Resilient Women Leaders Panel

DISTINGUISHED PANELISTS & HONOREES BIOS

Dr. Daisy Cocco De Filippis, an internationally recognized pioneer in the field of Dominican Studies and a consummate champion for college students from low-income and other underserved families.  Dr. Cocco De Filippis currently serves as President of Hostos Community College of The City University of New York (CUNY). From 2002 to 2008 she served as the college’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. She returned to Hostos Community College in August 2020 after serving as President of Naugatuck Valley Community College from July 2008 to August 2020. A CUNY alum and former CUNY professor, she is the first Dominican woman to serve as a CUNY college president.   Dr. Cocco De Filippis holds a Ph.D. in Latin American Literature, an M. Phil in Spanish literature from the Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York, an M.A. in Spanish literature and a B.A. summa cum laude in Spanish and English literatures from Queens College, CUNY. 

She has been recognized for her efforts over decades as a key education leader — and for her historic scholarship in Dominican Studies. Her research has enlightened us about the Dominican community, its strong women, its emblematic history and its contributions to our country, our city — and to the University. Dr. Cocco De Filippis’ personal journey from CUNY student to faculty to administrator and her work speak to CUNY’s promise to provide students with the opportunity to succeed on a level playing field. With her skill, diligence, and heart, she has made higher education a reality for so many and will, of course, continue to do so.”

Cocco De Filippis’ scholarly work is recognized internationally for pioneering the field of Dominican women’s studies and spotlighting Dominican authors in the U.S. She also has served on numerous educational national and international boards and has received numerous awards.  Dr. Cocco De Filippis has served on the board of multiple educational and community organizations, as well as Commissioner for the New England Commission for Higher Education. ​

Sulma Arzu-Brown - For over 15 years Sulma Arzu-Brown has been working as a champion for Diversity & Inclusion; well before the term became a trending topic.  She is a proud Garifuna & Afro-Latina woman, immigrant of Honduras and raised in the South Bronx. Sulma’s work as the Executive Director of The Garifuna Coalition USA. and Director of Operations for the NYC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce merited her many award recognitions as well as the opportunity to launch her own company Sulma LLC whose vision is to see possibilities transform into realities.  She is the author of the award-winning book Bad Hair Does Not Exist!/ Pelo Malo No Existe! and My Hair Comes With Me-Shifting the Paradigm of What Success Looks Like!  Sulma has become such an influential Bronx community empowerment activist who that she has been selected to serve as a mentor for Scholastics new book series “Rising Voices – Elevating Latino Stories”   She is proud to proud to serve as the new Executive Director of the Bronx Tourism Council and is excited to see the Bronx become a global destination.  To give a short list of credits, Sulma LLC. has been featured in: Oprah.com, Black Enterprise magazine, Huffington Post, Univision’s Despierta America, Parents.com, Remezcla; and has partnered with major brands and educational institutions such as Barnes & Noble, MasterCard, Nasdaq, Edelman, Pepsico, Unilever, Columbia University, Stonybrook University and NYC DOE. Sulma is a God loving, family loving and community loving human being.
 
Fathima Torres has more than 30 years of activism and community organizing with a focus on women’s rights; currently she is the National Director of Human Resources for Make the Road a national organizational umbrella that holds the operations of Make the Road New York, Make the Road States and Make the Road Action.  Fathima is a member of the United Nations Association, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Baruch College and a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management from Pace University as well as an accreditation from SHRM as a Certified Professional in Human Resources Management.
 
Melissa R. Quesada serves as Associate Commissioner for External Affairs. An experienced advocate and external affairs professional with a career spanning over 15 years in the private, government and non-profit sectors. Melissa previously served as Director of Latino Affairs in the NYS Executive Chamber, where she acted as the Governor’s primary representative to the Latino Community, managed key relationships, advocated for issues that impacted Latinos, and advised on issues of critical importance.   In that role, she was also part of the team that managed NYS’ recovery and relief efforts in Puerto Rico post hurricane Maria.  Prior to her time at the Executive Chamber, Melissa served as Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Worker Protection at the Department of Labor where she was responsible for coordinating the planning and implementation of multi-agency statewide enforcement and outreach efforts.  While at the Department Ms. Quesada also previously served as the Director of Outreach for the Governor’s Unemployment Strike Force, cultivating relationships with local businesses, targeted constituencies, elected officials and community organizations.  Prior to her time in state Government, Ms. Quesada worked as a Special Associate Attorney for the New York City Law Department, and in private practice.  She has served as Vice-Chair, of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade and was a Board member for the Institute for Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly.  She is a licensed attorney, holds a J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law and a B.A. from Binghamton University, where she graduated with honors.
 
