Millennium Magazine_7th Ed

168 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY D esiring to implement change on a local and national level, Sen. Raymond J. Lesniak decided to delve into law after serving in the U.S. Army. Receiving a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in 1971 and a JD from St. John’s University in 1974, he first served as an attorney before becoming a member of the New Jersey General Assembly in 1978. Remaining in that role for five years, he then became a senator for District 20 of the New Jersey State Senate from 1983 until his legislative retirement in 2019. During this time, he was also a member of the State Senate’s judiciary committee, and chair of the commerce committee and economic growth committee. During his time as senator, Sen. Lesniak focused his attention on criminal justice reform, LGBTQ rights, animal welfare, capital punishment and women’s rights. Impressively, he contributed to the abolishment of the death penalty in the State of New Jersey, having been the first state to abolish the punishment in over 40 years. Likewise, he has won historic women’s rights cases, as well as overturned a congressional ban on sports betting, which legalized sports betting in New Jersey. Inspired by his parents, Sen. Lesniak was influenced by his hard-working father and his politician mother, who worked at the local Democratic grassroots level. Post-retirement, Sen. Lesniak has continued to serve his country as the founder and president of the Lesniak Institute for American Leadership at Kean University since 2019. In 2014, he also founded the Raymond J. Lesniak Recovery High School. Equally recognized for his contributions to environmental conservation and the bodily autonomy of women including, but not limited to, abortion rights, Sen. Lesniak is proudest of his representation in the Ponter v. Ponter case, which established the right of any woman to choose her involvement in any medical procedure concerning her body. He is also proud to have won the International Human Rights Award from the country of France. Moving forward, Sen. Lesniak intends to continue working on his memoir, which is set to release in fall 2021. SENATOR RAYMOND J. LESNIAK PRESIDENT Lesniak Institute for American Leadership Elizabeth, NJ