Brooklyn is well represented on ‘Higher Ed Power 100’ list

March 28, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Miguel Martinez-Saenz, president of St. Francis College. Photo from Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities

Share this:

There are a dozen Brooklyn and Brooklyn-linked educational leaders on the recently released list of 100 educational higher-ups by City & State.

City & State is a publication that is distributed to state legislators, county executives, municipalities, the New York Congressional delegation, City Council members and other political and business insiders. It publishes yearly “power lists” of political consultants, women, real-estate figures, nonprofit executives, public relations executives and more.

The “Higher Education Power 100” list is not only citywide, but statewide (for example, when introducing the president of Syracuse University, it says, “there’s more to Syracuse than basketball.”) Leading Brooklyn educational professionals on the list include:

William “Bill” Thompson, Jr., chair of the CUNY Board of Trustees. Thompson, who grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, is the son of the late Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice and Appellate Judge William Thompson, Sr. Bill Thompson served as president of the city Board of Education from 1996 through 2001, and as New York City comptroller from 2002 to 2009.
James Davis, president of the Professional Staff Congress, which represents 30,000 faculty and staff at CUNY. Davis is an English professor at Brooklyn College, and previously spent five years at the union’s chapter chair at the school, according to City & State.
Kimberly Cline, president of Long Island University. She helped established the School of Arts and Communication at LIU’s Brooklyn campus and recently oversaw the launch of the School of Film and Digital Media, City & State said.
Donald Boomgaarden, president of St. Joseph’s College, which, like LIU, has campuses in Brooklyn and Long Island. “Among Boomgaarden’s efforts are a $17 million student center scheduled to be opened in 2023 and an emphasis on instilling Catholic values of social responsibility, service and inclusion,” the publication reported.
Miguel Martinez-Saenz, president of St. Francis College. He has been president of the Downtown Brooklyn school since 2017, and is overseeing the school’s move to a new campus.
Hector Batista, executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer of CUNY. Some Eagle readers may remember Batista as CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. He also served as CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York.
Kenneth Adams, president of LaGuardia Community College. While LaGuardia is in Queens, Adams, too, once led the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. In between, he was president and CEO of the Empire State Development Corp. and the state’s tax and finance commissioner.

Michelle Anderson, president of Brooklyn College. Brooklyn Reporter file photo

Michelle Anderson, president of Brooklyn College. Anderson assumed her post in 2015 and has launched several initiatives, such as the We Stand Against Hate campaign, a new cancer center, and a Health Care Career Hub of Central and South Brooklyn, according to City & State.

Patricia Ramsey, president of Medgar Evers College.
Photo courtesy of Medgar Evers College

Patricia Ramsey, president of Medgar Evers College. Ramsey has teamed up with Brooklyn College and Kingsborough Community College on the above-mentioned Health Care Career Hub, has partnered with the city on economic recovery effort and launched CUNY’s first cannabis-related degree program.

Claudia Schrader, president of Kingsborough Community College. Photo courtesy of CUNY

Claudia Schrader, president of Kingsborough Community College. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she visited students outside their homes or offices to keep in touch. Schrader, originally from St. Croix, previously held other leadership positions within the CUNY network.

Frances Bronet, president of Pratt Institute, well known for its focus on art, architecture and design. Bronet has also been active in the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, and has been president of its Women’s Leadership Council, City & State said.

Cass Conrad, executive director of the Brooklyn-based Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation. The foundation awards grants to colleges and nonprofit organizations “that align with its mission of combating poverty through higher education and getting people jobs,” the publication reported. Conrad previously worked at CUNY.