Zellnor Myrie

Zellnor Myrie is a Brooklyn native, lawyer, and longtime affordable housing advocate. Zellnor derives inspiration for his public service from his mother who moved to Brooklyn 40 years ago from Costa Rica on the promise of a mattress in a friend’s apartment and a job at a factory. She raised Zellnor in a rent-stabilized apartment in Prospect Lefferts Gardens allowing him to attend one of the best public schools in the borough. Zellnor's mother never let the challenges of being a new immigrant hinder Zellnor's education.

Zellnor is a graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School, earned his B.A. in Communications and M.A. in Urban Studies from Fordham University. After Fordham, Zellnor worked as Legislative Director for City Councilman Fernando Cabrera where, among other bills, he helped draft and pass the Tenant Bill of Rights.

After leaving the City Council, Zellnor became chair of his Neighborhood Advisory Board where, through community organizing, he helped secure nearly $400,000 in federal funding for job training, after school programming, and tenant protection. Zellnor then went to Cornell Law School where he served as student body president, an editor on the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy, a constitutional law instructor in prison, and as a Pro Bono Scholar -- a position that allowed him to take the New York Bar early and spend his last semester working full-time at Justice 360, a criminal justice reform organization.

As an associate at a private Manhattan law firm, Zellnor remained committed to public service. Zellnor provided over 600 hours of pro bono service to immigrants seeking asylum, victims of police brutality and illegal stop-and-frisks, special education students not receiving services from the Department of Education, and victims of domestic violence. Zellnor also remained committed to his community as a member of the Neighborhood Advisory Board, junior board for the Legal Aid Society, and president of his building’s tenant’s association.

Zellnor is committed to giving back to the Brooklyn community that raised him and is passionate about securing affordable housing for families like his own, strengthening our public education system, immigrant rights, criminal justice reform, and combating climate change.