Claire Shulman 2022 York College Foundation Gala Legacy Honoree
An extraordinary wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt.

As the first woman to hold the office of Borough President of Queens, the late Claire Shulman was an extraordinary public servant whose work is the gold standard for other elected officials to emulate. Shulman was born in Brooklyn in 1926 and graduated from Adelphi College as a Registered Nurse. She met her husband, Dr. Melvin Shulman, in 1948 while working at Queens Hospital Center. It was when their three children were in school that she began her civic involvement as President of the PS 41 Mother's Club (later the PTA) and as a member of the Bayside Historical Society. She also served on her local community planning board and in 1972 became the Director of Community Planning Boards in Queens.

     After a tenure as Deputy Borough President, she became Borough President of Queens in 1986 and served nearly three terms, until 2002. No one loved Queens more than Claire Shulman. As a true public servant and the first woman to hold the office of Borough President of Queens, she was a trailblazer, always focused on her community and listening, and responding to every voice.  Her accomplishments are wide-ranging, from bringing more public school seats to Queens, to supporting cultural institutions such as the Queens Theater, the NY Hall of Science, the Queens Museum of Art, improving borough infrastructure, and developing community services, such as the Queens Hospital Center.

     Long after her tenure in office, Claire Shulman's legacy lives on. Her work for the Queens community continues to be impactful more than twenty years after she left office. She was a friend and a mentor to so many, and set the bar for public service high.