Julissa Ferreras-Copeland was elected to the New York City Council in 2009, as the representative for District 21.

She is the first woman, first person of color and the youngest to chair the Council’s influential Committee on Finance, which oversees the City’s $82 billion budget process as well as the Department of Finance, Comptroller’s Office, Banking Commission, Tax Commission, Department of Design and Construction, and the Independent Budget Office.

Prior to joining the New York City Council, Mrs. Ferreras-Copeland served her community as president of the Corona-East Elmhurst NAACP Youth Council. She supported working families and created educational opportunities in her district as director of a Beacon. And, as the New York director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, coordinated programming and policy to propel Latinos into positions of leadership.

The daughter of Dominican immigrants, Council Member Ferreras-Copeland is a leading voice on matters of immigrant and women’s rights, responsible economic development and transparency in government. Her recent accomplishments include the establishment of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Alliance and the passage of the groundbreaking menstrual equity package, the first laws in the nation that guarantee access to menstrual hygiene products in schools, prisons and shelters.