Awardees 2026
Adrián “Viajero” Román
Adrián “Viajero” Román is a Brooklyn-born Puerto Rican interdisciplinary artist, curator, and cultural advocate whose work explores memory, identity, and resistance through monumental portraits and immersive installations. His work has been exhibited at prestigious institutions including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, the Whitney Museum of American Art, El Museo del Barrio, and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. In 2016, he received the Smithsonian’s Outwin People’s Choice Award, and his portrait of composer Tite Curet Alonso was added to the museum’s permanent collection. As founder and curator of CITICIEN, Román has brought together over 100 artists to examine Puerto Rican identity, citizenship, and colonialism.
The Alliance of Teatros Latinos NY
Founded in 2010, The Alliance of Teatros Latinos NY is a coalition of 10 Latinx theaters operating 11 venues across New York City, distinguished by their commitment to maintaining permanent physical spaces for theater and community gathering. Awarded the Gold Medal by Spain’s Academy of Performing Arts in 2022, the Alliance strengthens the Latinx theater ecosystem through advocacy, leadership development, and its annual citywide festival, TeatroFest NYC, which features over 20 productions and 150 performances.
Assemblymember Amanda Septimo
Assemblymember Amanda Septimo represents New York’s 84th Assembly District in the South Bronx, having been elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024. Born and raised in the Bronx and a graduate of Vanderbilt University, she worked in education advocacy before entering public office. In Albany, Assemblymember Septimo focuses her legislative work on expanding access to healthcare, protecting tenants, supporting survivors of domestic violence, investing in public education, and securing vital resources for the South Bronx community.
Arnaldo Cruz-Malavé
Arnaldo Cruz-Malavé is an emeritus professor and scholar of queer Puerto Rican, Latinx, and Hispanic Caribbean studies at Fordham University. A literary and cultural critic educated at Yale and Stanford universities, he is the author of Queer Latino Testimonio, Keith Haring, and Juanito Xtravaganza: Hard Tails and El primitivo implorante, co-editor of Queer Globalization: Citizenship and the Afterlife of Colonialism, and editor of Manuel Ramos Otero’s Cuentos completos. As a cultural activist, he has organized major events and curated exhibitions in collaboration with leading arts institutions and prominent Latinx writers and visual artists.
David Galarza
David Galarza is a long-time Puerto Rican activist, labor organizer, and community advocate based in New York City. Through decades of grassroots organizing, he has championed workers’ rights, environmental justice, and Latinx cultural preservation, serving as a dedicated voice for community empowerment and social transformation.
Emilio Sosa
Emilio Sosa is a Dominican-born, New York-raised costume designer for Broadway, television, and dance, and a six-time Tony Award nominee. He made his Broadway debut with Topdog/Underdog and has since designed for acclaimed productions including The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Motown: The Musical, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, On Your Feet!, and Purlie Victorious, winning a Drama Desk Award for Ain’t No Mo’. In 2026, Sosa was named Chair of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Artists (HOLA) and the HOLA Awards.
Assemblymember Illapa Sairitupac
Illapa Sairitupac is the Assemblymember-elect for New York’s 65th Assembly District, covering Chinatown, the Lower East Side, and the Financial District. The son of Indigenous Peruvian immigrants, he holds a Master of Social Work from New York University and has worked as a mental health provider as well as a dedicated tenant, housing, and climate organizer in Lower Manhattan for over a decade.
Javier E. Gómez
Javier E. Gómez is an award-winning journalist, communications professional, producer, and actor with a 31-year career spanning public service, arts, media, and community engagement. A former Press Officer for the New York State Governor and Attorney General, he hosts the weekly Spanish-language talk show Diálogo Abierto on BronxNet TV and founded the media relations firm High Pitch. His extensive performing and producing credits span Broadway revivals, film, television, and leading Latinx theater companies across New York City.
Jennifer Sage and Peter Coombe
Jennifer Sage, FAIA, and Peter Coombe, AIA, founded Sage and Coombe Architects in New York in 1995 as a certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise dedicated to public architecture and social infrastructure. Their firm’s notable projects include the multiphase transformation of the Noguchi Museum, Hurricane Sandy rebuilding efforts in the Rockaways, the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, and numerous public libraries, parks, and schools. Sage is a recipient of the AIA’s 2021 Award for Excellence in Public Architecture, while Coombe brings extensive design experience from major international firms in New York and Europe.
