Board of Regents Unanimously Reelects Chancellor Betty A. Rosa and Vice Chancellor T. Andrew Brown

The Board of Regents today unanimously reelected Chancellor Betty A. Rosa and Vice Chancellor T. Andrew Brown to second three-year terms in those leadership positions.

“It is my honor to serve the people and especially the children of New York as a member of the Board of Regents, and I am humbled to continue to have the privilege to do so as Chancellor,” Chancellor Rosa said. “With Vice Chancellor Brown and my fellow Regents, I will continue to be committed to equity in education for all our students and to ensuring that all students succeed, raising up our teachers, and providing support to our adult education and vocational programs, as well as the professions and our cultural education institutions.”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve with Chancellor Rosa and the members of the Board of Regents, as we build on the promise of a of brighter future for all New York’s children,” Vice Chancellor Brown said. “In my time on the Board, I have committed to providing equity, equal access and opportunity for all New York’s students. I thank Chancellor Rosa for her leadership and my colleagues for once again investing their faith in us.”

“Chancellor Rosa and Vice Chancellor Brown have led the Board and guided the Department with passion and dedication,” State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said. “Their (unanimous) reelection is a testament to the accomplishments of the last three years under their leadership and it is with great anticipation that I look forward to building on our great work for all of New York’s students, educators, professionals, libraries, and museums.”

During their tenure as Chancellor and Vice Chancellor, the Board of Regents has been focused on critically important issues, including developing New York’s ESSA plan which seeks to foster equity and ensure that all of our students are successful in school and ready for college, career, and citizenship. Chancellor Rosa and Vice Chancellor Brown led the Board through the adoption and implementation of the Next Generation Learning Standards; evolution of multiple, rigorous pathways to earn a meaningful high school diploma; expansion of the criteria under which students with disabilities can graduate high school; enhancing supports for educators and expanding teacher certification pathways; raised public awareness of the struggle for women’s suffrage through the Votes for Women: Celebrating New York’s Suffrage Centennial featuring collections from the State Museum, State Library, and State Archives; and increasing awareness of the career opportunities offered to New Yorkers through the more than 50 professions licensed by NYSED.

The Board conducted its election process, including the nomination of both candidates, full discussion, and vote in public session under the leadership of Regent Roger Tilles. Video of the discussion and vote will be available on the Department’s website in the coming days. The Chancellor and Vice Chancellor’s three-year term becomes effective April 1, 2019.

Chancellor Betty A. Rosa

Dr. Rosa began serving on the Board of Regents in 2008 and was recently elected to her third term as the Regent for the 12^th Judicial District (Bronx County).

Dr. Rosa’s prestigious career in education was based in the New York City Department of Education, and in her beloved Bronx. It was here that she was named to the position of Superintendent of Community School District 8 which consisted of approximately 25,000 students and 30 schools. Chancellor Harold Levy later appointed Dr. Rosa to serve as the Senior Superintendent of the Bronx. One of the schools Dr. Rosa founded as superintendent, M.S. 101 (Maritime Academy for Science and Technology) became the top ranked middle school in the City of New York based on New York State examination results.

Dr. Rosa also worked in the N.Y.C. Department of Education as a bilingual paraprofessional, teacher and reading coordinator, served as an assistant principal and principal in special education, introduced an integrated linguistic model in developing a multilingual and multicultural school for general and special education populations, was principal of I.S. 218, a full-service community school in partnership with the Children’s Aid Society in District 6, and developed and implemented the Office of Conflict Resolution for the NYC Division of Special Education.  She has taught graduate level education courses including Education of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Children, Due Process: Law and the Handicapped, and Applied and Action Research for Doctoral Students, has served on dissertation committees, and is an executive coach for doctoral students.

Born in New York City but raised for the first ten years of her life in Puerto Rico, Dr. Rosa attended public elementary and junior high schools in the Bronx (Districts 9 and 10) before graduating from St. Helena's High School, now Monsignor Scanlon High School, in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx. Her full biography can be seen on the Department’s website.

Vice Chancellor T. Andrew Brown

Vice Chancellor Brown was first elected to serve on the Board in 2012 and reelected for a second term in 2017. He represents the 7th Judicial District that includes the counties of Cayuga, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne and Yates.

Regent Brown serves as Chair of the Regents Ethics Committee and Co-Chair of the P-12 Committee. He is also a member of the Higher Education Committee and the Workgroup to Improve Outcomes for Boys and Young Men of Color. He is a past Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee and a past member of the Cultural Education Committee. He is also a member of the Regents Review Committee, which presides over professional and licensure disciplinary hearings.

In addition to his commitment to advancing educational issues and outcomes, Regent Brown is the founder and managing partner of the Rochester-based law firm of Brown Hutchinson LLP. His practice is statewide, representing a nationwide clientele in the areas of civil litigation, employment and general business counsel. His full biography can also be found on the Department’s website.

The Board of Regents was established in 1784 and is the oldest, continuous state education entity in the United States. The Regents, who serve without pay, are responsible for the general oversight of all educational activities within the state, presiding over the University of the State of New York and the State Education Department. The Board of Regents includes 17 members elected by the State Legislature for five-year terms. Thirteen of the Regents represent the State's 13 judicial districts, one from each district, and four are at-large. The Regents serve without salary.