The 2023 Habitat House Party

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

Eighth Congressional District of New York

Hakeem Jeffries represents the diverse Eighth Congressional District of New York and is serving his sixth term in the United States Congress.

Rep. Jeffries is the Democratic Leader, having been unanimously elected to that position by his colleagues in November 2022. In that capacity, he is the highest-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives. He is also the former Chair of the Democratic Caucus, Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus and previously co-chaired the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee where he helped develop the For The People agenda.

In Congress, Rep. Jeffries is a tireless advocate for social and economic justice. He has worked hard to help residents recover from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, reform our criminal justice system, improve the economy for everyday Americans and protect our healthcare from right-wing attacks.

Since President Biden took office in January 2021, Rep. Jeffries has been instrumental in House Democratic efforts to put people over politics by lowering costs, creating better-paying jobs and fighting for safer communities. Over the past two years Democrats have passed the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.

In 2022, Rep. Jeffries was able to secure $21.9 million for projects in Brooklyn to provide food for the hungry, fund overdue improvements to medical centers, support organizations working to uplift our neighborhoods, deepen our cultural understanding and more through the 2022 Community Project Funding process. In the spring of 2022, he successfully fought against the splitting of Bedford Stuyvesant into multiple Congressional Districts during the broken and gravely flawed redistricting process unleashed by partisan Republicans and their judicial co-conspirators in New York.

Last Congress, Rep. Jeffries was one of the most effective legislators, passing multiple bills through the House of Representatives and into law with substantial bipartisan and stakeholder support. These measures touched on diverse subject matters and were drafted with the intention of making meaningful improvements to our federal laws and programs. Such bills included measures to ensure veterans and their families have access to benefits information (H.R. 2093, Public Law No. 117-62), to measure the progress of recovery and efforts to address corruption, rule of law and media freedoms in Haiti (H.R. 2471, Public Law No. 117-103), to protect attorney-client privilege for incarcerated individuals corresponding electronically with their legal representatives (H.R. 546) and to eliminate the federal sentencing disparity between drug offenses involving crack cocaine and powder cocaine once and for all (H.R. 1693).

In the 116th Congress, Rep. Jeffries was similarly active in the legislative process, with many of his bills passing the House of Representatives and becoming law. They included bills to create a copyright small claims board allowing the creative middle class to protect their works (H.R. 2426, Public Law No. 116-260), to expand scholarship opportunities available to Pakistani women (H.R. 4508, Public Law No. 116-338) and to provide entrepreneurship counseling and training services to formerly incarcerated individuals (H.R. 5065).

In January 2020, Rep. Jeffries was selected by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve as one of seven House Impeachment Managers in the Senate trial of President Donald Trump, becoming the first African American man to serve in that role. During the nearly three-week trial, Congressman Jeffries argued that President Trump should be removed from office for abusing his power by pressuring a foreign government, Ukraine, to target an American citizen as part of a corrupt scheme to interfere in the 2020 election. The House Impeachment Managers established with a mountain of evidence that crimes against the Constitution were committed. Nevertheless, the Senate failed to remove the President without hearing from a single witness during the trial.

On March 9, 2021, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1280, the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act” for the second time through the House. During both pushes, Rep. Jeffries helped lead the charge with respect to passage of this historic police reform bill, which included legislation authored by the Congressman to criminalize the chokehold and other inherently dangerous tactics such as a knee to the neck. Rep. Jeffries remains dedicated to working with his colleagues to make transformational police reform a reality and breathe life into the principle of liberty and justice for all.

Rep. Jeffries has played a major role in shaping the Congressional response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has fought hard to assist state and local governments whose budgets have been devastated by the virus, pushed for an extension of the emergency unemployment benefit and supported efforts to keep everyday Americans in their homes. Rep. Jeffries also worked across the aisle with Rep. Peter King (R-NY) to secure billions of dollars in funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in the CARES Act (H.R. 748, Public Law No. 116-136), which became law in March 2020. At home, Rep. Jeffries partnered with the Governor to expand testing in hard-hit communities of color by establishing walk-in sites at houses of worship throughout New York City. He denounced discriminatory social distance policing that targeted communities of color and helped bring about a change in policy. In the community, Rep. Jeffries continues to personally distribute food, masks, gloves and hand sanitizer to residents in need.

