Opening Plenary: Dr. Betty Rosa

Dr. Rosa was appointed as permanent Commissioner on February 8, 2021 by the Board of Regents, after serving as Interim Commissioner since August 2020. She is the first Latina woman to serve in the position.  Prior to that, she was elected by her colleagues and served as Chancellor of the Board of Regents since 2016.  She was first elected to the Board of Regents for a five-year term in 2008, as the Regent for the Twelfth Judicial District (Bronx County), then re-elected for a second term in 2013 and a third term in 2018.

Dr. Rosa is a nationally recognized education leader and received an Ed. M. and Ed. D. in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University. She also holds two other Master of Science in Education degrees, one in Administration and Supervision and the other in Bilingual Education from the City College of New York and Lehman College, respectively, and a B.A. in psychology from the City College of New York. She has more than 30 years of instructional and administrative experience with an expertise in inclusive education, cooperative teaching models, student achievement, and policy implementation.