About Alexa
Alexa Avilés has lived in Sunset Park for nearly two decades. As a proud Boricua, education organizer, mother, and democratic socialist, she is driven by service — to her community, to her family, and to New York City.
In her short time on the New York City Council, Alexa has stood strong for the communities of South Brooklyn fighting for housing for all, fully funded public schools, and a people-centered budget at City Hall. She’s sponsored dozens of bills motivated by justice, equity, and the constituents of the 38th.
A product of East New York, Brooklyn, Alexa is fueled by her family’s struggles, resilience, and deep commitment to service. As a child, Alexa watched her mother help young people rebuild their lives after experiencing poverty, incarceration, and substance-abuse disorders. Her mother’s strength laid a solid foundation of love and hope for Alexa’s family and for her relationship with her community. It also inspired her vision for a better Brooklyn and a better New York City. Building and using the collective power of her communities is at the core of this vision.
The first in her family to attend college, Alexa graduated from Columbia University, then from Baruch College’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
Alexa has dedicated her career to community philanthropy, working to keep young people and adults out of our country’s criminal injustice system. She is also an organizer and activist who has continually supported the revitalization of native cultures and languages. She currently serves as the Program Director for the Scherman Foundation, where her work directs funds to local and national organizations working on human rights, the arts, and NYC community issues.
Alexa has been proud to serve her community on a local level. For the past decade, Alexa served as the PS 172 PTA president, partnering with other parents to build programs, address families’ needs, and support neighborhood children. As a member of the local Community Board 7, she serves as a Parent Representative of the M.S. 88 School Leadership Team and as Chair of the New York City Youth Board. She is also a member of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, and volunteers both as the Chair of the Personnel and Internal Budget Committee and as Vice-Chair of the Youth and Education Committee on Brooklyn Community Board Seven.
As a Latina, a mom, and your neighbor, Alexa is sensible and pragmatic — seeking to leverage what the district has to offer to the community's collective benefit. Alexa’s husband Frankie is a TWU Local 101 Member and lifelong resident of Red Hook and Sunset Park, and her intensely political 14- and 17-year-old daughters fuel her drive to build a better world. Inspired by her family and neighbors, Alexa is fighting for a society where every person can live with dignity in a healthy and safe community.
