Meet Aaron
New Leadership To Deliver Real Results for the People of the 43rd Senate District
Aaron Gladd is a proud and lifelong upstate New Yorker who has devoted his career and life to public service— always putting his neighbors and his nation first.
As a father, husband, combat veteran and experienced public servant, Aaron knows personally the issues most affecting upstate New Yorkers. He’s standing up for our communities, families, veterans, farmers and small business owners.
Humble Beginnings
Aaron grew up in a troubled home in the Adirondacks, the son of an absent mother who dropped out of high school. He relied on the assistance of food stamps and free school lunch just to get by. When he was a junior in high school, Aaron moved out of his home to try to make a better life for himself. He slept on the couches of friends and sometimes even in his car. He worked multiple jobs during high school, bagging groceries and washing dishes, and was committed to earning a college degree, which he believed to be his opportunity to break out of the cycle of poverty he was born into.
Lessons in Government
After successfully graduating high school, Aaron was admitted to the University of Albany, where he studied public law and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree with honors. He went on to earn a Master's of Public Administration at the Nelson Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy and was selected for the prestigious New York State Senate fellowship and assigned to work in the office of the Deputy Majority Leader. There he helped manage legislative and budget operations and earned valuable state government experience. He fought against rising property taxes and was on the floor of the Senate when New York passed the historic marriage equality law.
Called to Serve
In 2011, Aaron put his career on hold to serve his country. He enlisted in the United States Army and graduated both the United States Army Infantry School and United States Army Engineer School. Aaron was assigned as a platoon leader in the 1st Cavalry Division where he led a 40-man unit including a combat tour to Eastern Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Making a Difference
Returning to civilian life, Aaron set out to use the leadership experience he gained in the military and his experience in government to fight to improve the lives of upstate New Yorkers. He joined the administration of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and rose to become the Governor’s Deputy Director of Policy. In that position, he played an instrumental role in developing and implementing investments in upstate New York to combat poverty and deliver real, lasting relief to struggling communities across the state, including the development of high speed broadband technology, tackling the opioid epidemic, leading women’s equality programs, and advancing the State’s $100 billion infrastructure program.
Putting Down Roots in the District
Aaron lives with his wife, Samantha, a school teacher, in Brunswick. They are raising their two children, three-year-old Aliyah and one-year-old Carson. He’s running to make upstate New York a better place to raise a family.
Aaron has never forgotten where he came from. Today, he carries with him the lessons of climbing out of rural poverty against all odds— the importance of hard work, faith and perseverance, but also a quality public education, strong community ties, and functional government that serves its people. As State Senator, he will take those lessons to Albany and serve as a champion for middle class New Yorkers across the state who are feeling left behind.