Commencement Program

Since taking the helm in 2020, President Kenneth Adams has led LaGuardia’s efforts to improve student success, strengthen its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and increase government and philanthropic support. In 2021, he launched a bold campaign to raise funds to help LaGuardia students rise and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic; which reached its $15 million goal.

Previously, President Adams was dean of workforce and economic development at Bronx Community College/CUNY. Prior to joining CUNY, President Adams spent more than 20 years leading economic and workforce development organizations in New York State. He served as acting commissioner of the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance, president and CEO of Empire State Development, and commissioner of the NYS Department of Economic Development. He previously led the Business Council of New York State and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. He was also the founding executive director of New York Cares.

President Adams serves as chairman of the boards of directors of New York State’s affordable housing agencies, including the Housing Finance Agency, the State of New York Mortgage Agency, and the Housing Trust Fund Corporation. He is a director of Opportunity America, the Queens Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Long Island City Partnership, and the Research Foundation of CUNY. He has additionally served on boards, commissions, councils, and advisory groups on behalf of five governors and two mayors.

President Adams received BA and MA degrees and an Ed.D. honoris causa from Middlebury College. He lives with his family in Brooklyn.

Kevin D. Kim, was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams to serve as the Commissioner for the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), a dynamic City agency focused on equity of opportunity leading to economic self-sufficiency and mobility for New York City’s diverse communities. Among the initiatives SBS successfully launched in his first year as Commissioner include: 1) largest public-private partnership loan fund in NYC directed to small businesses ($75M); 2) Cannabis NYC to outreach and educate New Yorkers on the opportunities connected to this newly-legalized market; 3) Small Business Forward – recommending more than 100 reforms to violations that overly-burdened small businesses, saving small businesses millions of dollars annually; and 4) Small Business Advisory Commission to give actual small business owners a seat at the table when important policy decisions are being made.

Commissioner Kim is an attorney, entrepreneur, and public servant. As a son of immigrant small business owners, and a former co-founder/operator of several small businesses, he understands first-hand the various challenges small businesses face.

In public service, Commissioner Kim served as the first Asian American commissioner of the New York State Liquor Authority. For more than a decade, he has been a recognized community leader serving on the boards of various non-profit organizations, including the CUNY Board of Trustees, President (Biden)’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, and American Red Cross (Queens). He is also a certified community mediator through his participation in the Black Korean Mediation Project.

Commissioner Kim is a proud product of the NYC public school system, having attended K-12 in Queens (graduating from Townsend Harris High School at Queens College). He received his B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University and his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a member of the Columbia Law Review. Mr. Kim serves as Chair of the Board’s Audit Committee and is a member of the Executive Committee, the Subcommittee on Diversity, Inclusion and MWBE and the Subcommittee on Investment.

Héctor Batista joined CUNY as the University’s executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer on July 1, 2019, bringing with him more than 25 years of experience leading prominent organizations of all kinds – public, private, nonprofit and government – that have helped the city and its residents thrive.

Mr. Batista was a trailblazer in each of his two previous positions – the first Latino president and chief executive officer in the 100-year history of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and, before that, the first Latino CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, the nation’s first and New York’s largest youth-mentoring organization. In his eight years at BBBS, from 2010 to 2018, he expanded the organization’s presence throughout the city, opening modern new offices in the four outer boroughs, growing recruitment of volunteers there and doubling the number of children served.

Mr. Batista has devoted most of his professional life to government and public service. He began his career with local economic development organizations in Brooklyn before joining the Brooklyn Borough President’s office, where he held senior management positions in development and finance over the course of seven years. In 1996, he moved to City Hall, serving as deputy commissioner and chief operating officer of the city’s Housing Preservation and Development Department.

In 1999, Mr. Batista left government for the private sector, joining Jeffrey M. Brown Associates, a building and construction management firm, as managing director and chief operating officer. In that position, he was responsible for projects in eighteen states and an operating budget of $450 million. He moved back into the public service sector as executive vice president for the New York metro region of the American Cancer Society. In that role, he was an influential voice in the successful campaign to ban smoking in most New York City restaurants and public spaces. He next spent five years as CEO of the Vocational Foundation (now The Way to Work), a leading workforce development program for economically and educationally disadvantaged young adults in New York City.

Mr. Batista has served on the boards of St. Francis College and Bishop Loughlin High School; on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Young Men’s Initiative; and the Battery Park City Authority, a post to which he was appointed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. He was the 2016 recipient of the Community Leadership Award at the Crain’s Custom Hispanic Executive & Entrepreneur Awards, and the 2011 recipient of the “El Award,” an honor given by El Diario/La Prensa to the most outstanding men in New York’s Latino community.