Zenaida Mendez holds the esteemed position of Director of Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) El Barrio Firehouse Community Media and is the President of the National Dominican Women’s Caucus.  Ms. Mendez, a social justice activist, has an intensive career in public service and community activism.  Mendez earned a BA in Government and Public Administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a Masters degree in Public Administration from the City University of New York, Graduate School of Public Affairs. Her selfless activism and leadership have earned her recognition from local, national and international organizations.  In 1991, Zenaida along with Ana Victoria Lamarche and Yaniris Antonia Urbaez founded the Dominican Women’s Caucus in NYC to ensure the equitable participation of Dominican Women and Latinas in general in NYC Civil society. In the year 2000 founded the National Dominican Women’s Caucus to work with Dominican women as well as all Latinas throughout the United States.  Zenaida Mendez, is also the Past Immediate President of the National Organization for Women –New York State (NOW-NYS), first women of color to serve in this capacity in NYS.  Ms. Mendez has a long history of community service. Serving on various boards; The West Harlem Environmental Action, Citizen Action of NY, Housing Conservation Coordinators, Committee for Hispanic Families and Children, and the National Latino Alliance for the Elimination of Domestic Violence, Manhattan Community Board “Community Board #4”, she also had volunteer in many political local, statewide and national political campaigns. Zenaida  is currently a Board member of the New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT)
 
Rommy Pennella graduated from Fordham University with honors and received a leadership award for her commitment and leadership among her peers. She proceeded to work for Kraft Foods in the product development dept. and Ogilvy & Mather as a media planner for IBM. Rommy grew up seeing her parents involved with their community. She believes that her parents can better serve their community by opening “CISNEVISION”, a non-for-profit organization. She produced and managed the show “Abriendo Brecha International”. The show was the first Hispanic show in the Bronx and it was a hit. Many viewers tuned in to watch the show, which consisted of news, entertainment, community events and later added sports. Rommy than proceeded to open up the first Cosmetology & Beauty Chamber of Commerce. Rommy believed this was a great concept, to bring her business skills and assist the Latino community with opportunities to understand how to open up a business, and to learn the skills and resources needed to become successful. She also assists in developing new products, marketing and social media through one to one consultations and workshops. She also taught Lehman College Higher Continuing Education courses on “How to open and operate a salon”, “marketing” as well as how to create your own “business plan”. Rommy’s greatest satisfaction is to see her members become motivated and empower themselves, to ultimately become successful business owners. She also initiated the “Beauty Business Program” and “Because I can “ Program for single moms. She realized many young single moms needed to become motivated and empowered herself to demonstrate opportunities that are available to them in the beauty industry. Through this program many young moms are now working for beauty companies, became celebrity makeup artists, opened their first beauty salon and were recently hired for the Latin Billboard. She assists with the event production of Diva Spa in the Bronx, which gives domestic violence victims a day of beauty by reaching out to all the members in the beauty business to commit to help out this great event. She was an honored guest in many parades; Rommy Received the Don Quijote small business award. In addition, she was invited by Telemundo and Univision to speak about women in business. Rommy received 2 Proclamations of the City for her commitment to community economics development, Citations and awards from Senator and Councils. She also recieved the Small Business Administration awards Women in Business Champion of the Year for opening many successful small businesses. Rommy’s ultimate goals are to inspire people by making them believe that they can accomplish anything they want, and that it’s never to late to reach out for your dreams.
 
