Senator José M. Serrano, a lifelong South Bronx resident, was elected to the New York State Senate in November of 2004. He is the Chair of the Senate Democratic Conference and serves as the Ranking Member on the Senate Committee for Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation. His other committee assignments include: Aging, Agriculture, Children and Families Consumer Protection, Environmental Conservation, Mental Health, and Veterans. After graduating from Manhattan College in the Bronx, Senator Serrano joined the New York Shakespeare Festival, where he deepened his love for the arts and culture, with a true understanding of the role the arts play in education and community revitalization. After leaving the Shakespeare Festival, Serrano was elected to the New York City Council (District 17) in 2001, representing the South Bronx. As Chair of the Council’s Committee on Cultural Affairs, Serrano was an outspoken proponent for the arts, libraries and cultural institutions. Senator Serrano resisted budget cuts to programs in New York City libraries, and, with his colleagues in the Council, restored an average of $20 million each year to maintain library service during the city’s fiscal crisis. He also fought to restore $40 million over three years to cultural organizations, especially small, neighborhood-based groups that nurture local artists. In 2004, Serrano was elected to the New York State Senate, representing what is now the 29th Senate District. His district has perhaps the greatest socio-economic and cultural diversity in the state, including neighborhoods in the South and West Bronx, East Harlem, Upper Yorkville, Roosevelt Island, Central Park and the Upper West Side. Serrano’s commanding 82 percent of the vote demonstrated the voters’ clear mandate for change and reform in Albany and in their community.