From Groundbreaking to Blueprint: Panelists

Assemblymember Emérita Torres represents the 85th District in the South and Southeastern Bronx, including Hunts Point, Longwood, Soundview, Clason Point, and Harding Park. A lifelong Bronx resident, Emérita brings 20 years of progressive experience in public policy, diplomacy, and advocacy to the Assembly, with a career defined by a commitment to equity, justice, and opportunity.

Before her election, Emérita served as the Vice President of Policy, Research, and Advocacy at the Community Service Society, New York’s leading anti-poverty organization. In this role, she spearheaded transformative, data-driven campaigns to expand economic opportunity across New York. She was instrumental in expanding New York’s half-price MetroCard program, advancing tenants’ rights and homeownership opportunities, and reforming the city’s rental assistance programs. Nationally, she co-led efforts to address the cost-of-living crisis through the National True Cost of Living Coalition.

Emérita’s career also spans a decade as a U.S. diplomat, tackling global challenges, including labor rights advocacy, climate change mitigation, peacekeeping, and protecting women’s rights in conflict. Her diplomatic tours with the U.S. Department of State included Brazil, Pakistan, Colombia, Washington, D.C., and the United Nations. As Director of Policy Research and Programs at The Soufan Center, she advanced efforts to address national security challenges including disinformation, terrorism, and the rise of authoritarianism. Her advocacy led to the sanctioning of the first white supremacist group in U.S. history.

But Emérita’s commitment to her community transcends her professional achievements. She has served as a Board Member of the Bronx River Arts Center (BRAC) and the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco), where she advanced initiatives in arts, housing, and economic development for local families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she sprang into action, organizing and delivering life-saving PPE and food to Bronx families, embodying the resilience and solidarity that define her community. Emérita has also mentored dozens of Bronx middle and high school students, inspiring the next generation of leaders by sharing her journey from public assistance to the halls of Harvard.

Emérita’s journey from humble beginnings—her parents’ hard work, reliance on public assistance programs, and access to rent-stabilized housing—fuel her resolve to break systemic barriers. As the first in her family to graduate from college, she earned a B.A. in History from New York University and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. These experiences underpin her drive to ensure affordable housing, economic opportunity, and access to a brighter future for all are achievable not by chance, but by deliberate, equitable policy.

Emérita is a proud mother of two and lives with her partner and children in the Soundview section of the Bronx.

Eric is a Bronx Native and a government affairs and public policy professional who most recently served as Head of Regulatory and External Affairs at Ocean Wind North America, where he led government, community affairs and business development efforts for the Bluepoint Wind project. 

Eric has served in a number of leadership roles in New York City government affairs. Before Ocean Winds, Eric led NYC government affairs for a broadband and telecommunications provider, and prior to that, he served as General Counsel to the Mayor's Office of City Legislative Affairs and the inaugural General Counsel/Director of Intergovernmental Affairs to the New York City Department of Veteran's Services.  He currently sits on the board of the New York Botanical Garden and has served on the NYC Department of Education's Panel for Educational Policy and the New York City Board of Education Retirement System.

Eric is passionate about the clean energy transition and the benefits that it can bring for disadvantaged and environmental justice communities, such as the Bronx.

In October 2022, Rob Walsh was appointed as President of The Bronx Economic Development Corporation. He is currently at the forefront of building out the capacity of the BXEDC, as well as creating programs and using the resources at hand to serve the Small Business community in The Bronx, with a focus on getting capital access to Small Businesses. BXEDC is also focused on achieving constant economic growth and stability. 

In 2018, Rob Walsh was appointed as senior advisor to the Manhattan College president. Working with the leadership team, Walsh was charged with forging strategic partnerships with key New York organizations and institutions including foundations, cultural institutions, non-profits, government agencies, major corporations, and start-up companies. 

Walsh’s radio segment, The Bottom Line for Small Business airs on 1010 WINS Radio where he is also the moderator of the Small Business Challenge which recognizes the work of entrepreneurs in the New York metropolitan area. 

