Xamayla D. Rose, MBA’17 — A Degree in Fighting the Battle Against Systemic Inequities

Named City and State New York Magazine 50 Most Remarkable Women Improving New York

“This pandemic tested all of us. It tested our ability to lead in a crisis. It tested NYC’s safety net and challenged our ability to hold it all together amid great sorrow while fighting for social justice and against systemic inequities that disproportionately affect people of color.” — Xamayla D. Rose, MBA’17, General Management.

For Women’s History Month, City and State New York published the “2022 Above & Beyond” recognizing 50 remarkable women who are improving New York. It is with great pride that we celebrate Xamayla Rose, MBA’17 as one of the remarkable women making a difference in our city and beyond. You can read more about Xamayla in City and State New York.

Xamayla D. Rose, Deputy Public Advocate of Civic and Community Empowerment, is responsible for shaping the New York City Office of the Public Advocate’s programming and policies related to infrastructure for immigrant communities, electoral processes, democratic participation, community support, and civic engagement–including census outreach and inclusion and support for diverse populations. Before joining Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Xamayla was a community organizer, government, and nonprofit professional (and still is) who led efforts in civic participation, workforce development, and anti-poverty initiatives. She is a former strategist for the NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA), served as the Youth Policy Analyst for Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, and was Managing Director of Advocacy for a nonprofit she co-founded that focuses on maternal health. 

Xamayla’s story begins in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, where she was raised and still lives. In 2005, a victim of gang violence, her brother was killed for his iPod when he was just 15 years old. At that moment, she decided to choose the path of public advocacy, starting with becoming a community organizer. 

Of her work at the Office of the Public Advocate, Rose says, “What excites me the most is knowing that our work ‘literally’ can change systems and impact lives on a New York-sized scale. My goal is to sleep well at night knowing I did all that I could to lift people out of poverty and address systemic racial injustice.”

Xamayla Rose feels good about applying her skills to advocacy. She sees unsolved problems and works closely with the community to create and/or amplify solutions. 

“My ear is always to the ground. I believe those closest to the problem are also those closest to the solution. We don’t always have to create a new way. Sometimes we build a bridge to a path that already exists but was out of reach for a few–that’s equity,” says Rose. Xamayla personally led projects in her community to provide micro-grants to struggling POC-owned (POC-Person of Color) food service providers that supported frontline workers at local hospitals and nursing homes. In 2018, she worked alongside civil rights groups to register more than 100,000 voters in Georgia and North Carolina.

At the NYC Public Advocate’s Office, Xamayla leads the civic and community empowerment team. The team priorities in the Public Advocate’s office are to work with historically marginalized communities and immigrant groups to advocate for electoral reforms to protect the right to vote safely, demand funding from City and State legislatures and work alongside organizers doing similar work. During the pandemic, the team held the city accountable for food access. It recommended legislation to support immigrant-owned businesses and street vendors left out of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and other opportunities due to language barriers. Lastly, the team researched the funeral and burial crisis and made recommendations to help those impacted. 

Xamayla uses the word TEAM with great care. No matter how large or small, an organized team can find success. “I think every generation has its defining moment. When it comes, we have to face it with bravery. Collectively, if we organize and work together, we can find solutions and improve the likelihood of equity. We have to throw off racist ideologies that create inequality. We have to investigate what we do and how we do it to ensure equity that applies to access to food, health, housing, safety–our basic human needs and beyond.”

When Xamayla came to MCNY, she wanted to complete her master’s quickly, hoping to apply the knowledge she gained in real-time. She worked at a large nonprofit as the Managing Director and was responsible for restructuring post-Superstorm Sandy. She knew getting her MBA would help accelerate her career and contribute to her personal and professional development. Xamayla says everything starts with a goal, “I came in (to MCNY) with a focus creating a plan for my future and left with my business plan for a nonprofit, new skills and my degree.”

What’s next for Xamayla D. Rose? In each role she undertakes, Xamayla continues her mission to protect and amplify the voices of our nation’s most vulnerable residents. CHANGE IS ON THE HORIZON!