Kathleen M. Long

Kathleen M. Long (born February 16, 1977) is the current Business Administrator of the city of Paterson, New Jersey.
Early Life and Education
Long was born in Barnert Memorial Hospital in Paterson to parents Wayne and Margaret (Peggy). She attended the now-defunct Saint Anne School in neighboring Fair Lawn, New Jersey, graduating as class valedictorian in 1991. Following her graduation from elementary school, Long attended Immaculate Heart Academy in the Township of Washington, New Jersey, graduating in 1995 and earning the IHA Award as the graduating senior who best exemplified the spirit of the academy. She later attended Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Government. Upon her graduation, she earned the Coakley Medal, which was voted by the faculty and administration for the graduate “who manifested, above all others, the qualities of Catholic leadership in all phases of his or her college life", and the Lambert H. Spronck Medal, which was voted by the graduating class for the graduate “who has…combined good scholarship with significant contributions to extracurricular activities, and who has manifested a spirit of giving himself completely to whatever Georgetown project or activity he is engaged in."
Long would later attend University College Cork, Ireland as a George Mitchell Scholar, earning a Master of Science degree in 2002 in Commerce-Government. Her master's thesis, titled “Parity Democracy: An Examination of Gender in the Republic of Ireland,” would be later included as a chapter in an Irish political science textbook.
Pre-Government Career
After her graduation from Georgetown University and before attending University College Cork, Long worked as a fourth-grade teacher with the Inner City Teaching Corps at Holy Innocents Parish School in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.
Following her graduation from University College Cork, Long joined the US-Ireland Alliance as their Director of Development and Alumni Relations. The US-Ireland Alliance is a proactive, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to consolidating existing relations between the United States and Ireland (both North and South) and building that relationship for the future. While at the US-Ireland Alliance, Long raised funds from corporations and individuals in the United States and Ireland to support the George J. Mitchell Scholarship Program, planned, organized, and implemented fundraising and alumni events, and served as the chief liaison for Congressional delegation visits to Ireland.
Following her work at the US-Ireland Alliance, Long joined the Washington, DC office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP as a legal administrative assistant and policy analyst focused on international trade and intellectual property and tasked with analyzing legislative and George W. Bush Administration trade policies.
Long would later work as a development officer at a number of northern New Jersey non-profit organizations, including the New Jersey Community Development Corporation (2008-2009), her alma mater Immaculate Heart Academy (2010-2012), and Oasis-A Haven for Women and Children (2012-2017).
Government Career
Long was first involved in local politics in Paterson when she served as a field director in Andre Sayegh's unsuccessful 2010 run for Mayor. Following Sayegh's 2018 run for mayor, in which he won the election with roughly 41% of the vote in a six-person field, Long became Chief of Staff in the new Sayegh administration, where she managed the administration's strategic projects, oversaw the city's inaugural Innovation Team, led the city's grant efforts, worked on shared services agreements with the government of Passaic County, and was responsible for city park planning and improvement projects.
In January 2020, Mayor Sayegh announced that Long would be succeeding Vaughn McCoy as Business Administrator and Chief Operating Officer of the city. She was confirmed in the position by the Paterson City Council on February 25, 2020. This position oversees the management of departments and 1,400 employees across city government and a budget of roughly $270 million annually. She is also the responsible city officer for managing the oversight relationship exerted by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.
While Business Administrator, Long has partnered the city with the Bloomberg Philanthropies Government Innovation Programs, including What Works Cities and Center for Government Excellence (GovEx). She has also participated as a senior leader in the 2018-2019 Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative within the Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, which blends the public administration expertise of the Harvard Kennedy School, the management expertise of the Harvard Business School, and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ global innovation network and experience in hundreds of cities around the world.
Personal Life
Long is a resident of Paterson's second ward, after growing up in the city's third ward and Eastside Park Historic District. She has been married since 2009, and has two children.

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