Marking Puerto Rican Heritage Month at Hunter College, President Nancy Cantor is pleased to present veteran journalist, former New York State Secretary of State, and current Commissioner of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, Rossana Rosado. She will discuss her new memoir Bronx Attitude with another former New York State Secretary of State, and former Commissioner of the New York City Department for the Aging, Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez.

Imbued with the attitude for which her home borough is famous, Rosado’s new memoir delivers the story of how her childhood in the Bronx instilled in her the sense of duty and empowerment that would lead to her remarkable career in New York media and public service. Included are vivid accounts of the culture shock she experienced as an undergraduate at Pace University, and how her time there shaped her identity and purpose; the challenges she faced, and victories she earned, as a young reporter covering City Hall during the Koch administration; and how she rose through the ranks to become publisher and CEO of the country’s oldest Spanish-language newspaper, El Diario. Also brought to life in the book is how her career mirrored and coincided with the unprecedented growth of the city’s Latino community. From her Bronx childhood to a seat at the table in New York’s most important boardrooms, Rosado’s memoir demonstrates the strength of Latina leadership and serves as a celebration of family, tradition, heritage, and “good old hardcore New York City hustle.”

Rossana Rosado is the third woman and first Latina to lead the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. Appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul in November 2021, she was confirmed by the State Senate in February 2022. Before becoming a commissioner, she served as New York’s Secretary of State, advancing social justice reform. Her state service followed a 30- year career in journalism, which included stints in radio and television and as the first woman to serve as editor, and then publisher and CEO, of El Diario. As a young reporter, she wrote many stories about the challenges faced by Latino New Yorkers and, as publisher, she volunteered with organizations helping folks returning home from prison. In addition to her journalism degree from Pace University, she earned a Master’s in criminal justice from John Jay College, where she was also a distinguished lecturer. During her media career, she earned an Emmy Award, a STAR Award from the NY Women’s Agenda, and a Peabody Award for Journalism. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York.

Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez is a former Commissioner of the New York City Department for the Aging in the administrations of both Mayor Eric Adams and Mayor Bill de Blasio. Before being appointed Commissioner, Cortés-Vázquez served as Senior Advisor to de Blasio in the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations and Government Affairs at EmblemHealth and Executive Vice President for Multicultural Markets and Engagement at the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). She also previously served under Governor Eliot Spitzer and Governor David Paterson as New York’s 65th Secretary of State, the first Hispanic appointee to serve in that role. An alumna of Hunter College (BA, ’75), she currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York.