Cesar Perales

Cesar Perales was appointed a member of the SUNY Board of Trustees on June 21, 2019 his term expires on June 30, 2021. On September 25, 2019 Mr. Perales was designated Vice Chairman of the Board by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Mr. Perales grew up in New York City and earned a bachelor's degree from City College and a law degree from Fordham Law School.

Most recently, he served as New York State’s Secretary of State, where he was a leader in the state’s economic development, community revitalization and anti-poverty efforts. At the request of Governor Andrew Cuomo, he also established the New York Office for New Americans and the Empire State Fellows Program.

Mr. Perales became a neighborhood legal services lawyer upon graduation from law school and represented hundreds of indigent New Yorkers. He went on to be a co-founder and first head of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF), now known as LatinoJustice PRLDEF. Under his leadership, the organization brought suit against several school boards to ensure that non-English speaking students received language assistance. He also initiated successful anti-racial gerrymandering litigation in New York City. Mr. Perales also sued several jurisdictions to provide translation at the ballot box – a requirement that was subsequently made an amendment to the national Voting Rights Act.

Mr. Perales has devoted much of his life to public health and human services, serving as Assistant Secretary for Health, Education and Welfare under President Jimmy Carter; New York State Commissioner of Social Services under Governor Mario Cuomo; Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services under New York City Mayor David Dinkins and Senior Vice-President for Community Health at the New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Mr. Perales serves on the Board of Directors of Empire State Development, New York State's economic development agency. In 2018, he served as Chair of the New York City Charter Revision Commission.