Herman Badillo, B.B.A., J.D., was appointed Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The City University of New York by Governor Pataki in May 1999, after serving two years as Vice-Chairman and nearly a decade as a CUNY trustee. The appointment was Mr. Badillo's latest pro-bono effort dedicated to strengthening public education. He served in this capacity until announcing his bid to be the Republican nominee for New York City Mayor in early 2001.

Mr. Badillo has been an education advisor to Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani since 1993. As Mayor's Special Counsel for the Fiscal Oversight of Education, Mr. Badillo prepared in 1994 a fiscal analysis of the New York City Board of Education that identified troubling patterns in the growth of special education and bi-lingual programs and other areas. Mr. Badillo was also a member of the Mayor's Task Force on CUNY. In July 1999, the Task Force issued the "Schmidt Report," a critical analysis of CUNY, which Mr. Badillo has adopted as a blueprint for change at the University.

These broad experiences and responsibilities in public education, ranging from the elementary through the post-graduate levels, have given Mr. Badillo a unique perspective in recognizing, and solving, the pressing problems facing our schools.

Mr. Badillo has spent much of his life in public service. He was the first Hispanic Commissioner in the history of New York City, the first Hispanic elected as a Borough President (Bronx), the first person of Puerto Rican origin elected to the United States Congress (four times), and later became the first Hispanic Deputy Mayor in New York City's history.

Mr. Badillo lives in Manhattan with his wife Gail, who is a teacher in a New York City public middle school. His son David is an assistant professor at the University of Illinois. Mr. Badillo serves on many community organizations.