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Lynda Perdomo-Ayala is the Administrator
for the Department of Pharmacological Sciences in the Health Sciences Center at
the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Responsible for the administration of the department’s
policies and procedures, she administers the central office and oversees the
management of matters concerning 170 faculty, staff, and students, and the
finances of the department which approximate 12 million dollars.
In addition to
her professional responsibilities, Ms. Perdomo-Ayala has been advisor to the
Latin American Student Organization (LASO) at Stony Brook
University for
approximately seventeen years, where she has worked closely with undergraduates. Her direct involvement with students and her efforts
to integrate personal experiences with education, have successfully directed
many of her students towards appropriate career pathways. Honored and revered by them, Lynda was
inducted as the first and only Honorary Member of the Sigma Iota Alpha Sorority,
Inc. Moreover, she was instrumental in
the initiation of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Center at Stony Brook
University, and continues
her work to promote and establish a firm foundation of support for the Center
as a member of its advisory board. She
has a strong interest in recruitment, retention, and mentoring of minority faculty,
staff, and students which makes her a valuable university professional. As a result, she serves as a member, advisor,
and consultant to several Stony
Brook University
committees, where she works with deans, and other senior level university administrators
toward the diversification of the campus.
Lynda’s work extends into the
community, where she serves with the same dedication and steadfast commitment
that she applies within the university.
In addition to her work with a wide range of student/faculty
organizations on campus, Lynda has also worked in her immediate community to
establish a series of programs and services to benefit individuals in need. With a focus on people of color, and with an
underlying educational theme, she has developed bilingual programs for parents
and the community-at-large within such organizations as the Long Island
Education Coalition, the Stony Brook University Medical Center’s Health
Initiative for Underrepresented Communities, Infant Jesus Church – La Familia
Unida, The Suffolk County Hispanic Advisory Board, and a variety of school districts
on Long Island. Ms. Perdomo-Ayala is also a member of the
National Association of Puerto Rican and Hispanic Social Workers and a
member-at-large of the Executive Board since 2000. In this role she has worked vigorously at reaching
out to many other mental health professionals by co-chairing the only two Latino
family conferences to be held in the tri-state area for individuals concerned
with the basic human needs of Latinos.
Lynda has distinguished herself as
a true leader within the Long Island
community, and in particular the Hispanic/Latino community. She served as co-chair to the Healthcare
Committee for the First Long Island Hispanic/Latino Leadership Summit convened
by the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women (NACOPRW), and established to
identify the major issues impacting the region’s Hispanic/Latino population. This report continues to be the mainstay of
many initiatives in Suffolk
County and is a source of
information for countless others. Her
interest in women’s health lead Lynda to co-chair the 2000 National Convention
of the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women entitled: The State of the State of Latina’s
Health. A convention held in New York City, that was supported by the
Governor’s office, The Department of Health and Human Services, and many other
notables in the tri-state area.
Her support of women and children
has been extended and most recently concerns issues of domestic violence. For the past four years she has been a member
of the Board of Directors for the Victims Information Bureau of Suffolk County,
where she is devoted to increasing awareness on the issue as a whole, specifically
within the Hispanic community of Suffolk
County, while still increasing
the philanthropic opportunities of the agency.
Additionally, in 2000 County Executive Robert J. Gaffney and the Suffolk
County Legislature appointed Lynda Perdomo-Ayala to the Suffolk County Human
Rights Commission as a Commissioner. As
part of this appointment, she recently was elected Vice-Chair of the Commission
and as such, presides over the subcommittee of health, education, employment,
housing, and administration of justice, as well as Limited English Proficiency
(LEP) in healthcare.
For her work, Lynda has received
several distinguished honors in the community.
In 1996, the Office of Student Affairs and Vice President Fred Preston
honored Ms. Perdomo-Ayala with the Make a
Difference Award - One Step at a Time.
In 1997, Lynda was awarded the National Outstanding Service Award by NACOPRW,
in special recognition of her dedication and contributions to the organization
at both the national and local level. In
1998, she was named Woman of the Year by NACOPRW for her work in the Puerto
Rican/Hispanic Community. Her reputation
continued to expand and in 1999, the Bethel
A.M.E. Church
in Setauket honored her with the Sara Allen Community Service Award. In that same year she received a Certificate
of Appreciation from the American Association of University Women (AAUW), New
York State Division, for her significant service to the AAUW. In 1999, the Sisters of Hermandad de Sigma
Iota Alpha, Inc., once again imparted an honor upon her for her achievement in
the Hispanic community. Lynda was
awarded the Social Worker of the Year award in 2000 by the National Association
of Puerto Rican/Hispanic Social Worker.
Though, the greatest honor bestowed to her was on her birthday, on February 27, 2000, when she
was awarded the Woman of Distinction Award by La Unión de Mujeres Americanas,
Rama Regional de Ponce, Capitulo de Puerto Rico in her father’s hometown of Ponce, Puerto
Rico. In 2001, Lynda was
awarded the Presidential Award for Affirmative Action, at the State University
of New York at Stony Brook, and in 2002 was named a Distinguished Alumnus for
University Services at Stony
Brook University. Recently, Lynda was honored by the Dean of
Students at Stony Brook University with the Sister Margaret Landry Lifetime
Achievement Advisor Award, and in November of 2006, she will once again be
honored as Woman of the Year by Zonta International an organization founded in
1919 as a global service organization of executives in business and the
professions working together, across political and social boundaries, to
advance the status of women worldwide.
Ms. Perdomo-Ayala has been a
concerned activist addressing social problems, and a sought after speaker on
issues relating to Hispanic/Latinos and their communities. She continues to be motivated and encouraged
by the need to improve the quality of life and well-being of many diverse
populations, particularly women and youth.
Due to her activism she recently was
interviewed for a project entitled “Politicos con Sabor”, a documentary filmed
for el Centro
de Estudios Puertorriqueños and Public Broadcast System (PBS).
A native of the Bronx,
Lynda was born of Puerto Rican parents, Rosalina and Emilio. She completed her undergraduate work at Adelphi University, earned a Master’s Degree in
Social Work from the School
of Social Welfare at the
University at Stony Brook, and has a certificate of Conflict Resolution from Cornell University. She is married to Joseph L. Ayala, a retired
New York City Police Department/Drug Enforcement Detective, who presently serves
as a Protection Supervisor for Rockefeller
Center in New York City. The Ayalas’ are the proud parents of two
children, Diandra Norelle, a graduate from Yale
University and currently a medical
student at Wakeforest Medical School,
and Josef Javier, a student at Roger
Williams University.
It has been said that a person is
more than his or her achievements and awards.
Nevertheless, to some degree the achievements, academic, and
professional honors do provide another lens by which to understand and
appreciate Ms. Perdomo-Ayala’s sustained contributions and dedication to
service.
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