Welcome to the Office of the President

Recent Communications from Dr. Christine Mangino, President

September 14, 2020

Dear Colleagues:

I am delighted to share with you the interim appointment of Ms. Amaris Matos as Queensborough Community College’s first Executive Advisor to the President for equity, effective Monday, September 14, 2020.

As President of one of the most diverse colleges in the nation, I am steadfast in my commitment to inclusiveness, mutual respect and equity. As educators, we must do more than recognize and celebrate our diversity; we must scrutinize our policies, systems and practices, and change them, when necessary, to ensure that Queensborough is welcoming, safe and open to all people, ideas and voices.

Education that is truly respectful of everyone requires that we work together to continue fostering transparency and accountability among all members of our college community.

A first-generation college graduate from East Harlem, Ms. Matos most recently served as Director of Academic Affairs at Hostos, driving initiatives across the institution and working directly with students, faculty and staff in ways that supported the college’s goals and elevated the college’s diversity and inclusion ideals.

While at Hostos, Ms. Matos identified and addressed issues of access and equity in registration and enrollment processes, and introduced practices that addressed the needs of marginalized populations. Additionally, she worked with senior leadership on college-wide Cultural Competencies, and sought to align administrative practices with institutional access and equity goals.

As the liaison to the Hostos Diversity Plan, Ms. Matos helped track and report metrics that informed the college’s policies and practices. She also served as chief writer for the college’s 2017 Middle States Periodic Review Report and the 2020 Middle States Self-Study Design. In both reports, Ms. Matos centered the college’s work, addressing its historical role in educating students from diverse backgrounds, particularly Latinx and African Americans.

Early in her career, as a counselor at Prep for Prep, the nation’s foremost program for academically gifted African American, Latinx, and Asian American students, she supported the academic and personal growth of high school and college students, helping many – especially those among the first in their families to aspire to college – attend some of the most highly selective colleges in the country.

Her own college career began at Wesleyan University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Government. She went on to earn her Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine at Santa Barbara College of Oriental Medicine; and a Master of Public Administration from Baruch College.

Ms. Matos shares my commitment to collaborating with faculty, staff and students across Queensborough to strengthen and advance our culture of fairness and inclusion. She is the proud daughter of a single-mother who instilled in her a love for learning and an understanding of the role of education in creating social mobility. As a member of my Cabinet, her leadership, based on mutual trust and respect, will benefit our entire community.

I would like to thank my colleagues, both within the administration and from among the Black Faculty and Staff Association, who advocated for this college-wide role. Together with the upcoming appointment of a Faculty Fellow for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and working collaboratively with our current Chief Diversity Officer, I am confident Ms. Matos will advance many institutional initiatives in this important area.

Please join me in welcoming Amaris.

Christine

Dr. Christine Mangino
President
Queensborough Community College
The City University of New York