2024 Power Players in Education

Tia Morris is an advocate for equity, dedicating more than 25 years to improving educational opportunities for young people. In 1998, she began her teaching career with the NYCDOE through Teach For America and returned in 2020 as executive director. Tia has served as executive director for Teach For America New Jersey, a founding member of a school network, and held chief-level central office positions in both the Newark and Camden school systems.

How can policymakers support New York’s students and educators?
The most vulnerable students are often the last to have access to opportunities. Yet, we live in a tech-driven world where technologies like AI will define the workforce of the future. Therefore, the best way that policymakers can provide support is by bridging the digital divide that exists between schools and industry. Make standards and curriculum forward-looking, aligned to jobs, and inclusive of training and provide career pathways and experiential opportunities for all students.

What is the best advice you have received from a mentor?
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This African proverb encapsulates the best advice I’ve ever received. Leadership can often feel lonely and with stakes as high as they are for NYC students, it could be easy to bulldoze your way forward in the name of urgency. However, sustainable change is done together –  honoring the full chorus of perspectives and leveraging the full complement of strengths.

Michael Mulgrew is the fifth president of the United Federation of Teachers, which represents nearly 200,000 New York City public school educators and school-related professionals, as well as child care providers, nurses, adult education instructors, retired members and other titles and organizations. Re-elected to his fifth full term in spring 2022, Mulgrew has served as president since July 2009.

Since assuming leadership of Borough of Manhattan Community College in September 2020, President Anthony E. Munroe has galvanized college-wide initiatives to build equity and inclusion, support students’ basic needs and increase their academic and career opportunities. One of his first actions at BMCC was to create the Race, Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee. He also established the President’s Fund for Excellence and Innovation, which builds student engagement and open conversations vital to the BMCC mission.

How can policymakers support New York’s students and educators?
Policymakers must advocate for increased funding for educational institutions. Budget cuts and financial constraints have a direct impact on the quality of education. Students deserve access to the best resources, cutting-edge technology, and qualified educators who can guide them on their academic journeys. By prioritizing education in budgetary decisions, they empower our institutions to innovate, adapt, and flourish. Policymakers must advocate for policies that dismantle systemic barriers and promote equity in educational access and outcomes.

What was your favorite moment or experience in your own education?
I appreciate the NYC public school education I received. Growing up in The Bronx, I had classmates and friends of diverse backgrounds. Classmates who “just arrived” to the U.S. were common, yet we bonded. My undergraduate years did not go as expected, working and putting myself through school over a 14-year period. These life lessons prepared me for my role as president. I have a personal connection, bond, and empathy for our students’ journeys.

What is the best advice you have received from a mentor?
The best advice that I received was, “Never give up on your dreams and aspirations – have your plan and work your plan. Work hard with the highest degree of integrity and determination. You are worthy and you belong.”

As deputy commissioner for higher education in the NYS Education Department, Dr. Murphy coordinates policy, regulatory and programmatic oversight for colleges and universities in NYS. His team regulates New York State’s higher education system, encompassing 230+ colleges and universities and serving undergraduate and graduate students. Current initiatives ensure that NYS remains a leader in college access, affordability and excellence, including administering State grant programs that provide access for under-represented, under-served, and first-generation college students. 

How can policymakers support New York’s students and educators?
By reimagining and transforming our education system to connect our P-12 school standards, assessment and evaluation practices to better align with the future of college and career opportunities and pathways. And then ensure that there is a strong commitment to postsecondary access and affordability for all New Yorkers, including our underserved, underrepresented and first-generation students.

What was your favorite moment or experience in your own education?
I remember one semester later in my undergraduate studies when I was taking a number of seemingly disconnected classes in world religions/history, classic literature and micro/macroeconomics. I was trying to figure out why my college had emphasized a broad liberal arts curriculum, and finally started to piece together the importance of a broad and deep education to make me a more well-rounded thinker –  that college was more than just preparing me for a job.

What is the best advice you have received from a mentor?
It’s not by accident that we have two eyes, two ears, and one mouth… listen and observe carefully and thoughtfully before speaking.

