The City University of New York (CUNY) has named interim leaders for three of its colleges as the 2025-2026 academic year begins. Milton Santiago will serve as interim president at New York City College of Technology (City Tech), Natalie Gomez-Velez will be interim dean at CUNY School of Law, and Elizabeth de León Bhargava has been appointed interim president at Guttman Community College.
“With these appointments, I’m confident that City Tech, the School of Law and Guttman are in capable hands during this period of transition,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “Milton Santiago’s strong leadership across multiple CUNY campuses, Natalie Gomez-Velez’s deep ties to CUNY Law and Elizabeth de León Bhargava’s distinguished record of public service position each of them to provide steady, thoughtful guidance. We thank each of them for stepping into these important roles and welcome Ms. de León Bhargava into the CUNY family.”
Milton Santiago brings more than 30 years’ experience in higher education administration to his new role at City Tech, which serves nearly 15,000 students in downtown Brooklyn. He previously served as interim president at Bronx Community College (BCC), where he supported career-focused educational programs. His background includes senior positions at BCC, Lehman College—where he helped establish a business tech incubator with city funding—and the College of Staten Island. Santiago also held administrative roles outside CUNY and holds degrees from Binghamton University, NYU, and the University of Massachusetts-Boston.
“I am honored and excited to step into the role of interim president at City Tech, following Dr. Hotzler’s distinguished career at the institution and at CUNY,” said Santiago. “I hope to build on the legacy he left to continue to expand City Tech’s students’ successes and their contributions to the City’s industry sectors.”
Natalie Gomez-Velez steps into her position as interim dean after two decades on the faculty at CUNY School of Law. She is an alumna of Hunter College who has developed courses in public interest law and served in various leadership capacities within the school. Her prior experience includes work in state and city government as well as legal practice with organizations such as NYU’s Brennan Center for Justice and the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project.
“I am honored to take on the role of interim dean of CUNY School of Law. As a proud CUNY alumna, longtime faculty member and former Academic Dean, I value our legacy of public service and community impact,” said Gomez-Velez. “CUNY Law’s mission to train public interest lawyers and reflect the diversity of our society is more vital than ever. I thank Chancellor Matos Rodríguez and the CUNY Board of Trustees for this opportunity to serve and lead our incredible community.”
Elizabeth de León Bhargava was most recently assistant secretary for administration at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), overseeing major agency operations including a large federal contracting portfolio. Her background spans executive roles in federal agencies such as HUD, work with local government bodies like New York State Executive Chamber, New York City Council initiatives focused on equity issues, legislative fellowships with former Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, clerkships under Judge Sonia Sotomayor when she was on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, among other posts.
She will lead Guttman Community College while a search is conducted for a permanent successor following Larry Johnson Jr.’s move to Bronx Community College earlier this year; her appointment awaits approval by CUNY’s Board.
“I am incredibly excited to join Guttman Community College as interim president. As a first-generation college student and proud product of public higher education in New York, it is an honor to join an institution with such an important mission, an innovative legacy and a deep commitment to student success,” said de León Bhargava. “I look forward to working with the talented faculty, staff and especially the students, to help cultivate a new generation of leaders who achieve their dreams and serve as powerful role models.”
CUNY remains one https://www.cuny.edu/ of largest urban public universities in America since its founding in 1847; it operates across all five boroughs through seven community colleges plus additional senior colleges along with graduate/professional schools serving about 240 thousand students annually.
