As Eugenio María de Hostos Community College continues to improve its ability to support students and better execute the institution’s mission, we are pleased to announce that five new members and three new officers have been appointed to the Hostos Foundation Board.
The Board’s newly-elected officers are José A. Sánchez-Kinghorn, Chairperson; Dolores Batista, Vice Chairperson; and Dudley N. Williams, Jr., Treasurer. Elba Cabrera will remain as the Board’s Secretary. The new members are Salomé Galib, April Horton, Carolyn McLaughlin, Rafael Ortiz, and Salahuddin Rajput.
Thanks in part to the work of the Hostos Foundation Board, Hostos awarded over $300,000 in scholarships to more than 500 students in 2013. These funds helped to pay tuition, buy textbooks, and even helped students who were facing unforeseen financial hardships.
“Hostos Community College would not be the success it is today without the participation from the Hostos Foundation Board,” said Hostos Community College President Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “I want to sincerely thank all former and current members for working together in support of our most important resource, our students. I especially wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to Timothy G. Noble, Former Chairperson, William Aguado, Former Vice Chairperson, and Luis Canela, Former Treasurer, for their years of invaluable service as officers over the past decade. Their indefatigable efforts have accelerated the transition of the group formerly known as “Friends of Hostos” to the vibrant, successful Foundation Board it is today.”
Founded on March 24, 2004, the Hostos Community College Foundation is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit corporation that operates exclusively for the charitable purpose of supporting the college. These important community leaders donate their time for the betterment of Hostos by promoting fundraising activities through scholarships, subsidies, endowments, grants, bequests, and other funds.
The Board also makes recommendations concerning the acceptance of monies, grants, securities and/or any other donations and directs the management of the operations, property affairs and concerns of the Foundation.
MORE ABOUT THE NEW HOSTOS FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBERS
Salomé Galib is a writer and an attorney by training. Also a homemaker and the mother of three young children, she devotes much of her time to supporting, promoting and fundraising for not-for-profit organizations with missions that are close to her heart.
Ms. Galib currently serves on the Advisory Council of the Sila M. Calderón Foundation's Center for Puerto Rico's Diaspora, the Sanctuary for Families' Legal Advisory Council, and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy's Education Advisory Committee. She also contributes time to Latino Justice/PRLDEF—one of the nation’s foremost civil rights organizations— for which she once created and implemented cultivation and fundraising strategies and events as Development Director.
Ms. Galib began her career as a Business Reporter and the Washington Correspondent for El Nuevo DÍa. As the newspaper’s sole correspondent in the United States, she covered federal policies, fiscal matters and issues pertaining to the larger Puerto Rico and Latino communities in the United States. During the Clinton Administration, she worked as a Program Officer for the United States Information Agency's Foreign Press Center. In this capacity, she organized events that were covered by foreign media and also facilitated access to the U.S. Government.
After receiving her legal training, Ms. Galib worked as an associate at Rosenman & Colin, LLP, and Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler, LLP. She left the practice of law to serve as Vice President and New York Office Director of the Government Development Bank of Puerto Rico. Currently she is the owner and President of Bebé Sol LLC, a wholesale company that distributes children’s apparel designed and/or manufactured in Puerto Rico. She received her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law, an MIA from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, and her BSFS from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
Ms. Galib continues to be very active at her children’s school, Brooklyn Friends School, where she has served as PTA President (2010-2012) and a member of the Development Committee of the Board of Trustees (2009-2012). She also served as a Board member for Credit Where Credit is Due and the Bronx Lighthouse Charter School (2005-2008).
April Horton is the Director in Government and External Affairs at Verizon. In this capacity, she leads all of the company’s government affairs and legislative activity in the NY Midstate region, the Bronx, and Northern Manhattan. She is responsible for securing Verizon’s short-term objectives and advancing its long-term goals by communicating with key internal and external stakeholders and positioning the company’s strategic direction, progress towards targeted goals and advances in products and services. She is also responsible for philanthropic strategy, grant-making and initiatives in the foundation’s issues areas of education, family safety and health, and employee volunteerism.