Dr. Lisette Nieves
Dr. Lisette Nieves is the President of the Fund for the City of New York and Co-Founder of the Center for Youth and the Future of Work. With over 25 years of cross-sector leadership, she previously served as Full Clinical Professor and Director of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at NYU Steinhardt, as well as the founding Executive Director of Year Up New York. A Truman and Rhodes Scholar, Dr. Nieves has served on presidential initiatives under both the Obama and Biden administrations, co-authored books on education pathways, and hosts The Junction podcast.
Mario Colón
Mario Colón is a cultural leader, theater director, and Vice President for Special Initiatives at Hispanic Federation, bringing over 40 years of experience to the arts and advocacy sectors. In 2016, he founded FUERZAfest, the first Latino LGBTQ+ multidisciplinary arts festival in the Northeastern United States, creating a vital platform for artistic expression, dialogue, and community visibility. Alongside his executive leadership, he maintains an active career in theater directing, including a recent production of Federico García Lorca’s El Público.
Melody Capote
Melody Capote is the Executive Director of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI), having served the organization since 1984. Over four decades of leadership, she spearheaded key development efforts, including the capital campaign that converted a historic East Harlem firehouse into CCCADI’s permanent home in 2016. Capote is a passionate advocate for cultural equity and social justice for communities of African descent.
Omar Nieves
Omar Nieves is a Puerto Rican singer, actor, dancer, and choreographer who played Santiago and performed in the ensemble of Moulin Rouge! on Broadway and on its National Tour for nearly three years. His performance credits also include the National Tours of Anastasia and Aladdin, as well as productions of West Side Story in Japan and Chicago. As an award-winning choreographer and director across theater, film, television, and dance, his credits include Man of La Mancha, In the Heights, Billy Elliot, and a Berkshire Theatre Critics Association Award for A Crossing: A Dance Musical.
Pedro Monge Rafuls
Pedro Monge Rafuls is a Cuban-born researcher, arts promoter, playwright, and activist who left Cuba in 1961, co-founded the Círculo Teatral de Chicago in 1970, and founded the OLLANTAY Center for the Arts in New York in 1977. He began publishing OLLANTAY Theater Magazine in 1993, received the 1991 Very Special Arts Award from the Kennedy Arts Center for his play Noche de ronda, and served as editor for essential historical reference works including Teatro cubano para los escenarios and Quién es quién en la dramaturgia cubana.
Commissioner Rafael Espinal
Rafael Espinal serves as Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), working to expand the city’s creative economy and support its creative workforce. A Brooklyn native, former New York State Assemblymember, City Council Member, and former Executive Director of the Freelancers Union, he led groundbreaking efforts including the Freelance Isn’t Free Act and the repeal of New York City’s Cabaret Law.
Rafael Tufiño II
Rafael Tufiño II is a Puerto Rican visual artist, certified teacher, and founding resident artist at The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Trained at the Division of Community Education (DIVECO) and the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, he established Taller de Artes & Diseños S.A. in San Juan before expanding his practice to New York in 1984. Holding advanced degrees in Visual Art, Art Education, and Educational Neuroscience, he maintains active multidisciplinary studios in both New York City and San Juan.
Commissioner Rossana Rosado
Rossana Rosado is the Commissioner of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, appointed in 2021 as the first Latina to lead the agency since its creation in 1972. Prior to this role, she served for six years as New York’s 67th Secretary of State following a 30-year career in media, where she became the first woman editor and publisher of El Diario La Prensa and earned Emmy and Peabody awards. She is also a dedicated advocate for re-entry programs and criminal justice reform.
Trinity Church Wall Street
Trinity Church Wall Street is an Episcopal parish with over 300 years of history in New York City, operating under a charter granted in 1697. Known for its landmark neo-Gothic church at Broadway and Wall Street, Trinity supports the city through extensive community programming at Trinity Commons, free musical performances featuring world-class ensembles, and active grantmaking to cultural and arts organizations across New York City.
Urayoán Noel
Urayoán Noel is an acclaimed poet, performer, translator, and scholar of Latinx literature and culture based in New York City. An associate professor at New York University and author of multiple awardwinning poetry collections and critical studies, his work bridges experimental poetics, performance art, and bilingual cultural commentary across the Puerto Rican diaspora.
Dr. Yomaira C. Figueroa-Vásquez
Dr. Yomaira C. Figueroa-Vásquez is an Afro-Puerto Rican writer, scholar, and Director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) at CUNY Hunter College, where she serves as Professor of Africana, Puerto Rican, and Latino Studies. Author of the award-winning book Decolonizing Diasporas: Radical Mappings of Afro-Atlantic Literature, she co-directs the Diaspora Solidarities Lab and leads CENTRO’s “Rooted and Relational” initiatives, supporting Black feminist digital humanities and Caribbean literary studies.
