Suzi Oppenheimer's Biography

Senator Suzi Oppenheimer has earned a reputation in the Legislature as an energetic and vocal advocate for education, environmental protection, child care, health care, fiscal reform and the arts.  Her record of community service, local government experience, and leadership on statewide issues has enabled her to work in a bipartisan manner to address the concerns of her constituents and all New Yorkers. 

In 2009, Senator Oppenheimer was appointed Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Education, having served on the Committee for 24 years and as the ranking Democrat for over a decade. She has worked extensively on all aspects of education policy, school funding, and property tax relief.  Senator Oppenheimer is also the Deputy Majority Leader for Intergovernmental Relations.

The Senator chairs the Senate Task Force on Women's Issues.  In that capacity, she has held hearings around the state on the issue of women in the work force, violent crime against women on college campuses, domestic violence as a health care issue, teen pregnancy prevention, sex education in schools, and alternative financing mechanisms for dependent care.   The Senator also serves as Treasurer of the Legislative Women’s Caucus, a bipartisan group of New York women legislators, which focuses on policy issues affecting women and children.

In 2004, Senator Oppenheimer served on the Special Joint Conference Committee on Budget Reform, which successfully negotiated major reforms to the state budget process. The Senator has sponsored dozens of reform proposals and has sponsored or co-sponsored numerous bills that have been signed into law.  These measures address such wide-ranging issues as clinic access, school violence, making hate crimes illegal, banning assault weapons, osteoporosis prevention, and reforming the notice provisions for property condemnation. 

Senator Oppenheimer has long been a leader in the Senate on environmental issues and programs. She sponsored legislation to create the Bi-State Long Island Sound Committee, which helps coordinate policy for the Sound in New York and Connecticut.   Consistently hailed as a “key voice for New York’s environmental community,” the Senator has worked closely with numerous statewide and Westchester County environmental groups.  

Senator Oppenheimer sits on numerous Boards, including the Westchester Community Opportunity Program, the Mental Health Association of Westchester, the Displaced Homemaker Program at Westchester Community College, and the UJA-Federation of  Larchmont/Mamaroneck. 

Prior to her election to the Senate, Suzi Oppenheimer served four terms as Mayor of the Village of Mamaroneck. She also served as President of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association and President of the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation. Earlier in her career,  she served as President of the Mamaroneck League of Women Voters and President of the PTA of the Central School in Mamaroneck.

Senator Oppenheimer received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Connecticut College for Women.  She subsequently became one of the first women to earn a Master’s Degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Business. Upon receiving her degree, she worked on Wall Street as an industry analyst for L. F. Rothschild & Company. 

The Senator is married to Martin J. Oppenheimer, a partner in the New York City law firm, Proskauer, Rose. The Oppenheimer's reside in Mamaroneck, where they raised their  four adult children: Marcy, Evan, Josh and Ali.  They are the proud grandparents of  six grandchildren.

Senator Oppenheimer was first elected to the Senate in November 1984 and has consistently won reelection by margins over 60%. The New York Times has called her "one of the Senate's bright lights."

Standing Committee Assignments 2009: Education (Chair); Aging; Cities; Environmental Conservation; Ethics; Finance; Higher Education