New Communications Director Selected For Board Of Legislators

WHITE PLAINS, NY — The Westchester County Board of Legislators has chosen a new director of communications. Chairman Ben Boykin announced Wednesday that Jason Chervokas of Hastings-on-Hudson, a journalist, educator and entrepreneur with more than two decades of experience in the news business, will start coordinating communication efforts on behalf of the Board’s chairman and Democratic majority caucus, effective Feb. 26, 2018.

Chervokas comes to the board from ABC, where he served as an editor at ABC Radio, the national network radio arm of ABC News. As part of the team at ABC Radio, he was a two-time recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence from the Radio Television Digital News Association.

During his long career, Chervokas has served as reporter, editor and investor in print, broadcast and digital news ventures, covering politics, business, media technology and the arts while working with major news organizations like The New York Times and top news talent like Kurt Andersen.

As an internet entrepreneur, Chervokas was co-founder and co-editor of @NY, a pioneering early online publication and the first publication of any sort to cover the Internet and new media industries in New York. During his stint running @NY, he not only directed coverage, developed new products and hired staff, but also completed deals with a range of other news organizations and ultimately negotiated the successful sale of the company to Internet.com. During this period, Chervokas served on the Board of Directors of the New York New Media Association and on a Silicon Alley advisory group for the Diebold Institute for Public Policy Studies, and was a frequent speaker at industry events.

Boykin said that “Jason is an excellent choice to direct our multi-faceted communications strategy. He is a seasoned and creative professional who will enhance our abilities to improve all aspects of our messaging using diversified media platforms.”

Chervokas is a graduate of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where he won the Emily Genaur Prize in Arts Criticism, and has taught journalism to undergraduates.

A lifelong Westchester resident, Chervokas' involvement in local political and community affairs began with volunteering for Jimmy Carter's New York presidential primary run and continued through the formation of a community advocacy group, the Hastings Community Coalition, and volunteer work on various town and county campaigns. He currently lives in Hastings-on-Hudson with his wife, Leslie Chervokas.

Logo: Westchester County Board of Legislators.