Meet Jodi
Jodi Habush Sinykin has spent her life building coalitions of Wisconsinites of all walks of life in order to protect our community, our environment, and our economy.
When she realized that our precious Great Lakes waters were at risk, she worked together with local, state and regional partners to help enact the historic Great Lakes Compact, ensuring the protection of our invaluable water resources for generations to come.
When she saw the inhumane and unregulated conditions of Wisconsin puppy mills, she worked with legislators on both sides of the aisle, together with a statewide coalition of advocates, to unanimously pass legislation that stopped this harmful practice.
Now Jodi is building a broad coalition of community members to move Wisconsin forward, this time as State Senator for the greater Milwaukee area.
Wisconsin Roots.
Jodi is the youngest daughter of Mimi and Robert Habush, a well known trial lawyer, and grew up in a household dedicated to community and to standing up for those in need of care and protection. With a sister with special needs, Jodi witnessed first hand her sister’s challenges and
her parents’ heartache, leading her to empathize with other families experiencing difficulties of their own.
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After graduating from Nicolet High School, Jodi attended the University of Michigan as an undergraduate, followed by Harvard Law School. After receiving her law degree in 1992, Jodi began her professional career by serving as a judicial clerk to a federal district court judge, followed by a decade of private practice, ultimately as a partner at the Wisconsin-based law firm of Habush Habush and Rottier.
Jodi married her longtime sweetheart, Dan Sinykin, born and raised in Whitefish Bay, and the couple moved back home to Wisconsin in 1995 after they purchased a textile mill based in Milwaukee.
In the 27 years since, the couple moved their manufacturing facility to Janesville, and despite an ever-changing economic environment, they have managed to keep the factory thriving in Wisconsin. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they pivoted their manufacturing capacity to produce critically-needed protective equipment for Wisconsin first responders, including the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, Advocate Aurora Health, University of Wisconsin Hospitals, countless senior living facilities, and the Wisconsin National Guard.
The Fabric of Wisconsin.
Protecting Wisconsin.
While her husband operates Monterey Mills, Jodi has dedicated her career to championing Wisconsin’s precious natural resources, spending the better part of the last two decades serving as a policy expert on freshwater stewardship and wildlife conservation.
Jodi joined Midwest Environmental Advocates in 2003, where she developed her expertise in water law, encompassing both groundwater and surface waters. After her early years working on Milwaukee-area pollution cases, Jodi was asked to represent environmental interests on a number of state-level advisory committees, including the Wisconsin Groundwater Advisory Committee and the Wisconsin Legislative Council’s Special Committee on the Great Lakes Compact.
Through her work as a policy expert and her leadership on a state-wide coalition, Jodi contributed significantly to the successful enactment of the Great Lakes Compact in Wisconsin, ensuring the protection of our magnificent Great Lakes for generations to come. In doing so, Jodi
demonstrated her ability to work productively with legislators from both parties, to craft statutory language that met the priorities of the varied municipal, governmental, industrial and environmental interests at the table.
Throughout her career, Jodi has consistently worked across the aisle, in collaboration with those representing a variety of interests, to identify common ground and achieve long-term solutions to longstanding concerns. She showcased this ability well in her successful efforts as a policy advisor and lobbyist to secure the passage of a long-awaited law known as Wisconsin’s Puppy Mill Bill—a law that put an end to the deplorable conditions of the state’s previously unregulated
dog breeding industry.
In addition, Jodi has dedicated herself to a myriad of wildlife conservation efforts, including litigation to stop the use of dogs for hunting wolves, and her appointment in 2021 to the Wisconsin DNR’s Wolf Management Plan Committee. Jodi also taught graduate students at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences as an adjunct professor and water policy fellow for six years, focusing on Water Law and environmental justice.
These days Jodi continues to serve as an environmental expert and advocate, and can be seen testifying in front of the State Legislature and Department of Natural Resources board.
Building Coalitions for a Better Tomorrow.
A Family of the 8th Senate District
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Jodi raised her four kids—three sons and a daughter—with her husband right here in Senate District 8, amidst a close community of friends, neighbors, teachers, and family. Theirs is a close family, with generations of roots here in Wisconsin, specifically in Senate District 8.
Despite her busy professional and family life, Jodi continues to find time to volunteer in her community and, in her personal time, enjoys watching the Packers, Bucks and Brewers with her family, practicing yoga, and going on long walks with her two sweet rescue dogs, Dahlia and Jasmine.