caption children birth_place name birth_date known_for spouse image article_title birth_name
michelle paige paterson with samir sammoun 2 fairfield , california , usa michelle paige paterson 1 april 1961 first lady of new york state , usa david paterson ny sammoun.jpg state first lady michelle paige patterson with samir michelle paige paterson
 michelle r. paige
michelle paige paterson

michelle r. paige paterson -lrb- born april 1 , 1961 in fairfield , california -rrb- was the first lady of new york state .
the wife of new york governor david paterson , she became the first lady on march 17 , 2008 , when her husband was sworn in as governor , following the resignation of eliot spitzer .
paige paterson is the first african american first lady in new york 's history .
michelle paige paterson spent her early years in the crown heights neighborhood of brooklyn in new york city before moving to staten island , another new york city borough where she was raised by her mother , a postal service manager .
she attended syracuse university and earned a graduate degree in health-care management from milano the new school for management and urban policy .
she has been married to david paterson since november 21 , 1992 ; he is her second husband .
they have a son together -lrb- born february 1994 -rrb- -lrb- alex -rrb- and paige paterson has a daughter -lrb- ashley -rrb- from her first marriage , who has been raised by paterson .
paige paterson is director of the integrated-wellness program at the health insurance plan of new york hmo , a program that assists individuals with chronic health problems to better manage their conditions by helping them to improve their life skills .
she previously worked as a lobbyist for north general hospital in manhattan .
on march 18 , 2008 , paige paterson and her husband both admitted to having had affairs with other people .
making these admissions was a strategy she supported in order to start david paterson 's governorship with full disclosure and to avoid `` stoking the rumor mill '' .
