Helen Diane Foster represented

District 16 16th district may refer to: France *16th arrondissement of Marseille *16th arrondissement of Paris United States Congressional districts * California's 16th congressional district *Florida's 16th congressional district * Illinois's 16th c ...

in the New York City Council, which comprises the neighborhoods of

Morrisania Morrisania ( ) is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern Bronx, New York City, New York. Its boundaries are the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the north, Crotona-Prospect Avenue to the east, East 161st Street to the south, and Webster Avenue ...

, Highbridge, and Morris Heights for 11 years. She was the first Black woman to be elected within Bronx County. She served as the commissioner for the

New York State Division of Human Rights The New York State Division of Human Rights is a New York State agency created to enforce the state's Human Rights Law. The Division is a unit of the New York State Executive Department under New York Executive Law section 293."§ 293. Division o ...

from September 2013 until April 2019 and was appointed to the post by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Education

Foster holds degrees from

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

and CUNY School of Law.

Career

Elected in 2001, she replaced her father, Rev. Wendell Foster, who was forced to retire from the city council due to term limits. With her election she became the first African-American woman to be elected within

Bronx County The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Yor ...

. During her tenure on the city council, Foster served as chairwoman of the Parks & Recreation Committee, and served as a member of the Aging, Education, Health, Lower Manhattan Redevelopment, and Public Safety Committees. Prior to her election to the council, Foster was an

assistant district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a lo ...

in the

Manhattan District Attorney The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County (Manhattan), New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws ...

's office, subsequent to which she became an assistant vice-president for legal affairs at St. Barnabas Hospital. She serves on the board of trustees for Christ Church.

Personal life

Foster resides in Bronx County with her husband, Eric McKay, and their two children.

References

External links

Official NYC Council Website about Helen Foster
* ttp://www.gothamgazette.com/searchlight2001/dist16.html New York City District 16* ttp://www.nydailynews.com/news/col/story/406465p-344083c.html City Got Yanked Around {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Helen New York City Council members Living people New York (state) Democrats Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) 2008 United States presidential electors Women New York City Council members 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians Politicians from the Bronx African-American New York City Council members