Stefani L. Zinerman is a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly representing the 56th District in Brooklyn, encompassing Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights. Born on October 30, 1964, she is a third-generation resident of Bed-Stuy and has served since January 2021, succeeding Tremaine Wright. Notable achievements include passing the Community Hiring Act for equitable public project hiring and the Plain Language Bill to simplify ballot proposals; securing $6 million for a Bed-Stuy Volunteer Ambulance Corps facility with the district's first birthing center; leading the establishment of the Cultural Museum of Art – Eric Edwards Collection; and chairing the Subcommittee on Emerging Workforce to connect youth to careers in clean energy, transportation, and technology. She also advances food justice, urban agriculture, homeowner protections, tenant rights, cultural preservation, and health equity, while recently announcing legislation in February 2026 to combat racism in public workplaces. Zinerman is a member of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus and the Assembly Committee on Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force.

Education and Political Experience

Zinerman studied business management at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Her professional background includes work in banking and beverage distribution, followed by serving as a senior manager for a New York City adult literacy program; she also served as a pastor and was active in community organizations like the Brooklyn NAACP and as chair of Age-Friendly Central Brooklyn. Prior to her Assembly election in 2020—where she won the Democratic primary and ran unopposed in the general—she built community initiatives such as the Underground Reading Railroad literacy program, Power Up: Youth Leading Change civic engagement curriculum, and efforts for a Central Brooklyn Innovation Center focused on revitalization, workforce development, and affordable housing.