Rossana Rosado

Rossana Rosado spent over 30 years in the media industry as an executive and award-winning producer. She was the first female CEO, Editor, and Publisher of El Diario La Prensa, the oldest and largest Spanish-language newspaper in the country. During her career in Journalism, she was drawn towards the stories of society’s most vulnerable and was inspired to become a champion for social and economic justice. In doing so, she ensured the rapidly growing Latino community had access to the critical news and information – in Spanish – that was necessary to stay abreast of the times and advance in society.

Currently, she is Acting Commissioner of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul. Rossana is the third woman, second person of color, and first Latina to lead the agency since its creation in 1972. She is passionate about making sure the criminal justice system works fairly, equitably, and efficiently for all New Yorkers.

Before her appointment as Commissioner, Rossana served as New York’s Secretary of State for nearly six years, only the second Latina to hold this position. During this time, she championed social justice reform, community revitalization, and re-entry for those coming back into society after serving time. Once again, her commitment to the Latino community and other communities of color proved to be vital, as she created and led a task force comprised of leaders from across New York State to ensure these communities, which were very hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, had the necessary resources to and services to survive the greatest public health challenge of the 21st century.

She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the John Jay College Foundation and a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Despite all her accomplishments, Rossana remains grounded and dedicated to her family. Rossana’s passion for her work, along with her background in media and her commitment to social and economic justice, make her an exceptional leader and an inspiration to us all. #WomensHistoryMonth #Latinas #Leaders #Campeonas