Seventh Annual Leadership Breakfast

Dr. Daisy Cocco De Filippis

During her twelve-year tenure as President of Naugatuck Valley Community College (2008–2020), Dr. Cocco De Filippis led transformational initiatives that elevated both the College and the wider community. Under her leadership, NVCC expanded access and opportunity through a thriving Danbury campus, increased student retention and graduation awards, and hosted four Fulbright Scholars-in-Residence, enriching the academic and cultural life of the campus and community. She championed workforce development by establishing the nationally recognized Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center, a finalist for the 2019 Bellwether Award, and by advancing innovative programs such as Electronic Engineering Technology that connected students with immediate employment opportunities.

Her presidency also produced tangible community benefits. Recognizing transportation as a barrier to education, she spearheaded the creation of evening bus service in Waterbury through collaboration with state legislators, regional councils, and NVCC students—an initiative that expanded into city-wide evening service in 2011, improving access for students, hospital employees, and thousands of residents who rely on public transportation. NVCC’s commitment to equity and opportunity under her leadership earned national recognition, including being named one of the top 25 community colleges in advancing outcomes for low-income students.

Beyond campus, Dr. Cocco De Filippis served for nine years on the Boards of the Waterbury Regional Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Greater Waterbury, reflecting her deep commitment to civic engagement. Her legacy at NVCC is one of access, innovation, and partnership, leaving a lasting impact on students, families, and the broader community.

In August 2020 after serving as President of Naugatuck Valley Community College, Dr. Cocco De Filippis returned to Hostos Community College. Prior to her presidency at Naugatuck, she served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs (2002–2008) at Hostos Community College. Since her return to the College as President and through a pandemic with ‘manos a la obra/all-hands-on-deck’ as her motto, Dr. Cocco De Filippis has continued to provide a high-quality education delivered with hope, care, and understanding to the students. During her presidency, author and philanthropist Ms. MacKenzie Scott announced a $15 million gift to Hostos, the largest donation the school has ever received. This was included in a large nationwide endowment for schools educating underserved students.

In her first year, President Cocco De Filippis hosted a successful Middle States Evaluation visit, which garnered thoughtful and collegial feedback from peer evaluators. In 2023, she concluded a College-wide Strategic Plan, effective 2023–2028. The Strategic Planning process included input from all Divisions of the College to design a powerful plan that is engaged and inclusive. The Strategic Plan, now in its second year of implementation, serves as a roadmap towards the ongoing fulfillment of the College’s mission. The President has also fostered the creation of a number of impactful initiatives, supported by Ms. MacKenzie Scott’s transformative gift to the institution, designed to support the education of students in the nation’s poorest congressional district. In the spring of 2023, she opened the Hostos Research Center, a space where faculty members from across disciplines create and explore new and ever-more-effective teaching methods, which, in turn, provides the optimum academic experience for students.

Under her leadership, the College recorded significant progress in fall-to-spring retention and marked growth in enrollment, bringing them back up to near pre-pandemic levels. With this kind of resilience and determination, it is no wonder Hostos was then selected for the second time as a top-ten finalist for the national Aspen Community College Prize.

Building on this momentum, Dr. Cocco De Filippis worked with local elected officials, such as Congressman Ritchie Torres, and submitted a successful $1 million congressional earmark in support of our students’ transfer opportunities and the successful celebration of the College’s 55th Anniversary year. And later that same year, State Senator Charles D. Schumer provided additional support in the form of $1 million to help sustain programs established with the Ms. MacKenzie Scott Gift. Additionally, in the fall of 2024, with the generous donation by Benny Lorenzo and Peter Wright, the College announced the creation of the $1 million Aspira-Wright Endowed STEM Scholarship, the largest in its history. Then, in January of 2025, in recognition of its tireless work lifting up underserved students, the College was one of only six schools in the nation to receive the U.S. Department of Education’s first-ever Postsecondary Success Recognition Program Award.

Dr. Cocco De Filippis holds a Ph.D. in Latin American Literature, an M. Phil in Spanish Literature from the Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York, an M.A. in Spanish Literature and a B.A. summa cum laude in Spanish and English Literature from Queens College, CUNY. A published author and literary critic, she is recognized internationally as a pioneer in the field of Dominican women's studies and Dominican authors in the U.S. In 2016, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in the Humanities by the University of Santo Domingo (UASD), the oldest university in the Americas, in recognition of her contributions to Dominican, Caribbean, and Dominican Diaspora literatures.