Eunice Ashman Lewin Joins SUNY Board of Trustees

Albany – The New York State Senate confirmed Governor David A. Paterson’s nominee, Eunice Ashman Lewin, as the newest member of the State University of New York Board of Trustees.

Trustee Lewin, a 30-year member of the Buffalo Board of Education and its Committee on Special Education, is appointed to a term that will expire June 30, 2016. She replaces Michael Russell, who served on the Board since 2005.

“I am pleased at the Legislature’s confirmation of Eunice Lewin to the SUNY Board of Trustees,” said Governor Paterson. “Ms. Lewin’s diverse experience in the field and deep understanding of all levels of education will be a tremendous asset to the Board. On behalf of Chancellor Zimpher, Chairman Hayden and the entire Board of Trustees, we welcome her and look forward to her work with SUNY.”

“I want to express my gratitude to Governor Paterson and to the state Senate for the appointment and confirmation of Eunice Lewin,” said Board Chairman Carl T. Hayden. “SUNY is very fortunate to have Eunice Lewin, a University at Buffalo alumna, join the Board of Trustees. Her professional work with the school children of Buffalo and her decades of community service in Western New York make her ideally suited to join the Board. I would also like to thank Trustee Michael Russell for his many years of outstanding service to SUNY.”

“Eunice Lewin is an excellent addition to the SUNY Board of Trustees and I thank Governor Paterson and the State Senate for her appointment,” said Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “As a bilingual social worker in Buffalo, Eunice Lewin understands how important and often how difficult it is to keep children in school. Her experience and wisdom will add to the diversity of the Board and help us confront challenges while seizing opportunities."

“I am very grateful to Governor Paterson and the New York State Senate for the confidence they have placed in me,” said Trustee Lewin.  “As a SUNY alumna, I am looking forward to working with my colleagues on the Board and with Chancellor Zimpher as we advance public higher education throughout New York.”

The state Senate confirmed the Governor’s appointment Tuesday afternoon Feb. 2, 2010. 

The Board of Trustees is the governing body of SUNY. The Board consists of 17 members, 15 of whom are appointed by the Governor, by and with consent of the New York State Senate.

The president of the Student Assembly serves as student trustee and the president of the University Faculty Senate serves as an ex-officio and non-voting trustee.

SUNY Trustees serve on a voluntary basis without compensation for terms of seven years.

About Trustee Eunice Ashman Lewin

Since 1979, Trustee Lewin has been employed as a bilingual social worker for the Committee on Special Education at the Buffalo Board of Education. Previously, she volunteered at Buffalo Catholic Charities in 1976, before being employed there for three years as a Social Worker and later obtaining a position with the Erie County Department of Social Services in the Division of Child Protection.

Trustee Lewin serves on several Boards of Directors, including as commissioner of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, founding member of Roswell Park Alliance, and member of Buffalo Urban League, Hispanic United of Buffalo and Canisus College Board of Regents. She is also a member of the Erie County Chapter of Links, Hispanic Women’s League and Buffalo Niagara Guitar Festival Originators.

She was honored with the Ebony and Ivory Civic Award in 1994; inducted into The Western New York Women's Hall of Fame on March 14, 2002; and received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education in 2002; the National Conference for Community and Justice of Western New York 50^th Annual Citation Award in 2003; and the Marcus Garvey Community Service Award in 2004.

Trustee Lewin was born in Guantanamo, Cuba. Her family migrated to the United States in 1967. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City before moving to Buffalo in 1976. She obtained a Master's degree in American and Puerto Rican Studies in 1978, and a Master's degree in Educational Administration in 1989, both from the University at Buffalo.

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating nearly 465,000 students in 7,669 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu 

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