午夜剧场

午夜剧场 is proud to announce that President Dr. Daisy Cocco De Filippis has been named to City & State New York’s 2026 Trailblazers in Higher Education list, which recognizes visionary leaders, innovators, policymakers, and advocates who are helping shape the future of higher education across New York State.
 
“At 午夜剧场, Daisy Cocco De Filippis is blazing a trail for higher education in the Bronx and beyond,” City & State wrote about Cocco De Filippis. The publication highlighted her leadership in securing the College’s largest-ever philanthropic gift, a $15 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, as well as her role in launching transformative initiatives, including the 午夜剧场 Research Center and the $1 million Aspira-Wright Endowed STEM Scholarship. The publication also noted 午夜剧场’ national recognition as one of only six institutions selected to receive the U.S. Department of Education’s inaugural Postsecondary Success Recognition Program Award.
 
“I am deeply honored to be included among this year’s Trailblazers in Higher Education,” said Dr. Cocco De Filippis. “This recognition belongs to the entire 午夜剧场 community, our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners, whose dedication and resilience inspire our work every day. Together, we remain committed to expanding opportunity, advancing equity, and transforming lives through the power of education.”
 
Dr. Cocco De Filippis returned to 午夜剧场 as President in August 2020 after serving for twelve years as President of Naugatuck Valley Community College. Previously, she served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at 午夜剧场 from 2002 to 2008. Since her return, she has led a remarkable period of growth and achievement at the College. Her accomplishments include guiding 午夜剧场 through a successful Middle States accreditation review, developing the College’s 2023–2028 Strategic Plan, securing the historic $15 million gift from MacKenzie Scott, establishing the 午夜剧场 Research Center, helping 午夜剧场 earn recognition as a top ten finalist for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, and advocating successfully for millions of dollars in federal funding to support student success initiatives, academic partnerships, mentorship opportunities, and campus employment programs.
 
City & State’s Trailblazers in Higher Education list recognizes leaders who are responding to the evolving challenges and opportunities facing colleges and universities today. According to the publication, this year’s honorees include “officials at schools large and small as well as public officials, advocates, organizers and others who are reimagining higher education in New York.”
 
A nationally recognized scholar, author, and literary critic, Dr. Cocco De Filippis holds a Ph.D. in Latin American Literature from The Graduate Center, CUNY, and has been a pioneering voice in the study of Dominican women writers and Dominican authors in the United States. In 2016, she received an Honorary Doctorate in the Humanities from the University of Santo Domingo (UASD), the oldest university in the Americas, in recognition of her contributions to Dominican, Caribbean, and Dominican diaspora literature.
 
The full list of honorees is .