Denise Rosario

Denise Rosario is the founding executive director of the Coalition for Hispanic Family Services, a community-based organization serving over 9000 Latino and African American children and families annually in North Brooklyn and Queens since 1990. Starting with a small community-based child welfare program, Ms. Rosario has grown the organization to include foster care and adoption, family support, mental health, youth development and community programs with over 400 employees. Ms. Rosario has over 44 years of experience in mental health and child welfare services to children and families in urban communities of color. She has served as a consultant to non-profit organizations in the development of needs assessments, supervision, training, cultural competence and program development. 

Ms. Rosario is a recipient of numerous awards including the New York University Silver School of Social Work Distinguished Alumni Award, the Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership Award, the New York Women’s Foundation Neighborhood Women Leadership Award and the National Association of Social Workers -NYC Chapter Top Leader Award.

Born and raised in El Barrio (East Harlem), New York, Ms. Rosario is a proud graduate of the NYC public school system and the first in her family to attend college. Ms. Rosario received her Bachelor of Science degree in 1980 and her Master of Social Work degree in 1981 from New York University School of Social Work.