Ruben Barato Associate Dean of Student Life, Westchester Community College

Dr. Ruben Barato has been a leader in higher education for the past 16 years providing vision, innovation, accountability, guidance and management. He currently serves as the Associate Dean of Student Life at Westchester Community College, where he oversees Counseling, Student Involvement, Athletics, the Benefits Access Center, Black Hispanic Male Initiative, International and Immigrant Student Affairs Office, Veteran’s Affairs, Judicial Affairs and Disability Services. He also serves as the chair of the Behavioral Intervention Team, the chair of College’s Institutional Review Board and as the Title IX Coordinator. In addition, Dr. Barato has been the Assessment Coordinator for the Division of Student Affairs since 2008.

In 1999, he was awarded a Kellogg Foundation Grant for Doctoral Studies in Higher Education Administration and an ASHE/Lumina Doctoral Fellowship in 2006. He is a 2006 National Community College Hispanic Council Leadership Fellow and a 2007 State University of New York Leadership Fellow. His research interests are focused on Community College Students, primarily immigrant, homeless, undocumented, food insufficient and students with disabilities. Dr. Barato earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Kean University; and his Masters of Arts in Counseling and Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from New York University.