Grace is the founding executive director of the 5BORO Institute, an innovative non-partisan public policy think tank focused on New York City.

Grace is a former award-winning journalist who spent 11 years as an on-air political reporter at NY1 News, focusing on city, state, and national politics. She hosted NY1’s weekly podcast “Off Topic/On Politics” and was the guest host of NY1’s nightly public affairs show, “Inside City Hall.” Grace was awarded the Society of Professional Journalists’ national Sunshine Award for her contributions to open government.

After leaving NY1, Grace led communications at BridgeBio Pharma. During Grace’s tenure, BridgeBio had its first two FDA drug approvals and was named one of Fast Company’s most innovative biotech companies.

Grace’s writing has been published in The New York Times, The Atlantic and the New York Daily News, and she has made numerous appearances on MSNBC to provide political analysis. She graduated with honors from Stanford University and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their two daughters.

Stephanie Bazell, Esq. is the Senior Director of Policy at the 5BORO Institute, where she leads the development of innovative policy campaigns for the betterment of our city.

She previously served as Director of Policy & Advocacy at College & Community Fellowship, where she addressed the systemic barriers faced by currently and formerly incarcerated women. In this role she helped shepherd major legislative victories including the reinstatement of Pell on the federal level and repeal of the ban on the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) for incarcerated people in NYS. Prior she served as Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel to a New York State Senator. She had previously spent years in the NYS Governor’s Office in roles ranging from Assistant Counselor to Special Counsel for the Deputy Secretary of Public Safety. In these capacities she helped build New York’s first statewide system for risk management. She also managed the Hate Crimes Task Force and assisted with interdisciplinary approaches to opioids, suicide, gangs and incarceration.

An award-winning activist, Stephanie was listed in City & State’s 2021 “40 under 40 in Nonprofits” and was a nominee in 2021 Women in Government Relations’ Excellence in Advocacy Awards. She designed legislation and a campaign that was a finalist in Fast Company’s 2021 “World Changing Ideas.” Stephanie’s writing has been published in the New York Daily News and The Crime Report. She graduated from Duke University and NYU School of Law, where she clerked for the Brennan Center.

Tasfia Nayem is the Chief of Staff of the 5BORO Institute, where she oversees organizational strategy, operations, and finance.

Tasfia previously worked at the NYC Mayor’s Office, where she most recently served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Office of Climate and Environmental Justice. In this role, she helped advance the City’s climate goals, including by developing ambitious policies, establishing partnerships with other cities and governments, and coordinating major strategic plans and reports such as PlaNYC and OneNYC. Previously, she was a climate change communicator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she helped create national strategies for Obama Administration policies, including the Paris Climate Agreement. She has supported cities across the U.S. and internationally on innovative policies through past work at thinktanks and on consulting projects.

Tasfia received her Master’s degree from Duke University, where she also taught a graduate seminar on international climate agreements and served as the Executive Policy Editor of Duke Law School’s environmental law journal. She serves on the board of the National Parks Conservation Association, and is a proud alumna of SUNY Binghamton and the NYC public school system.