Kirsten Elizabeth Gillibrand (née Rutnik) is a U.S. Senator from New York (2009-present), serving as a Democrat. Born in Albany, New York, and raised in upstate New York in a politically active family, her maternal grandmother, Dorothea 'Polly' Noonan, was a pioneering grassroots organizer who advised Albany Mayor Erastus Corning II and mobilized women secretaries in the New York State Legislature during an era when few women held such roles. Her mother, Polly Noonan Rutnik, raised her children before pursuing a career in law, becoming an attorney and later a judge. Gillibrand earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College in 1988, majoring in government, and obtained her Juris Doctor from the UCLA School of Law in 1992. Early in her career, she clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals, worked at a New York City law firm, served as special counsel to Andrew Cuomo at the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton administration, and assisted on Hillary Clinton's 2000 U.S. Senate campaign. Recognized as a lawyer, politician, and writer, Gillibrand has been noted for her evolution on various issues throughout her public service.