Walsh has taught various courses at Columbia University in the School of Public and International Affairs. He also served as the faculty director of the executive master’s degree in public administration program at Baruch College’s School of Public and International Affairs from 2014 to 2018. 

In January 2002, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed Walsh the commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services (SBS). During his 12 years there, SBS became one of the city’s most innovative agencies in serving the needs of its 200,000 small businesses. Walsh re-energized the city’s business improvement districts and created an award-winning neighborhood leadership program in partnership with the Coro Foundation. 

Under his leadership, seven NYC Business Solutions Centers were established that secured more than $200 million for small businesses in the last six years of his tenure. He created a wide array of entrepreneurial courses and forged new partnerships with groups, including the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, Interise, and the Kauffman Foundation. 

Prior to serving in the Bloomberg administration, Walsh served as president of Charlotte (N.C.) Center City Partners. He led the Center City master plan initiative that led to significant private and public investments. He also attracted Johnson & Wales University to the Center City. 

From 1989 to April 1997, he played an instrumental role in the revitalization of one of New York’s great neighborhoods, as executive director of the Union Square Partnership. During the 1980s, he worked in the administration of Mayor Edward I. Koch. He began his career in public service as a New York City Urban Fellow, a program he later directed.

Walsh holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and master’s degree in public affairs from Fordham University. He also participated in the senior executives in state and local government program at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Henry Obispo is a globally recognized leader transforming the future of food, ecological justice, and community-led systems. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in the Bronx, NY, he is a social entrepreneur, environmentalist, and Eco-Gastronomer who fuses ancestral knowledge with regenerative innovation. His work builds holistic models rooted in equity, sustainability, and spiritual ecology—restoring the sacred bond between people, land, and culture.

Through ReBORN FARMS, Henry leads a hyper-local revolution in food sovereignty. These farms are more than growing spaces—they are ecosystems of healing, resilience, and cultural revival. By reconnecting communities to land and food, they transform both urban and rural environments into regenerative spaces where people and place thrive together.

Through his culinary ventures, Henry advances a circular, zero-waste, plant-based model as a living example of ethical, ecological business. Each offering reflects a commitment to planetary care, nutritional integrity, and community well-being—demonstrating that sustainability can be both spiritual and scalable.

Henry approaches ecological development through a spiritual lens, treating the Earth as a living being. His projects weave together land, water, and energy systems with native foodways and regenerative design—creating environments rooted in balance, beauty, and collective stewardship.

A strong advocate for grassroots sovereignty, Henry builds decentralized ecosystems that return power to communities. By reclaiming control over food, infrastructure, and economy, these initiatives foster local abundance, climate resilience, and self-Determination.

Henry’s conservation work protects more than ecosystems—it preserves living memory. Through ancestral agricultural practices, native seed saving, and biodiversity protection, he ensures that future generations inherit both nourishment and wisdom.

Henry’s impact spans continents. As a U.S. culinary and cultural ambassador to Fiji, he helped revive indigenous food systems rooted in wellness and sovereignty. In Egypt, he collaborated with antiquities experts to restore ancient food knowledge. In Morocco, he engaged with indigenous communities through food and ecological exchange. In the

Dominican Republic, he leads the restoration of sacred ecological sites. Across these efforts, he builds solidarity across the Global South—honoring heritage while advancing sustainable futures.

Henry Obispo’s work invites us to reimagine food as ceremony, cities as ecosystems, and development as restoration. Through bold, inclusive leadership, he offers a living vision—where all communities, regardless of geography or origin, flourish in harmony with an abundant, spiritually connected planet.

