Commencement Program

Kenneth Adams is the fourth president of LaGuardia Community College. LaGuardia is one of seven community colleges of the City University of New York. Founded in 1971 in Long Island City, Queens, the college serves approximately 25,000 students per year.

Since joining LaGuardia in 2020, President Adams has led efforts to rebuild enrollment, improve student success, increase government and philanthropic support, and strengthen the college’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

In 2021, President Adams launched a campaign to raise funds to help LaGuardia students and Queens residents recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Tomorrow Campaign” reached its $15 million goal in April 2022, enabling the LaGuardia Foundation to offer scholarships, stipends for internships, and emergency aid to thousands of low-income students from across the borough.

In March, 2024, President Adams announced that LaGuardia had received $116.2 million from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, led by philanthropist and New York Mets owner Alex Cohen, to build the Cohen Career Collective, a state-of-the-art workforce training center that will ensure economic mobility for New Yorkers while providing skilled workers for local employers. This extraordinary gift is the largest ever to a community college in the US, and the largest donation in the history of the City University of New York. 

Before joining LaGuardia, President Adams was dean of workforce and economic development at Bronx Community College/CUNY.

Prior to joining CUNY, President Adams spent more than twenty 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, commissioner of the NYS Department of Economic Development, and chairman of the state’s four affordable housing agencies.

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 is a director of the Queens Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Long Island City Partnership, and the Research Foundation of CUNY. He has 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.

Dr. Billie Gastic Rosado is the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs of CUNY’s LaGuardia Community College. Prior to joining CUNY, Dr. Gastic Rosado was an Associate Dean at the NYU School of Professional Studies, the inaugural Chief Research Officer at the Relay Graduate School of Education, served on the New York State Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching, and on faculty at UMass Boston and Temple University. She serves on the board of directors of the Domestic Violence Crisis Center (CT) and the advisory board of Connecticut CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). Dr. Gastic Rosado earned a Ph.D. in the Sociology of Education and an M.A. in Sociology from Stanford University, an Ed.M. from Harvard University, and a B.A. in Economics from Yale University.

Denise B. Maybank is the vice chancellor for student affairs at The City University of New York. In this role, she assumes responsibility for coordinating the functions of the University’s Central Office to guide the work of supporting student development from recruitment to completion. Under her leadership, Student Affairs facilitates the academic progress and success of students through holistic approaches to engagement beyond the classroom, addressing areas such as health and wellbeing, essential needs, student government and leadership development.

Prior to joining CUNY, 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. 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, Maybank has earned additional credentials as an educational leader through the American Association of State Colleges and Universities 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. Maybank is a proud CUNY alumna, having earned a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education from Brooklyn College.

Reine Sarmiento has achieved notable success in her 30-year career in the private and public sectors as an innovative and inclusive leader committed to higher education. Increasing enrollment and the college’s profile in her various leadership positions, she has served The City University of New York for the past 19 years. Sarmiento served twelve years at LaGuardia Community College as assistant dean for enrollment services and most recently spent seven years at Lehman College as vice president for enrollment management and associate provost. She has cultivated diverse teams and leveraged partnerships that have increased access and opportunity in under-served communities at record levels in both institutions. Lehman was recently ranked third in the nation as a top engine of social mobility. 

She is known for inclusive leadership and belief in shared governance by aligning academic affairs, student services, finance and information technology. She was selected as Lehman College’s lead in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Center for Student Success Pilot cohort. She is a recent graduate of AASCU’s prestigious Millennial Leadership Institute. 

Recognized as an accomplished practitioner, she has served on New York City task forces regarding work-based learning and has received national recognition in various programs under her leadership. Sarmiento also remains connected to the mission of community colleges by leading the Bronx Transfer Affinity Group (BTAG) by partnering with four community colleges and community-based organizations. BTAG has been recognized by the Bronx borough president and hailed as a system model of partnership by cultivating a graduation culture at community colleges and eliminating technical and social barriers in the transfer process. 

Mr. Berger has been an esteemed election law attorney and policy expert for more than three decades. He has worked both in the private and public sector, serving as a New York City Council member and later Special Counsel and Advisor to Mayor de Blasio from 2014 through 2018. Previously, as an attorney in private practice, he worked on legal issues related to election law, such as campaign finance compliance and ballot access regulations, and labor relations and civil litigation. 

