ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Gina.
WHERE I COME FROM
I grew up with two older brothers and two older sisters – the product of a Brady Bunch-style blended marriage. The daughter of first-generation Italian Americans, my mother -- Rosalie -- was a stay-at-home mom, and my father -- Salvatore -- was an auto mechanic who went on to own his own gas and service station in Hauppauge. We lived in Mt. Sinai until my father passed away of cancer just before my 12th birthday in 1990.
Prior to my dad’s death and knowing she would eventually need to go back to work, my mom fulfilled a lifelong dream by enrolling at Suffolk County Community College at the age of 45. Without childcare options, I went with her and would sit in the back of the classroom with crayons and coloring books. It was through my mother that I learned the importance of a good education and to never stop chasing your dreams.
A CAREER IN SERVICE
After graduating from the University of Georgia, I came home to Long Island to begin my nearly two-decade career in government. It began at the Nassau County Legislature, where I learned the value of constituent services. For me, it was never about partisan politics. It was about working hard and getting results for the people you serve.
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During that time, I worked to secure millions for the local fire departments, helped thousands of constituents with issues from repairing potholes to navigating their personal tragedies - I worked to get much needed infrastructure projects delivered for the district, and helped bring hundreds of thousands of dollars in community development block grants to improve our schools.
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In 2010, I was appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Community Services at the Town of North Hempstead. In this role, I worked with a wide variety of constituency groups, including forming the first Asian American Festival Committee to promote the growing cultural diversity in our town. I was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff and the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Town where I served as liaison to officials at every level to ensure projects, grant requests, and legislation received the proper attention.
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In 2015, I was recruited to serve as Director of Human Resources and Compliance at the Nassau County Board of Elections where I implemented new policies and procedures to modernize the office and save taxpayers’ dollars.
And in 2020, I was elected to my first term as your State Assemblywoman and it has been the honor of my life to represent our community in Albany.
I will continue to utilize my years of government experience and deliver for our district in my next term. I know the last two years have been a challenge for all of New York. Local businesses have shown their resiliency during the pandemic and our residents have fought adversity after Hurricane Ida.
As a member of the New York State Assembly, I will keep fighting in Albany for you, our community, and Long Island.