Raised in Bolivia, Manuela Zamora began her career as the Director of Logistics and Special Events on Sustainable Development in the Office of the First Lady of Bolivia before earning her Master’s in Education from Cambridge College in 2001. Shortly after, she founded her first organization, Fundación Carmen, where she created El Dorado: the Route of Fair Trade, a training program for low-income women artisans to learn skills in sustainable production and marketing. In 2008, she co-founded NY Sun Works’  Hydroponic Classrooms Initiative. For over a decade she has served as our Executive Director, steering our mission to transform New York’s educational landscape through a pioneering approach to sustainability science and climate education. Today, she resides in the heart of NYC, along with her husband and children.

Kavita Pawria-Sanchez is a senior consultant with Barretto Bay Strategies and has over two decades of experience in government, legal and non-profit spheres, where she has bridged communities with innovative programs and policies. Passionate about creating principled yet practical results, she is trained as a civil rights attorney, community organizer and government executive and holds expertise on a broad range of community issues.

Prior to consulting, Kavita worked in city government under Mayors Bloomberg and De Blasio, most recently as an Assistant Commissioner and General Counsel at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, where she designed and implemented $75M in programs, successfully advocated for legislation and interfaced with marginalized communities across NYC. In recent years, Kavita has founded a community organization in the Bronx, supported various BBS initiatives and led several public education campaigns for the City, including NYC Census 2020 – the largest city-funded community organizing program in NYC history. She holds a B.S. in Public Policy from Cornell University and a J.D. from the City University of New York School of Law.

Dr. Robin Cole Jr. currently serves as the Vice President of Economic and Workforce Development and Career Technical Education at Monroe Community College. With over 20 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Cole has built a distinguished career focused on advancing academic programs, workforce training, and community partnerships.

Before joining Monroe Community College, Dr. Cole held the position of Dean of Business and Technology at Southwest Tennessee Community College, where he oversaw 16 academic programs and cultivated valuable partnerships with major corporations like FedEx and Siemens. These collaborations led to the development of innovative academic programs designed to meet industry needs.

Previously, Dr. Cole served as the Vice Chancellor for Community Services at Louisiana Delta Community College, managing adult education and workforce development initiatives. He has also held significant roles, including Dean of Career Education at Florida State College at Jacksonville and Program Coordinator at Arkansas State University Mid-South, where he pioneered the Entrepreneurship track within the A.S. in Business degree program.

Dr. Cole has been instrumental in creating internship opportunities, rapid re-employment programs for IT professionals, and dual enrollment pathways within K-12 school districts, ensuring strong ties between education and industry.

Dr. Cole holds a Doctorate of Science in Information Systems & Communications from Robert Morris University, where he also earned a Master of Science in Communications & Information Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. A former All-Conference dual sport athlete, he was also a graduate assistant football coach at Robert Morris University.

Ghanaian-born artist Tijay Mohammed has showcased his work on both national and international stages, gracing prestigious venues like the Katonah Museum of Art NY, Hudson River Museum NY, Materials for the Arts NY, Art League Houston TX, Green Drake Art Gallery PA, Gallery 1202 CA, Ravel d’ Art in Côte d’Ivoire, and The National Museum of Ghana.

Tijay's impact extends beyond exhibition spaces; he has spearheaded workshops and community-oriented projects for esteemed organizations, including the Studio Museum Harlem, Brooklyn Museum, Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling, Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Wallach Art Gallery, Lehman College, University of Ghana, and Pinto Community Centre in Trinidad and Tobago.

His contributions have not gone unnoticed, garnering him various accolades and residencies from renowned institutions such as The Laundromat Project, Wave Hill, Art Bridge, Materials for the Arts, Harmattan Workshop in Nigeria, Global Crit Clinic, and Asiko Artist Residency in Ghana. Grants from institutions like Arts Fund, the Bronx Council on the Arts’ Artist for Community and New Work grant, and the Spanish Embassy Ghana Painters Award further attest to his artistic prowess.

The artist currently resides in Bronx, NY, and maintains a studio in Ghana that serves as a sanctuary for visiting artists to interact with residents, promoting multicultural dialogue through story circles and art workshops.