Steven Raga

Steven Raga
Member of the New York State Assembly from the 30th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2023
Preceded by	Brian Barnwell
Personal details
Born	Queens, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Stony Brook University (BA, MPP) Cornell University (MS, MBA) Baruch College (MPA)
Signature
Website	Campaign website Official website

Steven Raga is an American politician and academic serving as a member of the New York State Assembly for the 30th district. Raga is the first Filipino American elected to office in the state of New York.^[1] Elected in November 2022, he assumed office on January 1, 2023.

Early life and education

Raga was born and raised in the borough of Queens in New York City. He grew up in Woodside and was raised by a single immigrant mother who was evicted multiple times.^[2] He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and Master of Public Policy from Stony Brook University, a Master of Business Administration from the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, a Master of Science in healthcare management from the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and a Master of Public Administration from Baruch College.^[3]

Career

From 2005 to 2007, Raga worked as the national director of the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue. From 2009 to 2011, he worked as a program fellow and legal research assistant at Cornell Law School. Raga was also the founder and director of the Philipino American Unity for Progress. In 2012 and 2013, he was a program researcher at the Fordham University School of Law. From 2014 to 2017, he worked as an advisor and strategist at the AARP. Raga served as chief of staff for Assemblymember Brian Barnwell and was the Northeast regional manager of Susan G. Komen for the Cure in 2020 and 2021.^[4] Since 2022, he has been an associate instructor at Columbia University. Raga was elected to the New York State Assembly in November 2022.^[5]

References

1. Parry, Bill (25 January 2023). "Raga sworn in as first-ever Filipino American elected to the state Legislature". The Queens Courier. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
2. Andres, Czarinna (25 February 2024). "Assemblymembers Raga and Ardila join dozens of Woodside residents fighting for statewide right to counsel". Queens Post. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
3. Francia, Caryl Anne. "Baruch alumnus becomes first Filipino American elected to NYS Assembly". The Ticker. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
4. "Steven Raga to Replace Brian Barnwell on the Ballot for the 30th Assembly District Seat". Astoria Post. 2022-04-14. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
5. "Steven Raga". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2023-01-06.