In the 115th Congress, Rep. Jeffries worked across the aisle as the lead Democratic sponsor of the FIRST STEP Act (S. 756, Public Law No. 115-391), a strong, bipartisan criminal justice reform bill that the President signed into law in December 2018. Rep. Jeffries partnered with Congressman Doug Collins, a conservative Republican from rural Georgia, on the legislation, which is widely viewed as the most meaningful criminal justice reform effort in a generation.

The FIRST STEP Act provides retroactive relief for the shameful crack cocaine sentencing disparity that unfairly destroyed lives, families and communities. The law shortens sentences by ensuring inmates can earn the 54 days of good time credit per year. Congress intended to apply the change retroactively, to the benefit of thousands of currently incarcerated mothers, fathers, daughters and sons. It provides $375 million over five years to expand re-entry programming, including education and vocational training, which is proven to dramatically reduce recidivism and help prepare for a successful transition back into society. In order to strengthen and preserve family relationships, the bill requires the Bureau of Prisons to house incarcerated individuals within 500 driving miles of their relatives and permits the transfer of lower-risk inmates to home confinement. In addition, the FIRST STEP Act bans the immoral practice of shackling women throughout the duration of their pregnancy, during childbirth and for three months postpartum.

Rep. Jeffries also played a key role in the House passage of the historic Music Modernization Act (MMA) (H.R. 5447, Public Law No. 115-264), which became law in 2018. Heralded as a sweeping update to our copyright laws, the MMA will improve the licensing process so that songwriters, artists and musicians can continue to share their creativity with the world. Because of the MMA, songwriters are more likely to get paid a fair price for their work, and digital music providers like Spotify and Pandora will be able to operate more efficiently. In an era of crisis and dysfunction in Washington, the power of music brought Democrats and Republicans in Congress together to collaborate on groundbreaking legislation, ushering our music copyright system into the 21st Century.

In April of 2018, the President signed the Rep. Jeffries-authored Keep America’s Refuges Operational Act (H.R. 3979, Public Law No. 115-1689) into law. Each year, 47 million Americans visit wildlife refuges, generating almost $2 billion in local economic activity. This law will keep America’s refuges operational by supporting the volunteers who dedicate thousands of hours to maintain our public lands. Passage of this bill was part of a bipartisan, bicameral effort to ensure Americans can visit, explore and study wildlife and experience our nation’s vast natural beauty for generations to come.

Several other pieces of Rep. Jeffries-authored legislation passed the House of Representatives in the 115th Congress, including bills to investigate the public health impact of synthetic drug use by teenagers (H.R. 449, Public Law No. 115-271) and updating federal regulations to remove racially offensive terminology from use (H.R. 995). Rep. Jeffries’ H.R. 3229 (Public Law No. 95-521), which helps protect judicial officers from threats, harm and harassment by those who would seek to compromise the integrity of our judicial branch, also passed the House in 2017 and was signed into law in March 2018. Additionally, Rep. Jeffries authored H.R. 3370 (Public Law No. 95-921), the Fry Scholarship Enhancement Act, which became law as part of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017. It will expand the availability of education benefits to the children and spouses of service members killed in the line of duty.

In the 114th Congress, Rep. Jeffries teamed up with Congressman Peter King to pass the Slain Officer Family Support Act of 2015 (H.R. 1508, Public Law No. 113-227), which President Obama signed into law. That law extended the tax deadline so that individuals making charitable donations to organizations supporting the families of assassinated New York Police Department (NYPD) Detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, could apply such tax deductions to the prior year’s tax return.

In the 113th Congress, Rep. Jeffries successfully passed H.R. 5108 (Public Law No. 113-227), legislation that established the Law School Clinic Certification Program of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) into law. This program had been operating in a pilot capacity since 2008 and enabled students at participating law schools to gain experience in patent and trademark law while providing legal assistance to inventors, tech entrepreneurs and small businesses. The bipartisan bill, which was signed by President Obama, expanded the program by removing its “pilot” status, making it available to all accredited law schools in the country that meet the program’s eligibility requirements.

