Thomas Gosdeck
Born in Buffalo, NY, Thomas J. Gosdeck received his initial educating in parochial and public schools in the Buffalo and Rochester areas, ultimately graduating from Penfield High School in 1969. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the State University College at Brockport in 1973 and his Juris Doctor Degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1976. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1979.
After leaving New York for a short period, he returned to accept a position with the Rochester-based law firm of Laverne, Sortino and Hanks. There, he was engaged in the practice of law until 1979, when he accepted a position with the New York State Senate. From 1979-1982 he served as counsel to the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation, where he was involved with negotiations on issues including the early response to the Love Canal tragedy, the successful effort to restore the solvency of the Conservation Fund, and the early stages of the New York’s Solid Waste plan development.
From 1982 to 1984 he served as counsel to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, where he led Senate negotiations on such issues as the development of producer security funds for agricultural and dairy producers and efforts to minimize the impact of real property tax increases on agricultural producers. From 1985 to 1988, he served as counsel to the Senate Committee on Consumer Protection, negotiating such legislation as item pricing and new and used car lemon laws. During his tenure with the Senate, he also practiced law in association with the firm of Newman, Kehoe, Wunder, Bartlett and Gosdeck in Lyons, New York.
In May 1988 he joined the lobbying firm of Richard Z. Steinhaus Associates and the law firm of Steinhaus and Gosdeck as a partner. After the death of Mr. Steinhaus in 1989, he joined the Albany law firm of DeGraff, Foy, and Holt-Harris & Mealey where he remained a partner in the Lobbying Department. In 1993, he joined with a fellow DeGraff partner, Jeffrey L. Hill, and with John W. Vandervort Consultants to form a new lobbying firm known as Vandervort, Hill and Gosdeck. When a client conflict put him in a position that he felt presented an unacceptable conflict of interest, Thomas joined with Jeffrey Hill to form Hill & Gosdeck in1998. That firm remains today as Hill, Gosdeck, McGraw and Nemeth.
Over his career, Thomas has represented a variety of businesses and trade associations including the Associations of Automobile Manufacturers, Kraft Foods and the credit reporting industry. He is a founding member of the New York Food Group and, in 1997, was one of 16 people named by Governor George Pataki to a Task Force on the future of New York’s dairy and dairy processing industries.
A staunch advocate of community service, Thomas is a former Trustee of the Aquinas Institute of Rochester and a member of the Board of Directors of Camp Good Days and Special Times, a not-for-profit organization that provides services for children with cancer. He was recently honored by being one of the first 21 members of that charity’s Ring of Honor. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Brockport College Foundation and Chairman of the Brockport College Government Relations Committee. In 2006, he was inducted to the Hall of Heritage, the highest award that the Brockport College Alumni Association can bestow. He currently serves on the organization committee for the Speaker's Cup golf tournament, the Senate Majority Golf Outing, The Assembly Minority Golf Outing and most recently, the Senate Democratic Golf Outing.
Thomas is married to Catherine Schuth Gosdeck. They reside in East Greenbush, New York and Leland, North Carolina.
