CUNY Dominican Studies Institute Advisory Board

Administration and Staff

The CUNY Dominican Studies Institute relies on six full-time and six part-time staff members, as well as sponsored researchers and work-study students. All contribute valuable work and talent.

Ramona Hernández, Ph.D.
Director

As Director, Dr. Ramona Hernández is in charge of establishing the strategic priorities of the Institute as well as supervising the staff. As head of the research unit, Dr. Hernández oversees all academic and research projects sponsored by the Institute. She works to establish important working relationships between the CUNY DSI and other institutes, organizations and professionals from different disciplines and backgrounds. Ramona Hernández has also been able to create and strengthen linkages between the Dominican diaspora in the United States and the Dominican people in the homeland. She maintains an active and visible role in academia and in the community, regularly participating in forums and activities pertaining to the Dominican people.

Anthony Stevens-Acevedo, M.A.
Assistant Director

As Assistant Director, Anthony Stevens plays collaborative role in advancing the development of the CUNY DSI’s research unit. He is responsible for identifying and developing areas of possible funding sources for the Institute and creating grant proposals to secure the necessary funds for research and other related activities. He also assists the Director with administrative duties and organizes academic projects outside of the Institute. In meetings or events, he serves as the representative in the absence of the Director. In previous years, Mr. Stevens-Acevedo worked as a teacher at Gregorio Luperón H.S. and has been actively involved in the Dominican community.

Sarah Aponte, M.L.S., M.S.Ed.
Head Librarian

As Head Librarian, Sarah Aponte has developed the overall infrastructure of the Dominican Studies Library and oversees the daily operations of the Library, providing bibliographic consultation, cataloguing and classifying incoming materials, and preparing bibliographies to serve as resource tools. As part of the CUNY DSI’s outreach program, the Librarian also frequently organizes public events and exhibitions related to Dominican American and Dominican cultural traditions.

Idilio Gracia Peña, B.A.
Chief Archivist

As the Chief Archivist, Idilio Gracia Peña directs the CUNY DSI Dominican Archives program. The Chief Archivist regularly meets with potential collection donors and systematically records their historical files. Mr. Gracia Peña previously worked for El Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños as Project Archivist, served as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Records and Information Services, and has more than 40 years of experience in archives and records management. He also continues to manage his own firm, IGP Consulting Services, which provides consulting to archives, records management programs and non-profit organizations.

Melissa Martinez, B.A.
Administrative Assistant

Ms. Martinez, a former intern of the Institute, coordinates and provides appropriate research assistance for all current studies sponsored by the CUNY DSI. Ms. Martinez is also responsible for providing administrative support and finding supplementary information for all CUNY DSI projects, events, and proposals.

Nelson Santana, B.A.
Assistant Archivist/ Assistant Librarian

Mr. Nelson Santana is a graduate of Baruch College and is currently a candidate for the Master's in Library Science. He splits his time at the Institute between the Archives and the Library, assisting both the Head Librarian and Chief Archivist with the full range of the responsibilities of each.

STUDENT INTERNS

Javier Pichardo
Database Manager

As a part time college assistant Mr. Javier Pichardo has created the DSI contacts database and now works on perfecting and continuously updating it. He also performs other duties as assigned. Mr. Pichardo is majoring in Computer Engineering at The City College of New York.

Publications Coordinator/ Graphic Designer

Pablo Rodriguez is a student at The City College of New York majoring in Electronic Design and Multimedia. At the Institute, Mr. Rodriguez is in charge of graphic design, coordinating publications, and on other assignments pertaining to his field of study.