Aramina Vega Ferrer

Aramina Vega Ferrer, Ph.D., is a long-time Bronx resident and former associate professor of Literacy and Multilingual Studies in the School of Education at Mercy College where she prepared teacher candidates for advanced certificates and the Master of Science program in Teaching Literacy. She views the teaching and learning of reading and writing as complex processes best examined through a sociolinguistic lens that takes into account the cultural and linguistic experiences of students and their families in the home. Her areas of research and expertise are: sociolinguistics, second language acquisition and learning, bilingualism, multiculturalism, family literacy, and community engaged scholarship.     

Dr. Ferrer served as chair of the Department of Literacy and Multilingual Studies at Mercy College and founding director of the School of Education (SOE) Bronx Parent Center at the Bronx campus. The SOE Bronx Parent Center opened in 2012 as a first-of-its-kind faculty-developed and faculty-led initiative working with Bronx families and educators to increase student achievement in Pre-K–12, and ensure college access. 

In addition, Dr. Ferrer has over 30 years of K-12 teaching and leadership experience in the development and implementation of innovative instructional programs for culturally and linguistically diverse student populations. She began as a Junior High School Teacher of Spanish and English as a Second Language, went on to become a curriculum specialist as a District Supervisor of Bilingual Education, and culminated her tenure in the New York City school system as an Elementary School Principal in the Bronx. Dr. Ferrer holds a Ph.D. in Language, Literacy and Learning from Fordham University, an M.S. in Ed. in Bilingual Education from City College, and a B.A. in Spanish from Herbert H. Lehman College.

Dr. Ferrer is also actively engaged in educational and community leadership as a Trustee of Woodlawn Cemetery and Chair of the Woodlawn Conservancy, and member of the Board of Advisors of the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) and its Education Committee. She previously served as Secretary/Treasurer and Trustee of NYBG, Vice-Chair of the Lehman College Foundation, Trustee of the New-York Historical Society, and New York City Landmarks Commissioner representing the Bronx.

A member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Fordham University Chapter, Dr. Ferrer was a U.S. Department of Education Doctoral Fellow at Fordham. She has received numerous professional and civic awards, among them the Lifetime Achievement Award from Fordham’s Graduate School of Education, the Alumni Achievement Award from Lehman College, Distinguished Educator Award by the New York City Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Educator of the Year Award for Creative Leadership and Vision in Education by the Association of Teachers of New York, and the Governor’s Outstanding Hispanic Women Achievers Award.

Dr. Ferrer was elected to the New York State Board of Regents by the New York State Legislature on March 2, 2021, for a 2-year term, and reelected to a five-year term on March 1, 2023. She represents Judicial District 12 (The Bronx). In her role as Regent, she serves on several committees and workgroups and is Co-Chair of the Cultural Education Committee, which develops and recommends policies related to cultural education. The Office of Cultural Education oversees the State Library, State Museum, State Archives, Summer School of the Arts, and the Public Broadcasting Program. Regent Ferrer also serves as a member of the NYS Graduation Measures Blue Ribbon Commission’s Subcommittee on Program Requirements and Learning Experiences.