Dr. Denise B. Maybank is the recently appointed Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs for the City University of New York. In this role, she assumes responsibility for unifying the student affairs and enrollment management functions of the University’s Central Office to guide the work of supporting student engagement from recruitment through to completion and beyond.

Prior to joining CUNY, Dr. Maybank served as the vice president and associate provost for student affairs and services at Michigan State University. During her 15-year tenure there, she served in progressive leadership roles beginning as an associate vice president in 2005. Dr. Maybank contributed to significant initiatives structuring the undergraduate experience; developed partnerships with the Graduate School and colleges to initiate the Graduate Student Life and Wellness emphasis; and conceived and implemented lasting innovative programs and services.

Throughout her career, she has been a member of professional associations representing the disciplines and contexts in which she serves. She is a member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Board of Directors, representing the Council on Student Affairs; she values the opportunities to have her voice and expertise included in national initiatives on higher education. As an active member of the communities in which she lives, she has served on various boards of directors for civic and social service organizations, often being elected to leadership positions. She is also an active member of her church community and sorority.

A lifelong learner, Dr. Maybank has earned additional credentials as an educational leader through the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the Harvard Institute for Educational Management. She holds a doctorate in counseling psychology from Michigan State University and a Master of Arts in educational administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Maybank is a proud CUNY alumna, having earned a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education from Brooklyn College.

Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez is currently serving her fourteenth term as Representative for New York’s 7th Congressional District. In the 116th Congress, she is the Chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee, a senior member of the Financial Services Committee and a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

She has made history several times during her tenure in Congress. In 1992, she was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. In February 1998, she was named Ranking Democratic Member of the House Small Business Committee, making her the first Hispanic woman to serve as Ranking Member of a full House committee. Most recently, in 2006, she was named Chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee, making her the first Latina to chair a full Congressional committee.

Given these achievements, her roots are humble. She was born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico – a small town of sugar-cane fields – in 1953, and was one of nine children. Velázquez started school early, skipped several grades, and became the first person in her family to receive a college diploma. At the age of 16, she entered the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras. She graduated magna cum laude in 1974 with a degree in political science. After earning a master’s degree on scholarship from N.Y.U., Velázquez taught Puerto Rican studies at CUNY’s Hunter College in 1981.

But her passion for politics soon took hold. In 1983, Velázquez was appointed Special Assistant to Congressman Edolphus Towns (D-Brooklyn). One year later, she became the first Latina appointed to serve on the New York City Council.

By 1986, Velázquez served as the Director of the Department of Puerto Rican Community Affairs in the United States. During that time, she initiated one of the most successful Latino empowerment programs in the nation’s history – “Atrevete” (Dare to Go for It!).

In 1992, after months of running a grassroots political campaign, Velázquez was elected to the House of Representatives to represent New York’s 7th District. Her district, which encompasses parts of Brooklyn, Queens and the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is the only tri-borough district in the New York City congressional delegation. Encompassing many diverse neighborhoods, it is home to a large Latino population, Jewish communities, and parts of Chinatown.

As a fighter for equal rights of the underrepresented and a proponent of economic opportunity for the working class and poor, Congresswoman Velázquez combines sensibility and compassion, as she works to encourage economic development, protect community health and the environment, combat crime and worker abuses, and secure access to affordable housing, quality education and health care for all New York City families.

As the top Democrat on the House Small Business Committee, which oversees federal programs and contracts totaling $200 billion annually, Congresswoman Velázquez has been a vocal advocate of American small business and entrepreneurship. She has established numerous small business legislative priorities, encompassing the areas of tax, regulations, access to capital, federal contracting opportunities, trade, technology, health care and pension reform, among others. Congresswoman Velázquez was named as the inaugural “Woman of the Year” by Hispanic Business Magazine in recognition of her national influence in both the political and business sectors and for her longtime support of minority enterprise.

Although her work on the Small Business Committee and the House Financial Services Committee (where she is the most senior New York Member on the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity) keeps her busy, Congresswoman Velázquez can often be found close to home, working for the residents of her district.

Donovan Richards Jr., a lifelong resident of Southeast Queens, was elected as Borough President in November of 2020.

Growing up he lived in Jamaica, St. Albans, Hollis, and Rosedale, with frequent visits to grandparents who lived in the Rockaways. He attended Jamaica High School and Redemption Christian Academy before studying communications, radio, and TV at Nyack College. He later received a degree in Aviation Management from Vaughn College.

Donovan got his start in politics after the tragic killing of a close friend inspired him to get more involved in his community and join the fight to end gun violence. He worked in numerous positions within the City Council where he connected with the community and developed a hands-on approach to helping constituents. This knowledge was crucial in getting him elected to the city council in 2013.