Rosita Mercedes Romero Presently, Rosita is the Executive Director and co- founder of the Dominican Women’s Development Center.  She was born in the town of Isabela, Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic in 1960. In 1973, she moved to Puerto Rico at the age of 12. After finishing high school, she briefly attended the University of Puerto Rico and came to the United States obtaining a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Haven, Connecticut in 1980; and her Master of Social Work from Hunter College in1990.  She became an activist at the age of sixteen and had many plans and ideas for the improvement of her newly adopted community.  In 1988, she founded El Centro de Desarrollo de la Mujer Dominicana, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving women living conditions. The Centro now employs 80 employees and offers services to approximately 10,000 individuals annually. She also administers the Centro de Ciudadanos Infantiles Mamá Tingó, which provides care, early education, and food security to children in the community. In addition, she created the first support group for LGBTQ in Washington Heights. 
She is married with two wonderful children. She has considerable experience in the areas of community organizing, advocacy, coalition building, housing, women’s issues, immigration, health, and family matters.  Ms. Romero has been a presenter at many conferences in colleges and other major institutions throughout the United States speaking about the situation of Latinos in general, and Dominican women in particular. She has been a guest speaker on television and radio shows and appeared on several newspaper articles in relation to this topic. She has excellent writing and public speaking abilities in English & Spanish.  
She has received numerous awards and is recognized as a strong leader committed to social justice. In the process of becoming a leader she has motivated, helped, and inspired many others.  Ms. Romero was profiled as a Hispanic Role Model on WCBS-TV in September, 2003 during Hispanic Heritage Month; she was selected by the New York Post as one of the 25 Most Influential Latinos in the City of New York in October 2003; and in February 2004 she was selected by Univision as an unsung heroine in the Dominican Community during Dominican Heritage Month. Ms. Romero has been featured in Latina Magazine and Quisqueya Life highlighting successful Dominican Women.
 
Co-moderator - Sandra Harris, LMSW is the Associate Vice President of Government and Community Affairs at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. For 35 years Sandra has been a notable leader in government and community relations. She is well known for her successful work in maintaining community and academic relations, developing partnerships, and promoting university and community programs that impact the health and well-being of the northern Manhattan community. Sandra’s passion for helping the community led her to change her career path from housing-tenant advocacy to strengthening mental health services and advising on healthcare policies that greatly benefit the mental health and social well-being of the residents of Northern Manhattan. She believes that to improve services at the community level, we must facilitate the conversations and connections that yield policies and programs that allow underserved populations the opportunity to thrive. Sandra has a Master in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution from Columbia University, Master of Social Work from Hunter College.  She is a licensed mental health practitioner in the State of New York.  She is member of the National Association of Social Worker, American Public Health Association, the board of directors of the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, the Armory Foundation, the National Dominican Women’s Caucus and, Encuentros.  Sandra is the founder and senior consultant of Harrisolutions Consulting, where she provides personal and career coaching, counseling, mediation and conflict resolution services.
 
Co-moderator - Ana I. García Reyes, MS. Ed. - Dean Garcia Reyes is the Dean of Community Relations at Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY). She has a broad portfolio supportive of the college’s mission. In this position she is responsible for planning, developing and directing different phases of the college’s community relations operation. Serves as the College’s liaison of community affairs and supports legislative activities, as well as advocacy efforts for the college. As the community relations liaison and spokesperson, García Reyes maintains professional ties with policy makers, professional organizations, and numerous national as well as local networks. She is also a member of the President’s Cabinet, Extended Cabinet, and the College’s Strategic Planning, among other University Committees. Dean Garcia Reyes also coordinates educational conferences, seminars, cultural heritage events, and professional development / academic study abroad programs for teachers and students. She has received numerous national and international awards for her civic engagement, and service to the community. She has been involved in public service for close to 4 decades, and has over 37 years of experience in student and community affairs. Also has extensive work in program management and special programs. Dean García-Reyes has co-authored various publications, and has been featured in many media outlets. She serves on different professional boards, and is the co-founder of more than 5 professional organizations.  Dean García Reyes received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the City College of the City University of New York (CUNY) in 1979, and her Master of Science degree in Bilingual Education from the same institution in 1989. Dean Garcia Reyes has received extensive training in multiculturalism/ bilingualism. García Reyes was born in the Dominican Republic, and raised in New York City. She is the daughter of a Puerto Rican woman, and a Dominican man. She has a daughter, and 4 siblings. Enjoys mentoring students, and believes that education elevates opportunities for all. She has dedicated a significant amount of time to community service, and has mentored numerous students who have become successful role models.