Alicka Ampry-Samuel is an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, she served as a New York City Council member for the 41st district. The district included portions of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Ocean Hill-Brownsville, East Flatbush, Crown Heights in Brooklyn. In an upset, Ampry-Samuel was defeated for re-election in 2021 by Darlene Mealy, the former Council member whom Ampry-Samuel had succeeded four years earlier. Early life and education Ampry-Samuel was born and raised in Brownsville, one of the most impoverished neighborhoods of Brooklyn. She graduated from North Carolina A&T State University and the CUNY School of Law. Career Ampry-Samuel first ran for the City Council in 2005, but lost to Darlene Mealy in the Democratic primary. Prior to public office, Ampry-Samuel worked as a Child Protective Specialist with the NYC Administration for Children Services. From 2012 to 2014, during a stint at the US Embassy in Ghana, she worked as a communication and outreach specialist for the United States Agency for International Development and subsequently on a human rights portfolio in the Embassy’s Political Office. She also served as Chief of Staff for State Assemblywoman Latrice Walker. New York City Council Three-term Councilwoman Darlene Mealy was term-limited in 2017 and unable to seek another term. Ampry-Samuel was one of nine Democrats who vied to replace her, and she won the Democratic primary with just over 31% of the vote. She would go on to win the general election in the overwhelmingly Democratic district with over 95% of the vote. Ampry-Samuel was sworn into office on January 1, 2018. Housing and Urban Development Ampry-Samuel was sworn into office as the Regional Administrator for New York and New Jersey of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on January 18, 2022. References External links Councilwoman Alicka Ampry-Samuel official site Biographical sketch in The New Yorker Living people New York (state) Democrats New York City Council members People from Brownsville, Brooklyn 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians African-American New York City Council members Women New York City Council members 1976 births 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women