Assembly Member Michael DenDekker represents New York’s 34th Assembly District, which includes Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst, and part of Woodside. Mr. DenDekker was first elected to the New York State Assembly on November 4, 2008, and was elected to his third term in November of 2012. Prior to entering the New York State Assembly, he was elected District Leader in 2002, and served on Community Board #3. He also served as the chairman of the Neighborhood Advisory Board, as well as a past Deputy Chief for the Jackson-Heights Elmhurst Volunteer Ambulance Corp. Between 1998 and 2002, he worked part-time as a district representative for New York State Assembly Member Margaret Markey.
A lifelong resident of his district, Mr. DenDekker was born in Jackson Heights and attended Our Lady of Fatima Grammar School, Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School and SUNY at Farmingdale where he majored in Automotive Technology.
Assemblyman DenDekker and his wife Angela reside in Jackson Heights and have four children – Michael, Linda, the late Elizabeth Delaney, and Jason who is married to Jessica. They are also the proud grandparents of Jasen and Justin

Daniella Eras has an MPA in Health Policy and Management with a concentration in Public Finance from New York University and is serving as Budget Director for New York City Councilmember Barry S. Grodenchik.
Before her current role, Daniella completed a finance fellowship with the South American Institute for Governance in Health in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During her fellowship, she created a new budget structure and administrative processes for the organization. She also worked as a Health Budget Analyst in the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget and as an aide for NYC Councilmember Helen Rosenthal where she instituted and ran the first Participatory Budgeting cycle in the district.
Daniella has held previous positions in political campaigns, non-profits and with the NYC Commission on Human Rights. She holds a B.A. in Political Science, Women’s Studies and Latin American Studies from Pace University.

Gail Koelln has many years of experience researching sources of funding and preparing proposals and reports for foundations, corporations and government agencies. She is President of GK Grant Writing, a grant writing consulting firm established in 2006. Gail is also the Co-Director, with Rev. Dr. LoraKim Joyner, of a not-for-profit organization called One Earth Conservation. Previously, Gail served as the Development Director at Queens Theatre in the Park from 1999 to 2006 and as the Grants Specialist for Queens Borough President Claire Shulman from 1993 to 1999 (where she provided technical assistance regarding fundraising to nonprofit organizations in Queens and processed grant awards from the Borough President for nonprofits). Gail has a Master’s degree in Zoology, a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a passion for environmental causes. She is a volunteer Climate Leader who trained under former Vice President Al Gore and his Climate Reality Project organization; the Co-Chair of the Climate Justice Task Force of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock; the former Co-Chair of Gotham Green, a business and social networking group for green businesses in New York; a former Chair of the New York City Sierra Club’s Endangered Species Committee and a former docent for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo.

Richard Lee currently serves as the Budget Director for the Office of the Queens Borough President, overseeing the capital and expense appropriations of Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, and drafting the Borough’s response to the Mayor’s municipal budget. Prior to serving as the Budget Director for Queens, Richard served as the Director of Budget and Legislative Affairs for the Deputy Majority Leader, and Chair of the Queens Delegation, of the New York City Council, Council Member (now State Senator) Leroy Comrie. Prior to that, Richard served as Director of Policy and Advocacy for Asian Americans for Equality, advocating for the development of affordable housing and equity in resources for low-income communities. Richard Lee received his BS in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University and MPA in Public Policy from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University.