From 1982 to 2000 Mr. Berger was a partner with Berger, Poppe and Janiec and then with Fisher, Fisher & Berger, working on commercial litigation, election law and labor relations for clients including health care professional unions, university professors’ associations and major state, county and city political candidates. In 1977, Mr. Berger served as a Member of the New York City Council, representing the Fourth District of Manhattan. He served on the Transportation, Parks and Economic Development committees. 

In 1977, Mr. Berger served as a Member of the New York City Council, representing the Fourth District of Manhattan. He served on the Transportation, Parks and Economic Development committees. 

Mr. Berger received a B.S. from Lehigh University in chemistry in 1967 and his J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 1972.

Mr. Berger serves as Chair of the Board’s Finance and Administration Committee, Vice Chair of the Education Policy Committee, Vice Chair of the Governance Committee, Chair of the Subcommittee Technology Planning, Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Research and Innovation, Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Investment and a is member of the Executive Committee and Enrollment Committee. 

Mr. Berger was also appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul as Co-Chair to the New York State Board of Elections on December 21, 2023. 

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. 

Kristen Gonzalez is a former tech worker and community organizer, born and raised in a working-class family in Queens. She represents District 59, covering parts of Western Queens, Northern Brooklyn and the East Side of Manhattan. As the youngest woman ever elected to the NYS Senate and Chair of both the Internet and Technology and the Elections Committees, she’s passed legislation helping safeguard the right to an abortion by protecting private health data, regulating the government’s use of AI, and protecting our elections from deceptive media amongst others. She believes every New Yorker deserves to life a dignified life, which is why she champions workers’ rights, a Green New York, deeply affordable housing, and tenant protections. Before being elected to the NYS Senate, Senator Gonzalez worked in the New York City Council, the Obama White House, and Senator Chuck Schumer’s office. She has also organized in her community with the Western Queens Community Land Trust, served on her community board, and helped launch a citywide campaign for public internet.  

Claire Valdez represents the 37th Assembly District in Queens, which includes Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside, Maspeth, and Ridgewood. She was elected in 2024. 

She ran for State Assembly because she recognized that Queens workers are fed up with poverty wages, skyrocketing rent, and ConEd rate hikes, all while the real estate industry devastates our neighborhoods and the rich get richer. She knows what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck, pay too much in rent, and be exploited and taken advantage of at work. She also knows that when people come together, we can win a better life for ourselves and our community. 

Claire came to politics through work in her union, UAW Local 2110 at Columbia University. She served on her unit’s bargaining committee and was elected Unit Chair of her shop in 2022 to represent 500 of her coworkers. She was also part of the organizing effort to democratize the UAW and elect reform candidates to union leadership – a campaign which transformed the UAW, led to the historic Stand Up strike, and helped inaugurate a new era of labor militancy across this country. 

In addition to her work in her union, she has participated and led campaigns to tax the rich in New York State and win just cause protections for New York City workers. As she assumes office, she looks forward to continuing the fight for housing for all, free universal healthcare, publicly owned renewable energy, and the good life for working class New Yorkers. 

Claire is proud to call Ridgewood, Queens her home. 

Julie Won represents the 26th Council district in Western Queens covering the neighborhoods of Long Island City, Sunnyside, Astoria, and Woodside. She is the first woman and immigrant to represent this district in the city’s history. As a tenant and activist, Julie has committed to a new vision for her community with a deep focus on creating and preserving affordable housing, increasing access to city resources for all New Yorkers, ensuring that access to quality and affordable internet is guaranteed, and many other issues that are top of mind for her constituents. 

At the age of eight, Julie immigrated to New York City with her family looking for a new beginning, an experience she shares with over half of the constituency she represents. Prior to her election, Julie served her neighbors as board member of Queens Community Board 2, Community Capacity Development (CCD), 696 Build Queensbridge, QNS Together, and was a co-founder of the Queens Small Business Alliance (QSBA). In addition, she also worked to make sure that her community was fully counted in the 2020 census as the founder of the Tech Action Group as part of the Queens Borough President’s Complete Count Committee. 

Working at IBM for a decade, Julie was an advisor to the federal government and tasked with reworking various agencies’ use of technology to serve people better. She understands deeply the issues that face large-scale government organizations moving toward the cutting edge, and she has the proven experience to execute those changes. Julie also knows how important it is to provide affordable and quality internet service for all families and how it impacts all aspects of their lives, from education to healthcare access and beyond. 

As Council Member, Julie is working towards true equity in the neighborhoods she serves, ensuring that existing communities will have the support and backing to remain sustainable and affordable for generations to come. By expanding culturally appropriate access and engaging the many vibrant and underserved residents of District 26, Julie looks to transform how our government serves all New Yorkers.