Michael Seereiter

MIchael Seereiter serves as the President and CEO of the New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation (New York Alliance), an organization created through the 2018 merger of the New York State Association of Community and Residential Agencies (NYSACRA), and the New York State Rehabilitation Association (NYSRA). Seereiter's appointment as President and CEO of the New York Alliance began on October 1, 2019, immediately prior to which Seereiter served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the New York Alliance. As President/CEO of NYSRA previously, Seereiter played a critical role in facilitating the merger that resulted in the New York Alliance, which is now the largest statewide association representing intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) service provider organizations. 

During Seereiter's time with New York Alliance, Seereiter has served as the campaign manager for the #bFair2DirectCare campaign and has helped establish the New York Alliance as NYS' statewide technical assistance resource on managed care preparedness for the I/DD sector. Prior to NYSRA, Seereiter worked for the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) where he served in two different capacities: more recently, as Director of Planning; before that, as Administrator of the New York Makes Work Pay program, a federally-funded grant program supporting competitive employment opportunities and outcomes for all New Yorkers with disabilities. Seereiter previously served as Director of Mental Hygiene Services in the New York State Executive Chamber, with oversight responsibility for the agencies serving people with psychiatric disabilities, developmental disabilities and addiction treatment needs. 

Before joining the Governor's office, Seereiter served as Director of Public Policy for the Mental Health Association in New York State, Inc., playing a lead role in efforts to enact the mental health insurance parity law known as Timothy's Law and legislation to ban the use of solitary confinement for prisoners with psychiatric disabilities. Prior to the Mental Health Association, Seereiter served as Legislative Director for then-New York State Assembly Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Committee Chair, Marty Luster (Ithaca). On a personal level, Seereiter has a brother with Down syndrome - an experience he credits for helping to drive him into a professional career working on behalf of individuals with disabilities. 

Seereiter graduated from Ithaca College in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.