Senator Rolison Announces Lydia Biskup as Chief of Staff

PRESS RELEASE Contact: Isabella Paquette, 845-229-0106

For Immediate Release

Date: January 6, 2025

Community veteran to bring leadership and vision to new role

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 6, 2025) – To better support constituents of Senate District 39, life-long Dutchess County resident and long-time State Senate staff member, Lydia Biskup, has been appointed to the position of chief of staff. In this new role, Biskup oversees all office daily operations, ensuring smooth communication between the Senator’s office, the towns and cities that comprise the district, and a myriad of agencies and services the community relies on. In addition to acting as this liaison, Biskup is a key advisor to the Senator.

“If you’ve visited my office or attended one of my events, you’ve met Lydia,” said Senator Rolison. “She extends her kind heart to everyone she meets and helps and is one of the most extraordinary mentors I’ve encountered. I am grateful to have her serve as our chief of staff and I couldn’t imagine anyone else leading our efforts working for Hudson Valley residents.”

Biskup ascends to the chief of staff role from director of district operations, a position she has held since Senator Rolison assumed office in 2023. Here, she worked closest with the people in parts of Dutchess, Putnam and Orange counties. Senate District 39 is not her first New York State Senate venture. Biskup was also the director of district operations for former Senator Sue Serino during her tenure from 2015 through 2022. Not only closing thousands of constituent service cases, she also led the planning of various successful community events benefiting seniors, students, veterans, and more as well as mentoring many staff members and over 80 college interns.

Prior to her career in the State Senate, Biskup held a distinguished, 35-plus-year career in the fashion industry. She spent eighteen years advancing from a trainee, department manager, flagship store manager, associate, then senior buyer, to senior vice president of merchandising at Loehmann’s Inc. in New York. As a professor for seventeen years in the fashion program at Marist College and internship and placement coordinator, Biskup was instrumental in educating and advising program students and aiding students in securing internships and job placements in the industry. She is also credited with the development and expansion of the Marist College Fashion Internship Program, including the creation of the popular “Marist in Manhattan” semester-long internship experience in New York City.

An active member of her community, Biskup currently resides in Poughkeepsie with her husband.

For more information on Senator Rolison and his work on behalf of the Hudson Valley, visit www.nysenate.gov/senators/rob-rolison, reach out to the office at 845-229-0106, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

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About Senator Rob Rolison

Rob Rolison (R-39th district) was re-elected to the New York State Senate for a second term in November 2024. The 39th Senate District included parts of Dutchess, Putnam, and Orange Counties.
To learn more about the Senator and see what the office can do for you, visit www.nysenate.gov/senators/rob-rolison or call 845-229-0106.