Biography

Shelley Mayer, born and raised in Yonkers, has spent her career as an advocate for New Yorkers. She is an experienced and progressive leader, dedicated to charting a new course for Yonkers and New York. She was elected to the NYS Assembly from the 90th AD (Yonkers) in a Special Election on March 20th, 2012.

Prior to her election to the Assembly, Shelley was a Senior Counsel at the National State Attorney General Program at Columbia Law School, where she focused on health care and labor law rights. From 2007 until early 2011, Shelley worked as Chief Counsel to the New York State Senate Conference in Albany. For over seven years, she was Vice President of Government and Community Affairs at Continuum Health Partners, one of New York City’s largest teaching hospital systems, working to protect Medicaid and Medicare services.

From 1982 to 1994, Shelley was an Assistant Attorney General in the office of New York Attorney General Bob Abrams. She served in the Civil Rights Bureau, as Chief of the Westchester Regional Office, as the legislative liaison for the Attorney General and ultimately as a senior advisor to the Attorney General. As an Assistant Attorney General, Shelley fought to protect civil rights for New Yorkers and to broaden laws protecting consumers and tenants.

Shelley received a JD from SUNY Buffalo School of Law in 1979 and a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA in 1975.

Shelley has been actively involved in the Yonkers community, serving as a member of the Yonkers NAACP, Yonkers YWCA, Westchester Women’s Bar Association, and Westchester Women’s Agenda. Shelley also previously served on the Board of the Jewish Council of Yonkers/Westchester Community Partners and the Yonkers Public Library.

Shelley lives in Yonkers with her husband of 32 years, Lee Smith. Shelley and Lee have three adult children – Aaron, Julia, and Arthur Smith.

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