Lorean Valentin

Senior Community Liaison | NYC Council Speaker’s Office | Bronx-Born Public Health & Community Leader

New York City Metropolitan Area

About

I am an Afro-Latinx woman of Puerto Rican descent, born and raised in East Harlem (“El Barrio”) and the South Bronx. I am a Senior Community Liaison with the New York City Council Speaker’s Office, advancing health equity through community engagement, policy development, and cross-sector collaboration. I manage a portfolio spanning Health, Hospitals, Mental Health, Disabilities, Addictions, and Infectious Disease—working closely with community-based organizations, healthcare systems, and government partners to translate on-the-ground needs into actionable outcomes. I played an instrumental role on Speaker Adrienne E. Adams’ Maternal Health Steering Committee, helping shape policy and engagement that resulted in a publicly released report with actionable recommendations to improve maternal health and birth equity. I also serve on the New Arrival Strategy Team and was assigned to lead the City Council’s first coordination with the federal government on asylum seeker work authorization efforts. Previously, I led NYC Health + Hospitals’ Test & Trace Corps as Manhattan Borough Director during the COVID-19 response and held leadership roles at the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center and the 1199/SEIU Healthcare Education Project. I am a 2024 BRIDGES NY Fellowship alumna and have completed public health and medical education training through Columbia University. My work includes coordinating large-scale community forums addressing the opioid crisis, organizing maternal and mental health panels such as Aftershock, leading participatory budgeting, developing internal public health surveillance updates for senior leadership, and supporting emergency response efforts—from MPX vaccination nights to post–Hurricane Fiona coordination in Puerto Rico. I also led the NYC Council Speaker’s Service Day in Puerto Rico and became the first Community Engagement Division liaison to officially staff the Speaker at SOMOS Puerto Rico. I am a public health organizer, Secretary of Rainbow Garden of Health + Life, Chair of the Young Professionals Group at Mercy Center, and a member of Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority, Inc., the nation’s first multicultural sorority. I served as the first National Executive Director for Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority, Inc. My work has been recognized with the NYS African Diaspora Caucus Leadership Award (2023) and a Citation of Merit from the Bronx Borough President (2025). At my core, I am driven by service, equity, and the belief that public health is strongest when communities lead.

Experience

  • Senior Community Liaison, Office of the NYC Council Speaker at New York City Council
    Jun 2022 - Present · 4 yrs 2 mos

  • Director of Career Advancement & Development for Healthcare & Human Services at Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center
    Sep 2021 - Jun 2022 · 10 mos

  • Executive Director at Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority Incorporated
    Dec 2017 - Jun 2022 · 4 yrs 7 mos

    Under the direction of National Governing Council, the Executive Director will lead the business operations of the Sorority; and represent MSU in the sorority community. Areas of responsibility include leadership, planning and evaluation, fiscal management, fundraising, and public relations.

  • Executive Assistant at Bronx Council on the Arts
    Jul 2019 - Sep 2019 · 3 mos

  • Project Coordinator at Healthcare Education Project
    Jul 2007 - Dec 2017 · 10 yrs 6 mos