Rep. Jeffries has been actively involved in the passage of a number of other key pieces of legislation, including the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 (H.R. 152), a bill that provides billions of dollars in Superstorm Sandy recovery to the Eighth District and other affected areas. The Congressman also sponsored — and passed as part of the National Defense Authorization package — the Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument Preservation Act, which directs the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of designating the Prison Ship Martyrs’ mausoleum in Brooklyn as a national monument. Consisting of a 100-foot-wide granite staircase and a central Doric column 149 feet in height, the monument in Fort Greene Park houses the remains of 11,500 Revolutionary War soldiers who were kept as prisoners of war by the British.

While he remains committed to working diligently in Washington on behalf of New York’s Eighth Congressional District, Rep. Jeffries also works tirelessly to keep in close contact with constituents. In January, the Congressman begins each year with annual remarks to the district. During the spring and summer, he holds “Congress on Your Corner” outdoor office hours throughout the district. At each stop, the Congressman sets up a table in front of a local post office or on neighborhood corners where constituents are able to meet with him one-on-one. He also hosts regularly-scheduled telephone town hall meetings that provide an opportunity for constituents to speak directly with the Congressman about local and national issues.

Prior to his election to the Congress, Rep. Jeffries served for six years in the New York State Assembly. In that capacity, he authored laws to protect the civil liberties of law-abiding New Yorkers during police encounters, encourage the transformation of vacant luxury condominiums into affordable homes for working families and improve the quality of justice in the civil court system.

In 2010, Rep. Jeffries successfully led the first meaningful legislative reform of the NYPD’s aggressive and controversial stop-and-frisk program. His legislation prohibits the NYPD from maintaining an electronic database with the personal information of individuals who were stopped, questioned and frisked during a police encounter but not charged with a crime or violation.

In the same year, Rep. Jeffries sponsored and championed groundbreaking civil rights legislation to end prison-based gerrymandering in New York State. This archaic practice of counting incarcerated individuals at the location of their imprisonment, rather than their homes, undermined the fundamental democratic principle of one person, one vote. After passage of Jeffries’ legislation, New York became the second state to count incarcerated individuals in their home districts in census calculations.

Congressman Jeffries obtained his bachelor’s degree in political science from the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he graduated with honors for outstanding academic achievement. He then received his master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University. Thereafter, Rep. Jeffries attended New York University School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude and served on Law Review.

After completing law school, Rep. Jeffries clerked for the Honorable Harold Baer Jr. of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He then practiced law for several years at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, an internationally renowned law firm and served as counsel in the litigation department of Viacom Inc. and CBS. He also worked as of-counsel at Godosky & Gentile, a well-regarded litigation firm in New York City.

Rep. Jeffries was born in Brooklyn Hospital, raised in Crown Heights and is a product of New York City’s public school system, having graduated from Midwood High School. He lives in Prospect Heights with his family.

Brandee McHale

Head of Community Investing and Development, Citi
President, Citi Foundation

Brandee McHale is Head of Community Investing and Development at Citi and President of the Citi Foundation. She leads Citi’s efforts to drive economic opportunity and invest in the equitable and inclusive growth of communities through impact investing, social finance, and community relations. She also leads the philanthropic work of the Citi Foundation. Brandee has led the creation and implementation of Action for Racial Equity, Citi and the Citi Foundation’s multi-year commitment to help close the racial wealth gap and increase economic mobility in the United States.

With more than three decades of experience in financial services and philanthropy, Brandee has dedicated her career to developing forward-thinking initiatives that connect low-income communities and communities of color to jobs, housing and a more economically secure future. Prior to her current position, she led Citi’s corporate citizenship efforts, including corporate philanthropy, volunteerism and environmental sustainability. She also led the philanthropy of the Citi Foundation. She previously served as Director of Operations for Citi Community Capital as well as in a variety of business management and philanthropy-related leadership roles within community relations. She also helped establish a business case for financial inclusion and asset building as a program officer at the Ford Foundation.

Brandee serves on the board of directors of Living Cities, a collaborative of the 22 largest philanthropic foundations in the U.S. that is dedicated to closing racial wealth gaps, and serves on the board of the Council on Foundations. Brandee is also a member of the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation (FDIC)’s Committee on Economic Inclusion. She formerly served as Chair of the Global Steering Committee for the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), as board chair for Prosperity Now, an organization focused on economic opportunity and mobility in the U.S., and on the board of directors of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), America’s Promise Alliance and Philanthropy NY.

