Director of Career Services

Lisanette Rosario is a proud member of the Hostos Community College team since 2001. For over twenty years, she has supported Hostos, a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). 

In addition to serving as a leader on several committees to promote student and community success, Lisanette currently serves as the Director of Career Services and Co-President of the Career Services Association of CUNY (in her second term). As a Director, she has been at the forefront forming and facilitating strong connections across and beyond CUNY with students, staff, and alumni. Likewise, under her leadership, the Career Services Office has engaged employers to promote justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (JDEI) for Hostos students and the South Bronx community. 

As part of these initiatives, she has also championed funding for accessible programming, launching the HACU/HSI Grow With Google Career Readiness Program to remarkable outcomes. Grow With Google is one of several programs and services she has implemented that have directly impacted students’ lives, significantly impacting Hostos. Lisanette finds motivation in addressing the challenges disproportionately affecting diverse students in higher education as the needs of the student population evolve. Her dedication emerges from her lived experience growing up in the South Bronx and is informed by her involvement as a parent, advocate, and active member of the community in which she has become a role model for success and a stanchion of progress.  

As an administrator, she has brought career readiness into the classroom and contributed to COIL@Hostos and Global Scholars Achieving Career Success, which brought together faculty and students from across the globe in support of a quality education, community involvement, and career readiness for participants.

Lisanette’s dedication extends beyond administrative roles, as she is deeply involved in academic and community service efforts. Her volunteer work as a Reading Coach concretizes her belief in addressing literacy’s role in underserved communities like the South Bronx. Her academic contributions, including collaboration on publications and presentations on cybersecurity careers, experiential learning and community engagement, highlight her commitment to advancing educational practices. Lisanette Rosario contributed to integrating cybersecurity into Hostos Community College’s curriculum. She collaborated with faculty and industry leaders to develop a relevant program, co-authored proposals to present this initiative at HETS, Hispanic Educational Technology Services, positioning students for success in the cybersecurity field. Her efforts enhanced educational pathways and aligned them with industry demands, showcasing her commitment to student career readiness.

She has presented along with faculty at the 14th annual HACU International Conference in Salamanca, Spain, “How to Engage in COIL-an International Collaborative Pedagogy Using Technology”, (2024), HETS Best Practices Showcase, HETS “Active Learning in a Virtual Cybersecurity Apprenticeship” (2023) and spoken at a webinar titled “Cybersecurity: Preparing the Untapped Hispanic Community for The Profession” (2023). She has collaborated with faculty and colleagues across CUNY and presented at the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Career Competency Symposium “Global Scholars Achieving Career Success: Facilitating Career Readiness in Multi-national Virtual Exchange Program” (2022), and the CUNY ELO Symposium “Grassroots Mobilization at Hostos:  A Story of Sustainability and Growth” (2019). Lisanette was also a key speaker at the Experiential Learning Conference Breaking Boundaries 2017: Developing, Assessing, and Scaling Curricular and Co-Curricular Experiential Learning Opportunities and the CTL Day III, Service Learning “Learning Beyond The Classroom Walls “event. Lisanette published the article “Cross Campus Collaboration & Experiential Learning at Hostos Community College” for the Peer Review Journal of the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) and contributed to the article “Online Strategies to Promote Community and Communication” publication within the Intercultural Horizons Volume IV: Identities, Relationships and Languages in Migration. 

Lisanette Rosario’s influence extends beyond Hostos Community College, making significant contributions to the broader dialogue on career development amid changing job landscapes. Her insights were featured in a News 12, where she offered expert advice on navigating the job market during the “Great Resignation,” a period marked by unprecedented shifts in employment due to the pandemic. Lisanette presented on “Résumés” for a television broadcast at Univision 41 Al Despertar, and was invited to feature on “Tips on Finding Your Ideal Job Amid the Great Resignation” by News 12 in New York. Her work has led to her appearance in various articles and new highlights, including her recognition in “Esperanzas de empleo para recién graduados” byEl Diario NY.

Lisanette’s exceptional contributions have been celebrated for her leadership, innovation and dedication to community engagement. Her recognition includes the All Hands on Deck recognition by the President for her commitment to the Summer Recovery Corps program, the Visionary Award for strategic collaboration efforts, the Team Builder Award for her leadership in team building, a Presidential Award for her contributions to career services and student retention, a Certificate of Appreciation for her support of the student body and the Hostos Alma Mater, and the Visionary Award in recognition of her strategic efforts to promote collaboration and identify creative, impactful solutions in support of the College’s community. Under Lisanette’s guidance, the Career Services Office at Hostos Community College has also received multiple awards, including multiple prestigious CUNY Career Services Association (CSAC) awards, in recognition of the office’s innovative contributions to student career readiness and development. Additionally, Lisanette’s leadership in the Career Services Office has been instrumental in achieving continuous funding through grants such as Perkins, WIOA, and various CUNY Grants. This funding has supported key projects like the new computer lab, the Career Closet by California Closets, and the strategic three-year plan that transformed the Career Services Office, highlighting her commitment to developing student resources and opportunities for career development.

Preceding her leadership role as Director of Career Services, Lisanette also served as Assistant Director, Career Counselor and Internship Coordinator at Hostos Community College, as adjunct faculty at the College of New Rochelle and co-taught Career Practices at Hostos Community College. She has firsthand experience presenting information to further learning objectives as an educator and volunteer reading coach in the South Bronx P.S. 18. Lisanette is a certified Myers Briggs Type-Indicator (MBTI) and Strong Interest Inventory practitioner, earned an A.A. in Liberal Arts & Science from Hostos Community College, a B.A. in English from Hunter College, a M.S.Ed. from Baruch College, and a Harvard Graduate School of Education Women in Education Leadership Certificate; committed to modeling best practices in personal, academic, and professional development, she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Literacy from St. John’s University. Her continued education is driven by a desire to better understand the multifaceted aspects of literacy development and to contribute to the scholarship on pedagogical approaches that can empower students in community colleges to excel in the workforce.