Team

Karin Spencer has over 20 years of lobbying and public policy experience at the state capitol and has built a track record of success.

Throughout her career, she has given voice to underrepresented populations and those who serve them, delivering victories on high-profile, landmark initiatives including Raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility, Mental Health Parity, Social Work Licensure Implementation, Telehealth Reimbursement Mandates, LGBTQ protections, Family Peer Advocate Reimbursement, Insurance Reporting Mandates, and Equine Welfare.  In addition, she has garnered millions of dollars for programs serving at risk youth, veterans and equine facilities.

Spencer has navigated both policy and fiscal budget terrain for her clients including funding for broad reaching juvenile justice reforms, the provision of mental health services, loan forgiveness expansion, and scope of professional practice implementation.  She insightfully identifies areas of opportunity for clients in the budget and as a result has secured millions in funding for (a program she created) the state’s (nationally recognized and replicated) Veterans’ Mental Health Training Initiative the Problem Gambling Partnership, the Raise the Age Navigator Program and services to at risk youth, among others. 

Spencer graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York, Albany in 2000 with a B.S. in Social Welfare and in 2001, with a Master of Social Welfare (concentration in policy and administration). Ms. Carreau -Spencer has also co-developed and taught a graduate level course on social work policy at the State University of New York, Albany. 

Spencer’s competitive spirit and passion is also realized in her leisure pursuits, including her lifelong love of horses. She regularly competes in equestrian events, including Hunter Paces throughout New York’s Hudson Valley. Her lifelong passion for horses has also led to the creation of the state’s only equine welfare policy organization; HORSEPWR, Inc.

Demitrios “Jamie” Papapetros, Legislative Analyst. Jamie has over a decade of experience in government relations, identifying, tracking and analyzing pertinent legislation, providing legislative and electoral research, memo preparation and in depth legislative and regulatory reports.

While Jamie is comfortable navigating a wide breadth of legislative issues, his primary focus over the course of his career has been on legislative and regulatory initiatives related to the implementation of the federal and state mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) parity laws, including the enactment of the Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Parity Report (MH/SUD) Act in 2018-2019 and LGBTQ issues.

One of his proudest accomplishments was the orchestration of a campaign to organize mental health professionals and broad array of medical specialty societies and mental health consumer advocacy organizations in support of legislation to prohibit so-called “conversion therapy” -- efforts to change a minor’s sexual orientation, which was passed and signed into law in January 2019.

Jamie has worked on several state legislative and congressional races in New Jersey after graduating Summa Cum Laude from Rider University with Bachelor of Arts in in 2008, with a double major of Political Science and Radio/Television.

Jamie serves on the Board of Directors of the Mental Health Association of NYS and is active in other community activities.

Jamie enjoys running, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.