As a fighter for affordable housing, he was proud to serve as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises during his first City Council term. He used this position to fight for rezoning in the Rockaways to increase residential availability as well as commercial and community space, including a new library. He also served as Chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection following Super Storm Sandy. Through his position he was able to help secure funding for flood protection to protect Rockaway communities.

He has been a steadfast advocate for criminal justice reform, most recently acting as Chair of the Com­mittee on Public Safety. In that position he has held numerous hearings on NYPD protocols surround­ing protests, cannabis, and the Special Victims Division. In the City Council he has been a proponent of closing Rikers Island and legalizing adult-use cannabis.

As Queens Borough President, Donovan is leading the efforts to revitalize our great borough and make it one which works for all of its residents and workers.

Graduating with an A.A. in Early Childhood Education;
pursuing a B.A. in Bilingual Education at York College

Nancy Avila, 46, is a Colombian immigrant, mother of four, and aspiring educator who is graduating with an Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Education. Having completed her studies at LaGuardia earlier this year, she is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Studies at York College.

Ten years ago, Nancy moved to New York with her children—Dayana (30), Laura (26), Sebastián (24), and Kevin (16)—motivated by a desire to learn English and pursue a career in education. Inspired by her daughters’ experiences at LaGuardia—both Dayana and Laura are graduates, with Dayana earning a degree in Business Administration and Laura earning a degree in Commercial Photography—Nancy began her own academic journey. She started with free English courses through the New York City Adult Literacy ESOL Civics Program and gradually progressed to advanced English language courses, all while working as a home attendant.

Balancing family responsibilities while learning a new language and adapting to a new culture came with challenges, but Nancy remained focused. She passed the TOEFL exam and enrolled in college, where she discovered new interests through courses in music, biography, and poetry. These classes helped her develop academically and encouraged her to reflect on her personal story.

During her time at LaGuardia, Nancy built strong connections with classmates and faculty. A friendship with Ester Enríquez, whom she met in a Spanish class, led to an opportunity to work with the NYC Department of Education. She also collaborated with fellow education student Taylin Morales on group projects that enriched her learning experience.

Nancy credits Professor Michele de Goess-Malone for providing guidance during a difficult time, helping her stay grounded and motivated. At home, her cat George offered quiet companionship during long nights of study.

Now continuing her education at York College, Nancy plans to pursue a master’s degree in special education. She hopes to support students not only academically, but also by encouraging confidence and self-awareness in the classroom.

Graduating with an A.S. in Biotechnology;
transferring to Hunter College to pursue a B.S. in Bioinformatics

Jonathan Machado, 32 (turning 33 on June 12), is graduating with an Associate of Science in Biotechnology and will continue his studies in Bioinformatics at Hunter College.

Before enrolling at LaGuardia in 2023, Jonathan worked as a professional chef in kitchens across New York City. When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the restaurant industry, he found himself out of work. That pause gave him time to reflect and ultimately led him to trade his chef’s coat for a lab coat—eager to pursue a new path in science and research.

At LaGuardia, Jonathan joined the ASAP program and connected with the Office of Accessibility for personalized academic support, which helped him thrive in a rigorous STEM curriculum. He credits staff members Johnny Nelson and Astrid Adriana Niebles for helping him build confidence and embrace academic challenges. “They helped me realize it’s okay to ask for support—and that I can achieve whatever I set my mind to,” he says.

Jonathan served as President of the LaGuardia Phi Theta Kappa chapter, a President’s Society Ambassador, and editorial chief of the Honors Student Advisory Committee. He also served as Vice Chair of the Student Government Elections Review Committee and completed a legislative internship at the New York State Senate through the SOMOS CUNY Summer Internship Program, where he explored the intersection of science and public policy.

He also took advantage of research opportunities at LaGuardia, collaborating with infectious disease expert Dr. Richa Gupta (Natural Sciences) to study SARS-CoV-2 subvariants. After being selected as a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Bridges to the Baccalaureate Scholar, he received a grant to work with Dr. Gupta again. Together with fellow student Suborna Singha, they conducted a review of studies on the efficacy of natural compounds in combating antitubercular drug resistance.

In summer 2024, Jonathan was selected for a clinical research internship at Columbia University’s Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, made possible through a partnership with LaGuardia. The experience gave him hands-on exposure to cancer prevention research and deepened his interest in combining science with public service. “It was empowering to observe science in action,” he says. “It made me want to become both a doctor and a scientist.”

Jonathan credits mentors like Professor Dana Trusso (Humanities), Professor Ann Matsuuchi (Library), and Dr. Gupta for helping him grow as a leader and researcher. He plans to work at LaGuardia as a Lab Technician and teaching assistant in biotechnology courses while pursuing his bachelor’s degree—continuing to support his peers and apply his skills in lab work and programming tools like R and Python.

“LaGuardia gave me a second chance,” Jonathan says. “It helped me discover who I am and what I want to do next.”