LaGuardia Faculty and Leadership Participate in CUNY Women’s Conference, March 5, 18-19, and 26
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (March 13, 2026) — On history, culture, and society. LaGuardia Community College and other colleges in the City University of New York (CUNY) system celebrate Women’s History Month with a variety of events, including CUNY Women’s Conference Week, scheduled on March 5, 18-19, and 26.
Spearheaded by the Office of CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez, CUNY Women’s Conference Week is an initiative designed to support, strengthen, and elevate CUNY women through insight, inspiration, and implementation.
This year’s theme was “CUNY Women Lead Loudly: Voice, Vision and Valor,” and featured a variety of breakout sessions, presentations, and discussions. The CUNY Women’s Conference is the new home to the CUNY Student Women’s Leadership Conference, now in its 22nd year, alongside CUNY’s Career Compass for Women Leaders Conference, marking its 7th year in 2026. Together, these conferences offer experiences and opportunities for growth, fostering a community of empowered and inspired women across the CUNY network.
Deema Bayrakdar, Mindfulness Meditation Teacher.and Director of the Women’s Center & LGBTQ+ Hub at LaGuardia, presented a lightening talk titled, “Ascending Together on March 5.
“It was an honor to be in community with so many women, living out the Conference theme: CUNY Women Lead Loudly: Voice, Vision and Valor,” Bayrakdar said.
“I believe that the conference this year offers space for women to be bold, express ideas, vision forward, and build networks of collective care. LAGCC’s representation at this conference matters because there are innumerably awesome women, cross-divisionally at LAGCC, who have wisdom and cutting-edge ideas to share with CUNY at large.”
Dr. Alexis McLean, Vice President for Student Affairs, and member of the Executive Advisory Team for the Conference, says this year’s CUNY Women’s Conference Week launch was a powerful reminder of the importance of community, leadership, and shared learning across the university.
“Hearing from colleagues like Deema and other CUNY speakers highlighted the incredible work happening across the university to support and empower women in higher education,” Dr. McLean said. “It was especially meaningful to see so many representatives from LaGuardia Community College in attendance. Our presence at these events amplifies the voices and contributions of our campus community, but also strengthens our connection to the broader CUNY network as we continue to learn from and uplift one another.”
On March 18, Dr. Preethi Radhakrishnan, Professor and Program Director of Natural Sciences, Dr. Reem Jaafar, Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, who recently joined Queensborough Community College, Dr. Milean Cuellar, Professor, Department of Math and Engineering, and Ellen Quish, Director of First-Year Programming and Student Success present the breakout session, “Ascending Together: How Intentional Allyship Strengthens Leadership Across CUNY.”
Also on March 18, President Kenneth Adams participates in the Fireside Chat: “Champions, not Bystanders: Men in Leadership Supporting Women,” with other CUNY Presidents, which was moderated by Elizabeth de Leon Bhargava, Interim President, Guttman Community College, and Natalie Gomez-Velez, Interim Dean, CUNY School of Law.
On March 19, Dr. Jason Hendrickson, Professor, CUNY Faculty Co-Director, Career-Connected Learning, co-presents a resume workshop alongside Punita Bhansali, Associate Professor of Queensborough Community College; CUNY Faculty Co-Director, Career-Connected Learning.
Click here to view the full conference schedule.
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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.
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