On the heels of the most productive legislative session in recent memory, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a change at the highest rung of his administration this morning.

Steven Cohen, who had served as Cuomo’s top adviser dating back to his attorney general days, will step down as Secretary to the Governor, the number two position in the administration. The new secretary will be Larry Schwartz, who had previously been serving as a senior advisor.

Cohen served as an intern in Mario Cuomo’s administration, before joining Andrew at the beginning of his tenure as attorney general. Cohen has long been lauded by those inside and outside the administration as an extremely smart, and likable, personality in the executive office.

Rumors about Cohen’s departure have been kicking around the Capitol for awhile now. Cohen has young children and there was a sense that he might prefer to leave the rigors of government sooner rather than later.

Schwartz, who previously served as secretary to Governor David Paterson, was kept on by Cuomo when he became governor in January. But their connection dates back much further; Schwartz served as deputy campaign manager on Mario Cuomo’s losing effort in 1994.

Update: The original post misstated Schwartz’s position under Paterson, and didn’t mention Cohen was an intern, not an aide.

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