SALAMANCA, NY – Seneca Nation Councilor Tina Abrams has been selected by New York State Senator George Borrello as the 2026 Woman of Distinction honoree in New York’s 57th Senate District.
Councilor Abrams was selected by Senator Borrello in recognition of her decades of leadership, advocacy and service to the Seneca Nation and the broader Western New York community. She will be honored with the other 2026 Woman of Distinction honorees from across New York at a ceremony in Albany on May 5th. A separate recognition ceremony in Western New York will be held at a future date.
“I am humbled to be chosen as a Woman of Distinction, and grateful to Senator Borrello for this incredible honor,” said Abrams. “This community is our shared home and serving the needs of the community is not an individual path. We all have a voice and an interest in seeing our community – and all of its residents – succeed, advance and grow.”
A voice of leadership within the Seneca Nation for decades, Councilor Abrams has been a member of the Seneca Nation Council since 2001 and was the first woman appointed as the Council’s Co-Chair in 2012. Throughout her career, she has played a leadership role in the oversight of Nation enterprises and has actively monitored and advocated on federal and state legislation and policy that impacts the Seneca Nation and all of Indian Country. She formerly served as Northeast Region Vice President of the National Congress of American Indians and served on the organization’s COVID Task Force.
Within the Seneca community, Councilor Abrams also serves as chairperson of the annual Marvin “Joe” Curry Veterans Powwow, is a member of the Remember the Removal Committee, and is chairwoman of the Seneca Nation Athletic Commission. Beyond Seneca Nation Territory, Councilor Abrams has held roles on the Cattaraugus County Planning Board since 2002, and on the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center Board of Directors since 2021.
“Tina’s selection as a Woman of Distinction honoree is well-earned through her leadership and passionate service to our Nation and the greater community,” said Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca. “Senator Borrello knows well the importance of the Seneca Nation to the entire region, and I thank him for recognizing Tina in this way and for consistently being a partner and advocate for the Nation’s people and priorities in Albany, here at home, and within New York State government.”
The New York State Senate’s Woman of Distinction program was created to honor women whose achievements, leadership, and dedication have enriched the quality of life in their communities and across the state.
“The Woman of Distinction honor exists to shine a light on leaders whose contributions often go far beyond what headlines capture,” said Senator Borrello. “Tina Abrams has spent more than two decades fighting for her community, her Nation, and Indigenous peoples across this country. Tina’s life and work are a testament to what it means to lead with purpose and principle. I am proud to recognize her as the 2026 Woman of Distinction for the 57th Senate District.”
In 2025, Councilor Abrams was honored as one of the “Living Trailblazing Women” by the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women as part of the Trailblazing Women of Western New York Monument Project – further recognition of a lifetime spent opening doors and creating lasting change. She also received the Brooks Patterson Community Leadership Award from the Cattaraugus County Planning Board, the first Seneca Nation member to receive the honor.
A member of the Seneca Nation’s Wolf Clan, Councilor Abrams was raised on the Cattaraugus Territory and has lived on the Allegany Territory for more than 40 years. She and her husband, John, have three children and ten grandchildren.
