Robert J. Rodriguez (born April 11, 1976) is a Democratic politician serving as the

Secretary of State of New York The secretary of state of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York who leads the New York State Department of State, Department of State (NYSDOS). The current secretary of state of New York ...

. He formerly was member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

, representing the 68th Assembly District based in

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...

Education and early career

The son of former New York Councilman Robert Rodriguez, Robert J. Rodriguez was born and raised in East Harlem. He attended P.S. 112, River East Elementary School, Isaac Newton Middle School, and Cardinal Hayes High School. He holds a B.A. in history and political science from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, and received his M.B.A. from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. Rodriguez worked as a Vice President of a minority-owned public finance firm where he helped municipalities raise money for development and public works projects. During this time, he served as Chairman of

Manhattan Community Board 11 The Manhattan Community Board 11 is a New York City community board encompassing the Manhattan neighborhoods of East Harlem and Randalls Island. It is delimited by the East River on the east, 96th Street on the south, Fifth Avenue and Mount Mor ...

, representing East Harlem. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the

Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation The Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corp., also referred to as UMEZ, is a non-profit organization that seeks to revitalize economically deprived communities by using public funds and tax incentives as catalysts for private investment. ...

, which provided over $95 million in financing and grants to organizations in East Harlem. He has also served on the boards of the Terrance Cardinal Cooke Community Advisory Board, Catholic Charities Community Services of New York, and the Supportive Children's Advocacy Network of NY (Scan NY). He is a member of the New America Alliance, and a fellow on the Council for Urban Professionals (CUP). Jonathan Rodriguez was born and raised in East Harlem. He attended P.S. 112, River East Elementary School, Isaac Newton Middle School, and Cardinal Hayes High School.

Assembly

Rodriguez represented Assembly District 68, comprising East Harlem and Randalls and Wards Islands. He was elected to his seat in 2010. He was again elected in 2012, running unopposed on both the Democratic and Working Families Party platforms. Since joining the Assembly, Rodriguez has acted as Chair of the Mitchell-Lama Subcommittee, working to provide affordable housing. In addition, he serves as a member of the Banks, Health, Housing, Labor, Mental Health, and Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions committees. He is a part of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus, and is on the Executive Board of the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force. A new purportedly

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, "New York 4 Harlem", that actively solicited donations of $500 to $5,000 was reported in 2018 to allegedly have been a front for Rodriguez and three other Harlem elected officials. In addition, a flyer organizing a free bus trip to Albany for a conference organized by the NY State Assn. of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators with New York 4 Harlem's name on it featured a picture of Rodriguez and the three other officials. Nonprofit organizations are not allowed to take part in campaign activity. The contact person for the event was a staffer working in the office of one of the other three legislators.

References

External links

Official Assembly Website
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Robert J. 1976 births 21st-century American politicians Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in New York (state) Living people Cardinal Hayes High School alumni Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly New York University Stern School of Business alumni People from East Harlem Yale University alumni