Queens Borough President Melinda Katz is pleased to announce her appointment of Robert Santos to the Board of Trustees of the Queens Borough Public Library. Mr. Santos is the Vice President for Campus Planning and Facilities Management at City College of New York, overseeing all phases of facilities planning and capital projects on the CCNY campus and having managerial responsibility for Physical Plant Services and Environmental Health and Safety.
Mr. Santos has had a long, wide-ranging career in higher education, cultural institutions, municipal government and construction. He was the Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of The New York Public Library and also worked as Chief Administrative Officer at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY. Prior to that, Mr. Santos was an Assistant Vice President with Lehrer McGovern Bovis, Inc., where he served as a project executive on assignments worth almost a quarter billion dollars for several New York City municipal agencies. Mr. Santos has held several positions in New York City government, including service as an Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Executive Director of the Flushing Meadows – Corona Park Development Corporation and Deputy Commissioner for Operations at the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Mr. Santos is also a highly decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, serving as a platoon leader with the 101st Airborne in South Vietnam and earning numerous medals, including two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars for valor. Currently, Mr. Santos serves on several boards, including those of the Build NYC Resource Corporation, the New York City Industrial Development Agency and the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Plaza.
“I am again delighted to make an excellent appointment to the Board of Trustees of the Queens Library,” Borough President Katz said. “Robert’s extensive background in operations and capital construction, along with his experience as the Chief Operations Officer of the New York Public Library, make him uniquely qualified for this appointment. His skills and commitment to public service will help steward the Queens Library through this difficult period and beyond.”
“It is an honor to serve on the Board of the Queens Library and to join other involved and committed citizens dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the Queens Library system,” Mr. Santos said. “Nothing is more important to the health of a community and the intellectual capital of its people than a public library, and the Queens Library is one of the best public libraries in the nation.”
A resident of Sunnyside Gardens, Queens, Mr. Santos holds a B.A. from SUNY Old Westbury and a J.D. from University of Michigan Law School.