Center for Educational Partnerships Staff

Dr. Anita Vazquez Batisti is the Associate Dean and founding Director of the Center for Educational Partnerships (CEP) at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education, which presently serves over 8,800 K-12 teachers, 400 administrators, and over 550,000 students in public, private, and charter schools throughout NYC and the greater metropolitan area. Website: fordham.edu/edpartners

During the course of her career, Dr. Batisti has served as an administrator, educator, and development specialist for New York City Community School Districts, the New York City Department of Education, Fordham University, Pace University, New York University, The United States Department of Education, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and not-forprofit organizations. Dr. Batisti’s experiences highlight her ability to understand the complexities and subtleties of both urban and suburban school systems, related service providers, and empowered networks. She has raised over $290 million from public and private sources.

The scope of Dr. Batisti’s teaching and administration experience encompasses work in Districts 1, 2, 4, 5 (Manhattan), including her responsibilities as Director of Development and Reimbursable Programs for District 2. Dr. Batisti has over 25 years of experience in higher education, both at the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education and Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education.

When planning and seeking out resources, Dr, Batisti prioritizes the needs of at-risk students and underserved communities. Evidence of this can be seen in the initiatives and programs she has created and sustained in her role as Associate Dean and Director of the Fordham University Graduate School of Education Center for Educational Partnerships: namely, the first Bronx Regional Bilingual/ESL Technical Assistance Center serving the entire borough exclusively; the Lower Hudson Valley Bilingual/ESL Technical Assistance Center; Bilingual School Psychology Support Center; Long Island/ Westchester Bilingual Education/ESL Teacher Leadership Academy; Mathematics and Literacy Coaching; Fordham Partnership Support Organization, a Center Initiative that put Dr. Batisti inside more than 35 New York City public schools as Network CEO; Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network; Community School Technical Assistance Center; Professional Development Resource Center for Independent and Religious Schools; CARES Act; “STOP School Violence”: - U.S. Department of Justice.

Dr. Batisti’s most recent honors include: President’s Meritorious Service Award – Fordham University (2016); Ruben Diaz Jr., President of the Borough of the Bronx Proclamation (2016); 25 Bronx Influential Women – Bronx Times (2015); Women of Valor Award – PS/MS 129M (2012); Woman of the Year in Education – N.Y. League of Puerto Rican Women (2011).

During her career Dr. Batisti has conducted numerous presentations throughout New York State, Washington D.C., and Europe. Her presentations and publications include:

October 20, 2021 – Fordham University Women’s Summit, Panel Moderator “Compassionate and Collaborative Leadership in Our Communities.”

June 3, 2020 – 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’20) Valencia (Spain) “Beyond Degree Programs: How a Major University Immersed Itself in the Educational Landscape of New York City”

October 27, 2018 – Fordham Graduate School of Social Service – Institute for Women and Girls – New York, New York – “School Violence K-12”

July 12, 2017 – Global Business and Technology Association GBATA – Vienna, Austria – “Watson App to Navigate Social Health for Community Elementary Schools in the Bronx”

July 6, 2017 – Third Annual International Colloquium on Languages, Cultures, Identity in Schools and Society – Soria, Spain – “The Multicultural Education Teacher Leadership Academy Model.”

March 2015 - TESOL – International Convention and English Language EXPO – TESOL K-12 Dream Day, Toronto, Canada - “In Class Coaching to support STEM instruction for ELLs.” 

February 2015 – Ashoka University – Dr. Batisti was invited to join Ashoka’s “Inaugural Change Makers Education Track,“ Ashoka Exchange, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Batisti, a native New Yorker, is a product of the New York City Public Schools. She received her Ph.D. from Fordham University – Graduate School of Education in Administration, Supervision and Urban Policy; an M.S. in Education – Hunter College Graduate School of Education; Bachelor of Business Administration – City College- Baruch School of Business Administration.

Dr. Batisti is the parent of two adult children who are professionals in the fields of medicine and law enforcement. Dr. Batisti and her husband reside in Manhattan.