Ramón De Los Santos
Dear Campus Community,
I hope this message finds you well.
I would like to share an important update regarding our Interfaith initiatives within the Division of Student Affairs. Reverend Joshua Medina has transitioned to another professional opportunity. We are grateful for his contributions to our campus community and wish him continued success in his next chapter.
As we continue to strengthen our commitment to equity, belonging, and inclusive engagement, I am pleased to welcome Linda Ortiz as our new Manager of Interfaith & Belonging Initiatives. This role reflects an important evolution in our approach—centering community-building, restorative dialogue, and equitable access to the Interfaith and Meditation Space, rather than a pastoral model.
Ms. Ortiz brings over 18 years of experience advancing racial equity, conflict transformation, and community trust through her service as a Conciliation Specialist with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service. In that role, she led high-stakes dialogue processes addressing religious and ethnic conflict, hate crimes prevention, and police-community relations across New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and nationally. She has facilitated more than 100 conflict resolution and racial healing initiatives, collaborated with multi-sector partners, and received the U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Community Partnerships for Public Safety.
In her new role, Ms. Ortiz will:
- Oversee the daily operations and inclusive stewardship of the Interfaith and Meditation Space.
- Serve as the College’s primary point of contact for religious accommodation requests, ensuring alignment with federal, state, and institutional civil rights policies.
- Design and facilitate interfaith programming, restorative dialogues, and community engagement initiatives that promote mutual understanding across religious, spiritual, and secular identities.
- Support campus climate efforts by utilizing mediation and conflict transformation practices when concerns arise.
Ms. Ortiz is a proud Bronx native and CUNY alumna, holding a B.A. in Black and Puerto Rican Studies from Hunter College and an M.A. in The Study of the Americas from The City College of New York. Her deep commitment to community engagement, justice, and multilingual outreach will be an asset as we continue building a campus where all members feel respected, heard, and supported.
We look forward to the leadership and expertise she will bring to this work. Please join me in welcoming Linda Ortiz to City College.
Regards,
Ramón De Los Santos, Ed.D.
Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs
The City College of New York/CUNY
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031
Tel. (212) 650-5426
www.ccny.cuny.edu