legislative affairs, and their robust advocacy efforts. He worked closely with local, state, and federal agencies in service to over 1,300 members throughout the nine-county Finger Lakes Region of New York.
A very active member of the Finger Lakes Community, Cohen serves on a variety of boards including the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester, the United Way of Rochester/Finger Lakes’ Emerging Leaders Society, and the ROC City Coalition. He also volunteers as an EMT with Pittsford Ambulance and is a 40 under 40 recipient from both City & State New York and the Rochester Business Journal.
Cohen has also served as a Trustee for the State University of New York and as a two-term President of the SUNY Student Assembly, elected to represent the more than 500,000 students across SUNY’s 64 campuses. During his time with SUNY, Marc worked on issues including food insecurity, college access and affordability, diversity and inclusion, and mental health, and traveled across the country building advocacy coalitions to advance these issues nationally. He co-chaired the Board’s Student Life Committee and testified several times in Albany to lend insight on the nation’s largest system of higher education.
Cohen’s experience in local, state, and federal policy includes working for then Member of Congress Kathy Hochul in her District Office and in the Lieutenant Governor’s Office in Albany under Bob Duffy and Kathy Hochul.
Marc grew up in Amherst, New York, and graduated summa cum laude from the University at Albany before completing his Master of Public Administration from UAlbany’s Rockefeller College. While at the University at Albany, Marc worked as a Research Fellow in the Office of the Provost and co-authored the book Diversity at College: Real Stories of Students Conquering Bias and Making Higher Education More Inclusive. The book has received numerous accolades including from American Bookfest, Foreword INDIES, and Independent Press.
Marc lives in Rochester, NY, with his wife, Dr. Emily Cohen, their son, Benjamin, and their pup, Knox.
