Thursday, November 20, 2008

New York State Senator
Toby Ann Stavisky	16th Senate District

Biography

— Senator Toby Ann Stavisky

          Toby Ann Stavisky, the first woman from Queens County to be elected to the State Senate, is a native New Yorker who was born and raised on the upper west side of Manhattan. She attended local public schools before graduating from Bronx High School of Science and Syracuse University which she attended on an academic scholarship and where she received her Bachelor's degree. The Senator completed graduate school at Hunter and Queens Colleges.

          After working in the actuarial department of a major insurance company, Mrs. Stavisky taught Social Studies in the New York City high schools, including Brooklyn Technical, Haaren and Thomas Edison.

          She served as district manager in Northeast Queens for the 1980 Census, where she directed more than 1,000 field and office staff and was cited by the Commerce Department for her outstanding work.

          In the community, Senator Stavisky has been involved in a wide array of activities on such issues as better schools, improved programs for older adults, social justice and opportunities for New Americans.

          Senator Stavisky was a founder of the North Flushing Senior Center and served on its Board of Directors. She serves as an trustee of the Whitestone Hebrew Centre where she and her husband were honored as the "Couple of the Year."

          Mrs. Stavisky has also been honored by the Electchester Athletic Association and the Mitchell-Linden Junior Baseball League for her work with young people. The Association for Neurologically Impaired Brain Injured Children honored Senator Stavisky and the Counseling, Admissions and Financial Aid Legislative Consortium presented her with an award "in recognition of her vigorous support of Higher Education." The Senator has also been honored by Hadassah, CUNY, the Taiwanese Association of America, the Korean American Association of Flushing, the Flushing Chamber of Commerce and Business Association as well as the 112th Precinct Community Council. She was also honored as a "Worthy Woman of Forest Hills." Senator Stavisky was the recipient of the Claire Shulman Award from the "Top 10 Women in Business" and was selected as the 2007 Legislator of the Year by the New York State Opthamological Society. In April 2008 Sen. Stavisky was presented the Rose Kryzak Legislative Award from the Queens Interagency Council on the Aging, for her dedicated service to seniors across Queens.

          In January 2003, Senator Stavisky was appointed Assistant Minority Whip. She serves as the Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Committee on Higher Education.

          In 1964, the former Toby Ann Goldhaar was married to Dr. Leonard Price Stavisky, a university professor, who served in the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate from 1966 until his death in June of 1999. She resides in Whitestone and has one son, Evan, a partner in The Parkside Group, who is married to Kristen Zebrowski.

          Senator Toby Ann Stavisky was elected to the Senate on November 2, 1999, with more than 92% of the vote and has subsequently been re-elected four times. The 16th Senate District in Central and Northeastern Queens includes the communities of Bay Terrace, Bayside, Beechhurst, Clearview Gardens, Electchester, Elmhurst, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Hillcrest, Kew Gardens Hills, Mitchell Linden, Oakland Gardens, Pomonok, Queensboro Hill, Rego Park, Whitestone, and Woodside.

Standing Committee Assignments 2008: Higher Education (Ranking Minority); Aging; Civil Service and Pensions; Education; Finance; Tourism, Recreation and Sports Development; Transportation.

VOTE IN 2006 GENERAL ELECTION

Toby Ann Stavisky,
Dem.    34,157
Wor.        1,977
             36,134

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