Mónica Tavares

Mónica Tavares is the associate vice chancellor for communications and marketing at the City University of New York. She brings a deep well of executive experience in local government, communications and immigrant affairs. She came to CUNY following two years as vice president for external relations at the Hispanic Federation, where she was responsible for managing the organization’s government relations, public relations, marketing teams and its overall communications strategy. Previously, she served as chief of staff in the Office of Communications and External Affairs at the New York City Department of Education, where she also did policy work on immigration and civic engagement. Tavares also served in the administration of New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. In addition to managing operations, staffing, intergovernmental relations and communications there, she oversaw One NYC One Nation, a two-year civic engagement initiative designed to increase the participation of immigrants in New York City’s civic life. She spent eight years working at El Museo del Barrio, New York’s leading Latino cultural institution, and currently serves on its Board of Trustees.

Tavares holds a B.A. in Latin American literature from SUNY College at Potsdam and a certificate in nonprofit management from the Hispanic Leadership Institute at Baruch College. A native of the Dominican Republic, she lives in East Harlem.