About Dr. Daisy Cocco De Filippis

Daisy Cocco De Filippis Biography

Dr. Daisy Cocco De Filippis returned to Hostos Community College as President in August 2020 after serving as President of Naugatuck Valley Community College for twelve years. She also previously served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Hostos from 2002-2008. As Hostos President, she has worked tirelessly to rebuild student enrollment post-pandemic by providing a high-quality education delivered with hope, care and understanding.

As President, Dr. Cocco De Filippis has overseen an impressive array of programs and initiatives including a successful Middle States Evaluation to maintain the college’s accreditation; the creation of a new five-year Strategic Plan for 2023-2028; the awarding of a $15 million grant from the MacKenzie Scott Foundation, the largest charitable donation in the history of Hostos; the opening of a new Hostos Research Center to promote collaboration between faculty and students on shared research projects; the college’s selection as a top ten finalist for the national Aspen Community College Prize in 2023; successfully lobbied Congress for millions of dollars in Congressionally Directed Spending to support joint programs with four-year colleges as well as on campus jobs and mentorship programs; and national recognition from the U.S. Department of Education in its first-ever Postsecondary Success Recognition Program, an honor bestowed upon just six colleges nationwide in 2025.

Dr. Cocco De Filippis holds a Ph.D. in Latin American Literature, an M. Phil in Spanish Literature from the Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York, an M.A. in Spanish Literature and a B.A. summa cum laude in Spanish and English literatures from Queens College, CUNY. A published author and literary critic, she is recognized internationally as a pioneer in the field of Dominican women studies and Dominican authors in the U.S. In 2016, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in the Humanities by the University of Santo Domingo (UASD), the oldest university in the Americas, in recognition of her contributions to Dominican, Caribbean and Dominican Diaspora literatures.

Dr. Cocco De Filippis has served on the board of multiple educational and community organizations, as well as Commissioner for the New England Commission for Higher Education.