News

March 27, 2024

AHRC New York City Honors Maureen E. O’Brien, President and CEO of New York State Industries for the Disabled

Maureen E. O’Brien, the first female President and CEO of New York State Industries for the Disabled, will be honored at AHRC New York City’s 75th Anniversary Gala on May 13 at Tribeca 360°, for her tireless efforts in creating meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities, including over 1,000 people supported by AHRC NYC. O’Brien will be recognized when AHRC NYC presents the 2024 Hall of Honor.

A life-long New Yorker, she is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.A.) and New York University (M.A.).

New York State Industries for the Disabled (NYSID) is the designated facilitator of the Preferred Source Program for individuals with disabilities and qualified veterans in New York State. O’Brien manages the execution of over 1,000 state and municipal contracts on behalf of 140 disability service provider member agencies and private sector integrated businesses. Annually, approximately 5,000 individuals with disabilities are gainfully employed through the program. O’Brien combines her private sector experience, diversity equity and inclusion expertise, and her desire to provide opportunities and advancement to individuals with disabilities bringing transformational change to the organization.

After serving as the Director of State Operations to 20th Congressional District Representative and Homeland Security Appropriator John E. Sweeney, O’Brien became the Director of Government Affairs for Motorola Solutions Inc. (MSI) in 2007. In 2016 she was elevated to Executive Director. In her tenure at MSI, O’Brien secured public funding for over $1b in public safety projects. She was the recipient of numerous awards and recognition during her career at MSI.

O’Brien’s reputation in the state houses she has called on and among the member agencies of NYSID is that of an honest broker and trusted advisor with a keen understanding of the political process. Those who work closely with her are witness to her sense of humor, deep network of respectful colleagues and persistence in leaving no stone unturned.

Throughout her career, O’Brien has served on a host of boards associated with her passion of providing advancement to individuals with disabilities. Shortly after joining NYSID in 2018, O’Brien was recognized by numerous organizations, including, in 2020 by the Albany Business Review as a Community Connector for Leadership in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and by City and State New York as a Socially Responsible 100 Leader. She also received a Game Changer Award from Special Olympics New York and the Anthony J. Koenig Volunteer Service Award from the Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State, both for her leadership in making COVID-19 vaccines accessible to individuals with disabilities.

O’Brien and her husband Dr. Paul F. Vogt have four boys Patrick, Andrew, Christopher and Gabriel.