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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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| Name | Aravella Simotas |
| Address | 21-72 42nd St
Astoria, New York , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | [Link] |
| Born |
October 09, 1978
(46 years)
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| Contributor | Dodge Landesman |
| Last Modifed | KeystoneProgressive
Oct 28, 2024 03:52am |
| Tags |
Greek -
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| Info | Aravella Simotas, Assemblywoman for the 36th Assembly District in Queens, is the first Greek-American woman elected to office in New York, and the first woman elected to office from her district. A lifelong resident of Astoria, Queens, Aravella began her involvement in civic affairs in high school, where she organized events raising money for local charities. Since then, Aravella has devoted herself to making a positive impact on the lives of others.
Prior to her election to the New York State Assembly, Aravella worked at all levels of government. She began her career in public service at the New York City Council’s Office of Oversight and Investigation, where she focused on various public safety, youth and environmental issues. During law school, Aravella continued her advocacy for environmental causes at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and worked with her predecessor, New York State Senator Michael Gianaris, during the battle to curb construction of additional power plants in western Queens. Aravella also served as the district representative to New York City Council Speaker Peter F. Vallone, Sr. and Councilmember Peter F. Vallone, Jr.
After serving as a federal law clerk following law school, Aravella joined the firm Bickel & Brewer as a commercial litigator and focused on assisting defrauded investors in corporate governance litigation. She also volunteered a significant amount of time to the Bickel & Brewer Storefront, an organization that provides legal representation to the economically challenged and handles cases that have wide-spread impact on the community.
In her community, Aravella was a longtime member of Queens Community Planning Board # 1 and served on the boards of the United Community Civic Association and the Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund.
Aravella is a graduate of the New York City public school system. She attended Public School 17, Junior High School 126 and William C. Bryant High School in Astoria before receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and philosophy, summa cum laude, from Fordham University in 1999. She received her law degree from Fordham Law School in 2002, where she served as the managing editor of the Fordham Environmental Law Journal.
Aravella and her husband, John Katsanos, were married in 2004 and reside in Astoria.
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