JCOPE Names Sanford Berland Executive Director

The New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics (“Commission”) today is pleased to announce that it has named the Honorable Sanford Berland as its fourth executive director.

Judge Berland has a distinguished record on the Court of Claims and Supreme Court, as well as a long career in private practice, including 14 years at Pfizer, Inc., and a clerkship with federal District Court Judge Edward Neaher, Jr. in the Eastern District of New York. Judge Berland is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo as well as SUNY Buffalo Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review.

“Judge Berland will be a strong and independent voice to lead the staff of JCOPE and work alongside my colleagues and I,” said Commission Chair Camille Joseph Varlack. “I welcome Judge Berland to the Commission, and look forward to the next chapter at JCOPE.”

The Commission’s Executive Director reports to the 14 Commissioners, six of whom are appointed by the Governor and Lieutenant Governor and eight of whom are appointed by the leaders of the Legislature. The Commission’s members are evenly split among the two major parties.   Executive Director Berland’s appointment was supported by Commissioners representing both major political parties in both the Legislative and Executive branches of New York State government, as required.  Judge Berland’s appointment follows a nationwide recruitment effort that included placing advertisements in top legal publications and newspapers. Executive Director Berland will lead a full-time staff of 50 people and oversee an agency budget of approximately $5.6 million.