Vanessa Santiago
Director of Leadership and College Access Programs, ASPIRA of New York
Vanessa Santiago is an experienced non-profit executive with a demonstrated history of enhancing programs and student experiences in the youth development sector, and in leading training and professional development for capacity building not-for-profits. Vanessa has worked with young people and families in youth development and after school settings for over 23 years. She has worked with a variety of programs in different capacities, and has worked at every level of after-school programming, from group leader to Deputy Director.
Always community-oriented, she is a devoted mentor, volunteer, and fundraiser. Vanessa also sits on the board of a Domestic Violence Agency--The Violence Intervention Program, located in Harlem, NY and is an Adjunct Lecturer in the Puerto Rican & Latino Studies Department at Brooklyn College, CUNY. Vanessa holds a B.A. in Puerto Rican & Latino Studies from Brooklyn College and a Master's of Science in Nonprofit Management from the Milano School of Policy, Management, and Environment at the New School University. She has also earned a post-graduate certificate from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business in Transformative Leadership and currently earning a post-graduate certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace from Florida State University.
