Onondaga County

BIOGRAPHY

Legislator Nodesia Hernandez represents the 17th District in the Onondaga County Legislature, including Syracuse’s east side along with parts of the Town of DeWitt. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies and a master’s degree in Teaching and Curriculum, both from Syracuse University. She currently works as Director of Public Affairs for the New York State Senate. She also serves as CEO of the National Minority Paralegal Association, a role she’s held since 2013, and she became the first Afro-Latina woman to chair the Onondaga County Bar Association’s Paralegal Committee.

Legislator Hernandez is now serving her second term, and in January 2026, her colleagues chose her to serve as Majority Leader. That made her the first Afro-Latina woman to hold that position in the Legislature’s history. She’s also a longtime civic youth educator, and she was one of the key organizers of the Syracuse Women’s March.

Legislator Hernandez says her focus is on fighting poverty and expanding opportunity for the county’s most vulnerable residents. That focus comes from her own experience representing one of Syracuse’s higher-need districts. She’s sponsored legislation to bring term limits to county government, and she has also pushed for greater transparency around major county spending decisions.

In the Legislature, Legislator Hernandez serves as Majority Leader. She’s also a member of the Ways & Means and County Facilities Committees.

Legislative priorities include:

• Reducing poverty and expanding access to affordable housing and public transportation

• Increasing transparency and accountability in county government spending

• Supporting term limits for the county executive and comptroller offices

• Holding Micron accountable to its environmental commitments as the project grows