Zellnor Myrie: Biography
Zellnor Y. Myrie is a Democratic member of the New York State Senate representing the 20th district, which encompasses neighborhoods across Central Brooklyn including Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Park Slope, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens 1. Born on November 3, 1986, in Brooklyn, New York City, Myrie is the son of Costa Rican immigrants who came to the United States over four decades ago, drawn by the promise of opportunity that the city offered working-class newcomers 2. His mother arrived in Brooklyn on the promise of a mattress in a friend's apartment and a job at a factory, and her story has remained a central source of inspiration for his public service 3.
Myrie grew up in the Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood and attended New York City public schools throughout his childhood . He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School, one of the city's elite specialized public high schools . He went on to attend Fordham University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a Master of Arts in Urban Studies 6. His academic focus on urban policy would inform much of his later legislative work on housing, community development, and tenant protections.
After completing his graduate studies, Myrie enrolled at Cornell Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree . During his time at Cornell, he served as student government president, taught a prison law course, and participated as a pro bono scholar . His law school experience deepened his engagement with criminal justice reform issues that would later become central to his legislative portfolio.
Before entering electoral politics, Myrie built a professional background that spanned both public service and corporate law. He worked as a Legislative Director in the New York City Council for Council Member Fernando Cabrera, where he played a key role in drafting the Tenants' Bill of Rights 9. He also served as a summer associate at Jones Lang LaSalle and completed a legal internship at the United States Attorney's Office 10. Following law school, Myrie joined Davis Polk and Wardwell, a prominent international corporate law firm, as an associate . During his tenure there, he logged over 600 hours of pro bono legal work in a single year, focusing on initiatives related to affordable housing advocacy and community-oriented legal services 12.
Myrie is married to former Assembly Member Diana Richardson, who represented the 43rd Assembly District in Crown Heights and Prospect Lefferts Gardens . The couple got engaged in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in November 2022 during the annual SOMOS political conference, and Myrie publicly revealed their marriage during a February 2024 speech . They share a connection through their overlapping Central Brooklyn districts and their shared experience of being pepper-sprayed by the NYPD during the May 2020 George Floyd protests at Barclays Center . The couple rents an apartment together in Prospect Lefferts Gardens .
Myrie has served in the State Senate since January 2019, having been elected in 2018 as part of an insurgent wave of progressive Democrats who ended years of Republican-aligned control of the chamber . He currently serves as Chair of the Senate Codes Committee and has previously chaired the Elections Committee 18. His legislative work has centered on voting rights, criminal justice reform, gun safety, affordable housing, and tenant protections.
Overview
Zellnor Y. Myrie is a Democratic member of the New York State Senate representing the 20th district, which encompasses neighborhoods across Central Brooklyn including Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Park Slope, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens 1. Born on November 3, 1986, in Brooklyn, New York City, Myrie is the son of Costa Rican immigrants who came to the United States over four decades ago, drawn by the promise of opportunity that the city offered working-class newcomers 2. His mother arrived in Brooklyn on the promise of a mattress in a friend's apartment and a job at a factory, and her story has remained a central source of inspiration for his public service 3.
Myrie grew up in the Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood and attended New York City public schools throughout his childhood . He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School, one of the city's elite specialized public high schools . He went on to attend Fordham University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a Master of Arts in Urban Studies 6. His academic focus on urban policy would inform much of his later legislative work on housing, community development, and tenant protections.
After completing his graduate studies, Myrie enrolled at Cornell Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree . During his time at Cornell, he served as student government president, taught a prison law course, and participated as a pro bono scholar . His law school experience deepened his engagement with criminal justice reform issues that would later become central to his legislative portfolio.
Before entering electoral politics, Myrie built a professional background that spanned both public service and corporate law. He worked as a Legislative Director in the New York City Council for Council Member Fernando Cabrera, where he played a key role in drafting the Tenants' Bill of Rights 9. He also served as a summer associate at Jones Lang LaSalle and completed a legal internship at the United States Attorney's Office 10. Following law school, Myrie joined Davis Polk and Wardwell, a prominent international corporate law firm, as an associate . During his tenure there, he logged over 600 hours of pro bono legal work in a single year, focusing on initiatives related to affordable housing advocacy and community-oriented legal services 12.
Myrie is married to former Assembly Member Diana Richardson, who represented the 43rd Assembly District in Crown Heights and Prospect Lefferts Gardens . The couple got engaged in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in November 2022 during the annual SOMOS political conference, and Myrie publicly revealed their marriage during a February 2024 speech . They share a connection through their overlapping Central Brooklyn districts and their shared experience of being pepper-sprayed by the NYPD during the May 2020 George Floyd protests at Barclays Center . The couple rents an apartment together in Prospect Lefferts Gardens .
Myrie has served in the State Senate since January 2019, having been elected in 2018 as part of an insurgent wave of progressive Democrats who ended years of Republican-aligned control of the chamber . He currently serves as Chair of the Senate Codes Committee and has previously chaired the Elections Committee 18. His legislative work has centered on voting rights, criminal justice reform, gun safety, affordable housing, and tenant protections.