Melinda Person is president of New York State United Teachers, the union of nearly 700,000 employees or retirees of New York’s schools, colleges and health care facilities. In 16 years at NYSUT, including as executive and political director, Person revolutionized member engagement, created organizing programs to bring demands to elected representatives, and developed the Pipeline Project to train members to run for office. She is committed to equitable classrooms where students and educators thrive.

Dr. Poser is the ninth president of Hofstra University and the first woman president in the institution’s history. Over the past three years, she has enhanced Hofstra’s academic reputation, improved retention rates, and expanded student and faculty resources, among numerous other achievements. Earlier in her career, Dr. Poser served as associate to the chancellor and then dean of the Law School at the University of Nebraska, and as provost at the University of Illinois Chicago.

How can policymakers support New York’s students and educators?
Policymakers can support students and educators by helping to alleviate the financial burden on students to attend college, particularly Pell students, and by recognizing the important role that private universities play in New York’s higher education ecosystem. Policymakers can collaborate more with universities to create programs that support internships and other experiential learning opportunities to assist students in gaining the skills needed for the evolving workforce and their future careers.

What was your favorite moment or experience in your own education?
Impossible to have a favorite, but perhaps the most profound moment was after I completed my college written and oral honors exams and before graduation, it occurred to me that despite all I had learned over the past four years, the most important thing I learned was how much there was to know, and that I had only learned a tiny fraction of it. I realized that college was only a prelude to lifelong learning.

What is the best advice you have received from a mentor?
You should always ask for what you want. The worst that can happen is that the answer will be no.

Dr. Patricia Ramsey, distinguished as a “National Role Model” by Minority Access, Inc., was appointed the sixth president of Medgar Evers College by the City University of New York (CUNY) Board of Trustees. Dr. Ramsey, who officially took office on May 1, 2021, is the first woman and the first scientist to serve in the position of president of the College. After only six weeks at the helm, Dr. Ramsey submitted a proposal that resulted in a $20 million grant award, the single largest grant award in the history of Medgar Evers College.

Christine M. Riordan, Ph.D., was appointed in 2015 as the 10th president of Adelphi University and the first woman to hold the role in the University’s 128-year history. Dr. Riordan is an established expert in leadership, team building, career success, and diversity, equity and inclusion. She is also a seasoned and respected board member in the corporate and nonprofit sectors. Dr. Riordan’s vision has transformed Adelphi into a nationally recognized modern metropolitan university. 

Dr. Havidán Rodríguez is the 20th president of the University at Albany, one of the most diverse public research universities in the nation. Highlights of his tenure include returning the College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering to UAlbany, launching the AI Plus initiative, opening new engineering and research facilities, and earning the prestigious Seal of Excelencia. Dr. Rodríguez serves on President Biden’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. 

How can policymakers support New York’s students and educators?
New York’s future depends on our students and the dedicated educators teaching them the skills they need to thrive in the economy of the future. Policymakers can support this critical work by investing in institutions like the University at Albany with proven track records of supporting social mobility and helping students from all backgrounds succeed. These investments must run the gamut from student aid to capital investments to research funding to supporting faculty and staff.

What was your favorite moment or experience in your own education?
I finished my bachelor’s degree while serving in the United States Air Force. I was stationed in an Air Force base near Huntingdon in England. While working as a medical technician, I was able to complete my degree while also traveling to a number of countries in Europe. This experience developed in me a passion for higher education and globalization. The rest, as they say, is history.

What is the best advice you have received from a mentor?
One of my best college mentors provided ongoing support, encouragement, and a great academic experience. He once told me “Havidán, you will get a Ph.D., will become a great educator, and will be very successful.” He saw in me what I could not see in myself at that time. That is a great educator and a true mentor.

Dr. Rosa became the first Latina woman to serve as commissioner starting in February 2021, having previously served as the chancellor and member of the Board of Regents. She is a nationally recognized education leader with more than 30 years of instructional and administrative experience. Dr. Rosa earned an Ed. M. and Ed. D. in administration, planning and social policy from Harvard University. She also holds two Master of Science in education degrees from the City College of New York and Lehman College  and a B.A. in psychology from the City College of New York.