Robert J. Rodriguez

Robert J. Rodriguez (born April 11, 1976) is a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 68th Assembly District based in East Harlem.

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, and received his M.B.A. from New York University.

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 Community Board 11, representing East Harlem. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation, 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).

Assembly

Rodriguez currently represents 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.