Following today's joint session of the Legislature, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Education Committee Chair Catherine Nolan, and Higher Education Committee Chair Deborah J. Glick announced the re-election of Dr. Geraldine D. Chapey of Queens and Dr. Betty A. Rosa of the Bronx to the New York State Board of Regents.

"These appointments to the Board of Regents follow decades of combined education leadership and steadfast commitment to the development and enlightenment of our youth," said Silver. "Under their guidance, I know our schools can train and nurture the future leaders of a strong and prosperous Empire State."

"From pre-kindergarten to higher learning and professional training, New York is an example for the nation in affordability, access, and forward thinking," said Nolan. "With these appointments, I am more confident than ever in our ability to meet the challenges of the future with creativity and innovation."

"As our education system strives to be ever more inclusive, the importance of forward-thinking Regents grows," said Glick. "I welcome the reappointment of Regents Chapey and Rosa and I commend my fellow legislators on recognizing the commitment to equal access to learning demonstrated by our Board of Regents."

Dr. Geraldine D. Chapey, the Regent for the Eleventh Judicial District, Queens County, is currently a University Professor at the City University of New York and a member and past president of School Board 27. Dr. Chapey has been re-elected twice since she was first elected to the Board in 1998. This award-winning educator previously served as CUNY's Academic Dean of the School of Education and Human Services. She was the First Director of the NYC Board of Education's Title I Non Public School Speech and Hearing Clinical Program for communicatively disabled children in almost 200 schools in the five boroughs, and chaired the first Parents in Partnership Program for the Borough of Queens. Dr. Chapey presently serves on the Governor's Advisory Council and on the Board of Directors of the Association of Teachers of New York. Her many degrees and certifications include a doctorate from Fordham University, and an American Speech and Hearing Association Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology.

Dr. Betty A. Rosa, the Regent for the Twelfth Judicial District, Bronx County, previously served as the Superintendent of Community School District 8 in the Bronx. First elected in 2008, this is Dr. Rosa's second term on the Board. Among her many achievements, Dr. Rosa founded what became the number one middle school in the City of New York based on New York State examination results, M.S. 101 (Maritime Academy for Science and Technology). Born in New York City but raised in Puerto Rico until the age of ten, Dr. Rosa worked as a bilingual teacher and reading coordinator in the city school system and also served as an assistant principal and principal in special education before becoming principal of I.S. 218, a full-service community school in partnership with the Children's Aid Society. Her numerous diplomas and accolades include two Master of Science in Education degrees, one in Administration and Supervision and the other in Bilingual Education, from CUNY, and an Ed.M. and Ed.D. in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from the Urban Superintendents Program at Harvard University. Named Superintendent of the Year by Mercy College in 1999 and Educator of the Year in 2002, this very legislative body honored her as an "Outstanding Educator." She is now the president of educational consulting firm BDJ & J Associates LLC.