Natalie Kovac

President,
ASHRAE NYC Chapter

Ms. Kovac is an experienced Project Manager leading, organizing and managing engineering projects at RRT Design & Construction. Natalie’s background includes over ten years in the design of HVAC systems for commercial, hospitality, retail, and residential projects, ranging from offices, hotels, schools and multistory residential buildings. Most recently she worked as a Project Manager for an MEP firm responsible for managing and designing projects in a variety of markets, providing coordination of project designs, communicating and managing with clients. She is currently the ASHRAE NY Chapter President and sits on the Manhattan College Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board. Natalie enjoys participating in the Manhattan College mentoring program and speaking about her work in engineering.

Rose Noonan

Executive Director,
Housing Action Council

Ms. Noonan is the Executive Director of Housing Action Council, a regional not-for-profit organization located in Tarrytown, New York. She began her housing career as Director of the National Leased Housing Association, a leading trade association for government assisted rental housing in Washington, DC. She has advised State and local housing officials on designing and implementing affordable housing programs and plans. She managed the Yonkers Affordable Housing Office which was responsible for implementing a housing desegregation order. She has designed housing seminars and trained professionals. She is experienced in integrating the housing development process with health and human service programs. She has advised many civic groups, religious groups, and community organizations on roles in housing development and assisted them through the development process. She has affirmatively marketed many of the affordable housing developments in Westchester County and elsewhere.. She attended Trinity College in Washington, DC, received an advanced degree in Government from Georgetown University, and is a graduate of Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.

Tiffany Zezula, Esq.

Deputy Director, Land Use Law Center at Pace University School of Law

Tiffany B. Zezula, Esq. is the Deputy Director for the Land Use Law Center at Pace University School of Law in White Plains, NY and a staff consultant to the Housing Action Council in Tarrytown, NY. She is the primary trainer on consensus building techniques for the Center’s land use training programs for local officials, environmentalists, housing advocates, planners, and developers. She also is the national coordinator of the Center’s signature program – The Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program, which due to its success in New York, has been modeled and transferred to over 6 states and includes over a hundred national, regional, and local sponsors. The program has trained over 3500 leaders in the Hudson Valley Region alone, including over 400 leaders on the specific topic of affordable housing. Ms. Zezula also provides strategic assistance to local governments on comprehensive planning, revitalization, affordable housing, streamlining and community engagement initiatives. This has included engagement sessions with senior citizens, high school students, business leaders, cultural organizations, and the general public. Additionally, Ms. Zezula works closely with the Housing Action Council to provide strategic assistance to municipalities in furthering affordable housing in the Hudson Valley region through policy, planning and development. Finally, Ms. Zezula is in charge of running the Center’s annual conference. The Center’s annual conference is a significant educational event in the region, with more than 250 attorneys, business professionals, planners and local leaders in attendance to learn about national, regional, and local innovations, challenges, and best practices. Ms. Zezula is a frequent national speaker on collaborative governance, affordable housing, and local decision-making. She is also a frequent guest presenter at the Yale School of Forestry and an adjunct professor at Pace University School of Law on Environmental Dispute Resolution and Sustainable Development. She is the recipient of the New York Council of Churches, Excellence in Affordable Housing and Community Development Award and the Award for Citizen Training from the American Institute of Architecture Hudson Valley Chapter.

Marlene Zarfes

Executive Director,
Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc.

Marlene joined WRO in 2010 as Fair Housing Director, supervising federal and local grants to conduct fair housing and fair lending testing, and education and outreach. Subsequently, she was named WRO’s Deputy Executive Director, responsible for all WRO programs including Fair Housing, First Time Home Buying, Mortgage Default Protection, Senior Housing, Independent Living and Eviction Prevention. Marlene has been WRO’s Executive Director since 2018. Prior to joining WRO, Marlene had a long career as a corporate attorney, most recently with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in New York City, where she placed substantial priority on pro bono matters. Marlene has a BA from University of Pennsylvania and a JD from Boston University School of Law.