The appointment by Mayor Bloomberg of Rita DiMartino, a consultant and former AT&T vice president for congressional relations, brought the Board of Trustees to full strength in July. A well-known political activist and spokesperson for New York’s Hispanic community, DiMartino earned a B.A. at Richmond College (which later became the College of Staten Island), followed by a Master’s in public administration from Long Island University.

DiMartino, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, brings an “extraordinary record of corporate experience, civic commitment, and community involvement to the CUNY Board,” Bloomberg said on appointing her. In response, DiMartino said, “I am deeply grateful to the Mayor for this opportunity to pay back CUNY for the high-quality education I received.”

In 1982, President Reagan appointed DiMartino to lead the U.S. delegation to UNICEF, where she worked to increase funding for health, nutrition, water supply, and sanitation. Throughout the 1990s DiMartino served on numerous special missions to nations around the world, including Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Israel, and Kenya. Her leadership and expertise in international Hispanic affairs is widely recognized.

A Staten Island resident, DiMartino continues her association with AT&T as a consultant and media representative, and she is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, vice chair of the Hispanic Council on International Relations, and chairman of the board
of Bronx Lebanon Hospital.