Selvena N. Brooks-Powers represents the 31st City Council District, which includes the communities of Arverne, Brookville, Edgemere, Laurelton, Springfield Gardens, Rosedale, and Far Rockaway. She is the first-ever Black woman to serve as Majority Whip of the City Council as well as Chair of its Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Selvena has devoted her time at the Council to ensuring Southeast Queens and the eastern end of the Rockaway Peninsula have equitable access to city resources. She has directed tens of millions of capital and discretionary toward infrastructure and community-based programs in her district, including for schools, parks, firehouses, and so much more. She continues to fight for resources for a community that has been too long underserved by the city. She worked, for example, to secure $95 million in restoration funding for the 116th Precinct, and continues to advocate for the construction of certified trauma center on the Rockaway Peninsula.

A dedicated public servant for 20 years and lifelong resident of Southeast Queens, Selvena Brooks-Powers is the proud daughter of immigrant parents and devoted to fighting for what’s right and delivering results. As a community organizer, Selvena drove high-impact initiatives on critical issues, including education, voting rights and empowerment, racial and economic justice, relief efforts post-Hurricane Katrina, M/WBE opportunities, and workers’ rights.

Immediately prior to elected office, Selvena was a manager for M/WBE compliance, external affairs and community outreach on the $13 billion JFK International Airport Redevelopment Program. Previously, Selvena worked for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) family as a communications director for various campaigns, including the Fight for $15 campaign across numerous states, and on one of the tightest Congressional races to win back the majority in the U.S. Congress. Selvena also helped mobilize and ultimately unionized co-workers under the United Media Guild of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), where she was unanimously elected delegate for the northeast region.

Selvena’s prior experiences in government range from the New York State Senate Majority Conference Leader to the New York City Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence to even the first New York City Public Advocate’s Office, where she volunteered as a teen.

Selvena has always been committed to service throughout Queens. She served as an advisor to the NAACP Jamaica Youth Branch, chair to a number of committees within the Queens Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and Board Member to the Ocean Breeze Condominiums and Martin de Porres Youth and Family. A proud HBCU alumna, Selvena is a graduate of Wilberforce University, the first privately owned and operated HBCU. She also holds a M.S. in International Law from New York University. Selvena is a homeowner in Rockaway Beach with her husband, their daughter, and dog.