Stephanie Mash Sykes is the Founding Executive Director and General Counsel of the African American Mayors Association (AAMA) where she oversees the daily operations, policy agenda, and legal affairs of the AAMA.  Ms. Sykes also serves as a Google NextGen Tech Policy Leader and a member of the Bloomberg What Works Cities Standards Committee.  Prior to joining AAMA, she served as the Director of Governmental Affairs for African Americans working with the Office of the Sacramento Mayor. Ms. Sykes has also worked as an executive compensation and employee benefits attorney at international firms in New York City, NY and Palo Alto, CA. As an attorney, she also devoted many pro bono hours to advising non-profit organizations and small businesses, and received the New York Legal Aid Society Pro Bono Publico Award for outstanding pro bono legal service. Prior to law school, Ms. Sykes worked as a policy analyst at the New Jersey General Assembly where she focused on legislation related to municipal governance, consumer affairs, and economic development and assisted with the Black Caucus of the General Assembly. Ms. Sykes received her J.D. from Duke University School of Law and her undergraduate degree from Princeton University where she majored in Politics and received certificates in African American Studies and Latin American Studies.  She is admitted to practice law in New York State and Washington, D.C.