She also worked at North Shore University Hospital as a physical therapist and certified wound care specialist.

[6][7] On March 27, 2007, she won 86 percent of the vote in a special election to replace Thomas DiNapoli who became State Comptroller.

Schimel resided in Great Neck, New York from 1982 until 2015, when she moved to Port Washington, N.Y. She has two sons, Alex and Spencer.

She was married to David Leiman, a senior adviser for Merrill Lynch, in Port Washington, N.Y., in May 2016.

[8] She serves on the board of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence and in 1995 she and former Rep. Carolyn McCarthy co-founded the organization's Long Island chapter.