About Bobby

Senator Zirkin at a press conference with Governor Martin O'Malley

The Zirkin Family

Bobby and his family grew up in the Smith-Greenspring area of Pikesville. Bobby currently resides in Pikesville with his wife Tina, an emergency room nurse, and his two beautiful daughters, Sophie and Emma. Bobby is the youngest son of Drs. Barry and Barbara Zirkin. Barry is a professor at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Barbara is Associate Dean at Stevenson University. Bobby has one brother, Bill, who is an Emergency Room Physician at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. Bobby's sister-in-law Anat is a school psychologist in the Baltimore County Public Schools. Bill and Anat have two beautiful children Jonah and Talia.

Education

Bobby attended local Baltimore County public schools Wellwood Elementary, Pikesville Middle, and Pikesville High School. Bobby earned his Bachelor's Degree at The Johns Hopkins University majoring in political science. Bobby spent his junior year abroad in Europe, studying politics and international relations at the London School of Economics, and studying European integration at the American University in Brussels. When Bobby returned from Europe, he graduated with honors from Johns Hopkins.  Bobby returned to Europe on a Watson Fellowship to study university athletics in the European Union.  Following a year in Europe, Bobby returned to attend the Georgetown University Law Center where he earned his Juris Doctorate.

Senator Zirkin visits a local senior center

Political Beginnings

As a first year law student at Georgetown, Bobby created and led the 'Democratic Youth Bus Tour' and modeled it after a successful Maryland tour that Bobby directed as President of the Young Democrats of Maryland. As part of the tour, Bobby led a group of young people on a 40 state, 80 day, 18,000 mile campaign trip around the nation for the re-election of President Bill Clinton. In each state, Bobby's group held events that attracted and registered young voters. The success of the tour caught the attention of local and national media, and became a major component of the Democratic youth outreach for the 1996 Presidential election. At the end of the tour, the Democratic Party recognized Bobby's efforts and asked him to deliver a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Bobby delivered a prime-time, nationally televised speech on the first night of the Convention.

House of Delegates

Bobby was elected to the House of Delegates at the age of 26 and fresh out of law school. Bobby was appointed to the Judiciary Committee under the Chairmanship of Delegate Joe Vallario (D-Prince George's County), and served with Delegate Ken Montague on the Juvenile Law Subcommittee. Bobby introduced a variety of bills on many different topics, and focused his attention on K-12 class size reduction, summer education for at-risk youth, and juvenile justice issues. In 2002, as a veteran of the Judiciary Committee, Bobby became the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Juvenile Law, working on the important reform of child welfare in our state. Bobby began to tackle that enormous challenge and continues that battle today. Bobby served with distinction for eight years in the House of Delegates with a variety of legislative accomplishments on state and local issues. His success set the stage for his next challenge.

Senator Zirkin in his Senate office

State Senator

With the help of his many supporters, Bobby was elected to the Maryland State Senate in 2006 in a landslide victory.  As a freshman in the Senate, Bobby sponsored 21 bills and served on the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee.  Since then, he has served on the Budget and Tax Committee and the Public Safety, Transportation & Environment Subcommittee. He continues to be the leading advocate for juvenile service reform in the state, and has been a fierce advocate for Maryland's schools.  Now in his second Senate term, Bobby serves as a member of the Judicial Proceedings Committee.  As one of the Senate's practicing attorneys, Bobby has emerged as a leader on important issues such as criminal justice, civil and family law, and consumer protection.  Bobby is proud of his many legislative accomplishments including expanding Maryland's sex offender registry, scores of juvenile justice laws, and progress in the areas of drunk driving and domestic violence.

On to the Future

As a member of the Maryland Senate, Bobby brings passion, energy, experience, and integrity to his work. He continues to inspire the young generation with his constant presence in the schools and hard work on education, juvenile justice, and child welfare. Bobby welcomes input from his constituents and works tirelessly to achieve greater communication. Bobby is a vigorous advocate for the 11th District and Baltimore County and is truly making a difference in the community and for our State.