Roberta Hurtado among leaders selected for SUNY’s 2023 Hispanic Leadership Institute Class

SUNY Oswego faculty member Roberta Hurtado is among nine emerging Hispanic/Latinx leaders who have been selected for the State University of New York's 2023 Hispanic Leadership Institute (HLI) class.

This class -- the sixth since the program began in 2018 -- will begin in January 2023.

As a program within the SUNY Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, HLI is a rigorous six-month experience for SUNY leaders of Hispanic descent that provides an opportunity to further develop higher education leadership skills and proficiencies. HLI fellows will participate in training sessions and webinars, engage in conversations with national and statewide Hispanic leaders, and use personal assessment tools.

Hurtado is an associate professor teaching Latina/e/o/x literature and culture in the Department of English and Creative Writing, as well as the director of SUNY Oswego's new Latino and Latin American studies minor.

Her book "Decolonial Puerto Rican Women’s Writings: Subversion in the Flesh" was an International Latino Book Awards silver medalist in 2019. She has published with journals such as Chiricú, Diálogo, Label Me Latina/o, and Journal of Critical Latina Feminisms. 

Hurtado's awards at SUNY Oswego include the President's Award for Excellence in Academic Advisement and the  Provost's Award for Scholarly and Creative Activity. Additionally, she is the inaugural Fellow for SUNY Oswego's Triandiflou Institute for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Transformative Practice.

She resides in Upstate New York where her current research projects include studies in sexuality, Puerto Rican women’s literature and trauma. 

“HLI is an important piece of SUNY’s strategy to expand and strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion at every level of our system. It is one of SUNY’s most meaningful executive training programs, combining education, resources, relationship-building, and day-to-day support for up-and-coming leaders across our campuses,” said SUNY Interim Chancellor Deborah F. Stanley. “My thanks to UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez for his leadership and guidance in growing the HLI program, and to our first HLI Director-in-Residence Claudia Hernandez. My gratitude to Governor Hochul and state lawmakers for their investment in HLI every year.”

HLI creates a pipeline for professional opportunities across SUNY, and ensures the program's alumni are networking and receiving ongoing support and mentorship. To date, 53 SUNY faculty and staff have graduated from HLI.