Sen. Lesniak currently represents The Lesniak Institute for American Leadership as its president.
ELIZABETH, NJ,June 05, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Sen. Raymond J. Lesniak with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Sen. Lesniak celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Now retired from a tenured career in law and New Jersey politics, Sen. Lesniak currently represents The Lesniak Institute for American Leadership as its president. Established in 2019, the nonprofit organization is headquartered on the campus of Kean University, and is committed to training the next generation of leaders by teaching both awareness and advocacy. The organization notably promotes various causes, including animal welfare, criminal justice, environmental protection and social justice. Sen. Lesniak also formed The Raymond J. Lesniak Experience Strength and Hope Recovery High School in 2014, an alternative high school for students with substance abuse issues. Designed to help students stay sober in a safe and supporting fashion, students follow the required New Jersey academic standards so that they can receive their high school diplomas from their respective school districts.
In 2018, Sen. Lesniak departed from the state senate after 40 years in the legislature, concluding his career as its second longest serving lawmaker. Following five years within the New Jersey General Assembly between 1978 and 1983, he contributed another 35 years with the New Jersey State Senate as the chairperson of the economic growth committee, the vice chairperson of the commerce committee and as a member of the judiciary committee of District 20 between 1983 and 2018. Sen. Lesniak notably stood as a candidate for governor of New Jersey in 2017. His run came after a near 30-year career as the co-founder of his private practice law firm Weiner and Lesniak, from which he retired in 2017.
Some of Sen. Lesniak's other noteworthy roles included serving as the chairperson of the Clinton and Gore presidential campaign and as a staff attorney and interim director for the Office of Poverty, Department of Community Affairs. He was also active on several agricultural, environmental, educational and commerce committees within the state. During the course of his illustrious career, Sen. Lesniak was responsible for changing laws in respect to abolishing the death penalty, legalizing same sex marriage, championing women's medical rights and the legalization of sports betting. He was also an instrumental contributor to environmental protection laws, sponsoring the first law banning the trade of ivory products and trophies of endangered species from entering the state.
Sen. Lesniak served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1969, after which he received a Bachelor of Arts in economics at Rutgers University in 1971, followed by a Doctor of Jurisprudence at Saint John's University in 1974. His decision to study law and become active in politics was influenced by his parents. Interested in becoming more than just an attorney, Sen. Lesniak yearned to effect significant changes that could better society as a whole.
The author of three books, Sen. Lesniak published "The Road To Abolition: How New Jersey Abolished The Death Penalty" and "What's Love Got to Do With It: The Case for Same Sex Marriage." His most recent book, "Beating The Odds: The Epic Battle That Brought Legal Sports Betting Across America," was released in 2019 through Kean University Press. In 2009, Sen. Lesniak won the Memorial de Caen International Human Rights Competition in Normandy, France. He also received a Public Service Award from the Jewish Education Center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, was named as a Humane Legislator of the Year by the Humane Society of the U.S., as Legislator of the Year by the New Jersey Sierra Club and as Man of the Year by the Jewish National Fund.
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