Andrea Stewart-Cousins

Majority Leader, Senator 3rd District

Expertise: Strategy, Leadership

Experience: 25 Years

Email: scousins@nysenate.gov

Phone: (518) 455-2585

Andrea Stewart-Cousins was born and raised in New York to parents that encouraged a life grounded in faith, education and service. Since the beginning of her career in government, Senator Stewart- Cousins has espoused the values of empathy, empowerment and civic engagement. These values, along with her strong belief in advocating for the underserved and championing the needs of working families, have distinguished her as a trailblazer in local and State government. Senator Stewart-Cousins was first elected to the State Senate in 2006 and currently represents Greenburgh, part of White Plains, part of New Rochelle, part of Yonkers and Scarsdale. In December of 2012, she was elected by her colleagues to serve as Leader of the Senate Democratic Conference, becoming the first female leader of a legislative conference in New York State history. In January 2019, she made history again when she was elected Majority Leader. Senator Stewart-Cousins is a strong advocate for human rights; quality education; accessible and affordable health care; and making government more efficient, transparent and accountable to all citizens. Her belief that creating change locally affects changes on the State level has driven her legislative and policy agenda at home and in Albany. Senator Stewart-Cousins earned her Bachelor of Science Degree from Pace University and her teaching credentials in Business Education from Lehman College while raising her children as an adult. In 2008, she earned her Masters of Public Administration from Pace University, and is a proud member of Pi Alpha Alpha - a Public Administration Honor Society. Prior to entering public service, she spent twenty years in the private sector, working in customer service, sales and marketing for New York Telephone/AT&T for thirteen years and later worked as a reporter and teacher. Senator Stewart-Cousins resides in Yonkers, was married to the late Thomas Cousins and has three children and four grandchildren.

Biography

Tasha Diaz, a proud lifelong resident of Yonkers, is a wife, a mother of two children, and a product of the Yonkers Public School System. Diaz is the first woman of color to represent District 3. She ran for City Council in 2019 because she saw the need to help people in her community and could not ignore the problems they were experiencing. She now serves as the Majority Leader of the City Council and chairs both the Education Committee and the Environmental Policy and Protection Committee.

Diaz has deep family connections within the community as her family has held membership in the Community Baptist Church on North Broadway for many years. Diaz is also a former Girl Scout and Co- Founder of the Jefferson Terrace Cooking Academy. She has served as the President of her tenant’s association and has helped many other communities start their own tenant’s associations as well. Diaz is also a proud pageant mom.

As an active member of her community, Diaz runs a weekly food drive to distribute nutritious meals to those in need and then personally delivers food items to those who are unable to attend the distribution. She has also worked hard to keep her constituents safe during the Covid-19 pandemic, having established testing sites, vaccination sign-ups, and free transportation to medical appointments. Diaz has also allocated millions of dollars in capital monies to improve parks around the city to ensure the residents and children have the best quality of life.

Majority Leader Diaz is a proud graduate of Saunders High School where she earned a license in Cosmetology. She also studied Early Childhood Education at the Stratford Career Institute. Her Early Childhood Education enabled her to work as an Assistant Teacher at the TimberRidge Family Center. She is also a former member of County Executive George Latimer’s Women’s Advisory Board.

Diaz comes from a family of service and giving back to the community, which is her number one driver for getting things done. That background has given her the foundation to advocate passionately for those she represents. Diaz has dedicated herself to her community by working full-time in her position at the Yonkers City Council. She has made it her mission to be a true public servant and encourages her constituents to reach out to her with any concerns they may have.