During her more than 17 years of service for Verizon, Ms. Horton has served in a variety of positions in Customer Service, Wholesale Markets and External Affairs. She also managed a multi-million dollar Verizon Foundation program. Prior to joining Verizon, Ms. Horton worked at Waterhouse Securities, a brokerage firm where she was actively involved in mutual funds. She is also a longstanding member of Mystery Shopping Professionals Association.
Ms. Horton is active in civic and community affairs. She has served as the Co-Chair for the Young Professionals Advisory Group of A Better Chance, which under her leadership exceeded its targeted financial goals. She is also on the Board of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, Bronx Children’s Museum, and the Lehman Performing Arts Center. She has been honored by the YMCA, Bronx Democratic County Committee and recognized as one of 25 Influential Women in the Bronx.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Ms. Horton holds a B.A. in psychology from Fordham University and an M.A. in Industrial Organizational psychology from Columbia University. She earned a Certificate in Dispute Resolution from the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Carolyn McLaughlin recently retired from her position as Executive Director of BronxWorks. Having been the organization’s executive officer since 1979, she has overseen its expansion from a small storefront operation to a settlement house with programs that serve many neighborhoods. Under her leadership, BronxWorks has expanded its services to address the need of immigrants, homeless individuals and families, people with HIV/AIDS, children and youth, and working-age adults as well as senior citizens.
In recognition of her achievements, BronxWorks is naming its main community center, at 1130 Grand Concourse, after her. Ms. McLaughlin received her M.A. in social work from Columbia University.
Rafael Ortiz joined Palladium in 2006 and serves as a Principal. Previously he was an associate with Advent Morro Equity Partners, where he invested in healthcare, business services and manufacturing. Mr. Ortiz began his career at Banco Popular de Puerto Rico as a member of an internal M&A group that executed principal investments and acquisitions of financial services companies in the U.S. and Latin America. Mr. Ortiz earned a B.S. from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. He lives in New York with his wife Brenda and their two sons.
Salahuddin Rajput is co-founder and chief operating officer of his family’s business, the Walison Corporation. He has been a major contributor to and ultimately a developer of new multimillion dollar residential and commercial complexes. He has also created three real estate investment funds. As Walison’s COO, Mr. Rajput brings a wide range of talents, skills and experience to all phases of his company’s projects.
In keeping with his deep sense of commitment to the community, Mr. Rajput ensures that his projects are protective of parks, schools and other public facilities while preserving the character of the neighborhoods involved. As a Certified Mentor and volunteer for the nonprofit association of SCORE, Mr. Rajput provides free individual counseling to aspiring entrepreneurs and proprietors of small businesses, and he also conducts workshops on such issues as disaster relief. In addition, he serves on MIT’s Enterprise Forum in New York City, which is dedicated to strengthening technology globally and helping to launch new business enterprises.
Additionally, Mr. Rajput serves on the Professional Development and Young Leader in Affordable Housing committees of the National Housing Conference in Washington, DC. He earned his B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering at New York University’s Polytechnic Institute.
THE 2014 HOSTOS FOUNDATION BOARD
Officers
Mr. José A. Sánchez-Kinghorn, Chairperson
Ms. Dolores Batista, Vice Chairperson
Ms. Elba Cabrera, Secretary
Mr. Dudley N. Williams, Jr., Treasurer
Board Members
Ms. Cira Ángeles
Mr. Jorge L. Ayala
Ms. Nancy E. Biberman
Mr. Luis Canela
Mrs. Ana M. Carrión-Silva
Mr. Michael S. Fassler
Mrs. Salomé Galib
Mr. Roberto S. García
Ms. April Horton
Mr. Paul Maloney
Dr. Félix V. Matos Rodríguez
Ms. Carolyn McLaughlin
Mr. Robert C. Morgan
Mr. Timothy G. Noble
Mr. Rafael Ortiz
Mr. Jimmy Quan
Mr. Salahuddin Rajput
Mr. William Scribner
Mrs. Carmen Vega-Rivera
About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique "Student Success Coaching Unit" provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.
Hostos offers 29 associate degree programs and five certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to CUNY’s four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of The City University of New York (CUNY), the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 480,000 students at 24 colleges.