With a distinguished career spanning over twenty years in government and business,
Mr. Cleary has developed the leadership and political skills critical to so many of Knickerbocker’s clients. Knickerbocker’s founding partner, Mr. Cleary has developed key relationships over his many years of public and private service.

Mr. Cleary’s public service career began in 1986 when he worked as an intern for then-Assemblyman George E. Pataki. Following a career in law enforcement, Mr. Cleary served as a member of the 1994 Pataki campaign, co-chairing the Albany County team. After serving on the transition team, Mr. Cleary went on to work in Governor Pataki’s office as Special Assistant to the Counsel to the Governor.

Mr. Cleary held several other executive positions during the Pataki Administration, including Director of Executive Services for the Department of Correctional Services, Director of the Office of Project Development for the Thruway Authority and Canal Corporation, Director of the Office of Special Projects at the Workers’ Compensation Board, and Assistant Commissioner for Government Affairs at the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.

Mr. Cleary’s extensive experience in government relations includes four years as Managing Director of Leinster Associates of North America. During his time at Leinster, Mr. Cleary managed the accounts of several high-profile clients such as Avis Rent A Car, Hartford Life Insurance and Oracle.

Mr. Cleary also served for three years as President of the Ireland Chamber of Commerce, where he oversaw daily operations at a business and marketing alliance of over two thousand members. In this capacity, Mr. Cleary organized and coordinated two gubernatorial trade missions to Ireland with the Governors of New York and Connecticut. During his tenure at the Ireland Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Cleary presided over a forty percent increase in membership of the organization.

Mr. Cleary has been active in a number of political campaigns at the local, state, and national level. In addition to service with the Rensselaer County Republican Committee, Mr. Cleary has run for local office and served as Labor Liaison for the 1994 Dennis Vacco for Attorney General Campaign. Mr. Cleary chaired the Irish for Pataki/Donohue Committee in 1998, and twice served as national co-chair for Irish for Bush/Cheney. Mr. Cleary served on the Florida recount team in Miami-Dade County in 2000 and on the Bush/Cheney Legal Team in Cleveland, OH in 2004.

Mr. Cleary managed the statewide campaign of J. Christopher Callaghan, the 2006 Republican and Conservative candidate for New York State Comptroller. Mr. Cleary’s work on the campaign resulted in Mr. Callaghan receiving more votes on the Republican and Conservative lines than any other statewide candidate.

Mr. Cleary has served on the Executive Board of the New York State Irish Famine Memorial, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center. Mr. Cleary is currently the Rensselaer County Chairman for the John McCain campaign, a delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention from the 20th Congressional District, Executive Director of Irish for McCain, Executive Director of the Irish American Republicans, and President of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform.

Mr. Cleary’s remarkable width and breadth of private and public sector experience is unmatched, and his belief in the power of personal relationships and service is the driving force behind Knickerbocker’s people-based philosophy.