DCCC - Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

Alice Kryzan is running for Congress to give the voters of the 26th District the voice they deserve. Alice will be a champion for the middle class families of Western New York, families who have been ignored for too long by Washington special interests and insiders.

Alice was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. Her maternal grandfather was a steelworker, and her paternal grandmother supported her six children by running a corner store after her stonemason husband died of lung disease. Alice's father worked his way through school, earning a law degree and eventually becoming Mayor of Youngstown. Alice's mother was a homemaker.

Her family taught her the value of hard work. Her parents taught her to strive for her goals, to stay true to her core principles and to help those in the community who are in need. Her father, especially, taught her that public service is an honor and a solemn responsibility, and that government must work for all of the people, not just the powerful. Alice has carried these values with her for her entire life.

After attending Catholic schools in Youngstown, Alice graduated from Trinity University in Washington, D.C. and The University of Chicago Law School, where she was one of only twenty women in her graduating class. After law school, Alice worked at a small law firm and then at the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, where she helped provide a voice to those who needed it most.

Alice and her husband moved to Western New York almost thirty years ago, where she became the first woman partner at what was then the largest law firm in Buffalo. She went on to manage the Buffalo office of an Albany law firm, recently retiring from active law firm practice. As an environmental attorney, Alice earned a reputation for being an honest, tough, hard-working advocate with a proven record of accomplishment. After three decades of representing businesses, towns and everyday people, Alice understands how to bring opposing parties together to find real solutions to their problems and how to fight for those she represents. She will bring the same tenacity, dedication, and problem-solving skills to Washington, D.C. as an advocate for the people of the 26th District

Alice also has a long record of leadership in local and statewide professional and civic activities, making sure that people’s needs are heard and met. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of a collaborative project of the United Way and the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo that funds programs that help women and girls achieve economic self-sufficiency. Over the last two decades, she has also worked to support and encourage women to run for elective office, to advocate for New York State parks, to offer affordable reproductive healthcare to women, and to advance the understanding and practice of environmental law.

As your Congresswoman, Alice will not only vote to bring an end to American involvement in the war in Iraq, but she will also be a tireless advocate for returning security and prosperity to the middle class families of Western New York.

Alice lives in Amherst with her husband Robert Berger, a law professor at the University at Buffalo. They have one son, Sam, who is currently a law student.