SUNY New Paltz Alumni Advisory Council member Anthony Winn ’92 (Business Administration) has been appointed as Special Assistant to Black Studies, a new consultation and mentoring position that will have Winn working with students, faculty and staff to help bolster the curriculum and programming of the Black Studies Department and engender an inclusive educational climate for all campus community members.
Winn holds a Juris Doctorate from the Massachusetts School of Law at Andover and a Masters of Public Affairs and Management degree from Baruch College, in addition to the B.S. in business administration he earned at New Paltz.
In his new role Winn will work with Black Studies Department Chair Major Coleman and College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean Laura Barrett to attract and coordinate academic speakers and workshop leaders each semester, with the support of the President’s Office. These events will be planned to link with and enrich the New Paltz Black Studies curriculum.
“The Black Studies Department has always been a cultural center of the campus community, providing programs for students who wish to explore and embrace the cultural diversity of the campus and the value that cultural perspectives bring to the learning and living environment,” Winn said.
Winn will also seek opportunities to provide one-on-one student mentoring and to contribute his experience and perspective in ensuring all students’ sense of inclusion in the climate and curriculum of the College.
“My goal is to provide the Department with meaningful support in efforts to maintain its role as a point of contact and engagement for students who wish to preserve its history of culturally relevant programming and community building,” he said.
For many years Winn has been an engaged alumnus of the College, frequently returning as a guest speaker at Black Solidarity Day and other campus events and working as one of the original founders of the First World Reunion, held every five years since 2000.
As a New Paltz student Winn was similarly active. He served as president of the Black Student Union, president of the Student Association, president of Voices of Unity and president and chapter co-founder of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
“I hope to offer to today’s students that which was offered to me by this community and department: an opportunity to grow in an environment where my experiences and point of view were validated and supported in a way that empowered me to reach for the most that I could achieve,” Winn said.
Winn is currently chief operating officer of Nos Quedamos, a South Bronx-based nonprofit housing and social service provider. He has spent much of his career since graduating from New Paltz in nonprofit management, nonprofit leadership development and public health.
“I have always worked with a focus on underrepresented communities,” Winn said. “Whether working in youth development, public health or institutional advising and consulting, my attention has always been on bridging gaps in understanding to build and sustain problem-solving goals and agendas.”
More information about the tradition of Black Studies at SUNY New Paltz is available online.
