Surey I. Miranda Alarcón, a passionate feminist, Hatillana, and Bronxite. Surey pursued higher education at the University of Puerto Rico, transitioning from Arecibo to Río Piedras, where she earned a Bachelor's in Political Science. During her last university years she worked in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. Her academic journey continued at The New School University, achieving a Master’s in Economics.
Surey's career, deeply influenced by her upbringing and education, has been dedicated to addressing inequality and enhancing access to information. In New York she worked at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies with different Puerto Rican communities across the 50 states. She then worked in the New York Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, the New York City Commission on Human Rights, and the Mayor’s Community Affairs, under the administration of Mayor Bill De Blasio. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Surey served in key roles in the Vaccine Command Center, ensuring equitable access to information and distribution of COVID-19 test, and vaccines. She led the distribution of over 3 million facemasks and PPE in the Bronx.
She is the co-founder and chair of the organization Diaspora for Puerto Rico, created after Hurricane María to support Puerto Ricans arriving in New York. She is a professor of economics at the State University of New York and works as the Director of Campus and Community Engagement for Fordham University. At Fordham, Surey has been key in strengthening the institution’s commitment and partnership with neighboring communities, which led to the creation of Fordham in Community, a coalition of over 40+ organizations working in coordination to attract more resources and create capacity in the immediate vicinity. Thanks to partnerships and coalition efforts, Fordham University was able to receive a $50 million grant for environmental projects in EPA Region 2. Many organizations and communities in New York and Puerto Rico will benefit from this initiative that seeks to bring resources to communities affected by climate change. Her greatest passion is building coalitions and uplifting the work of communities, and she strives to inform public policy to ensure equality of opportunities.