Denise Rosario, ACSW

Born and raised in El Barrio (East Harlem), New York, Rosario is a proud graduate of the NYC public school system and the first in her family to attend college completing her Bachelor of Science degree and her Master’s of Social Work at New York University School of Social Work

Rosario’s early childhood desire to pursue a career in social work has forever guided her life’s work and service to the community that raised her. For over forty years
Rosario has dedicated her experience in mental health and child welfare services, to improving the lives of children and families in urban communities of color acting as a consultant to non-profit organizations in the development of needs assessments, supervision, training, cultural competence, and program development.
In 1990 she founded the Coalition for Hispanic Family Services, a community-based organization serving over 7,500 Latino and African American children and families annually in North Brooklyn and Queens. She also founded a community-based child welfare program, which includes foster care and adoption, family support, mental health, youth development, and community programs, with over 400 employees. Rosario’s commitment to community knows no bounds, she has served in many organizations such as the New York City (NYC) Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board and the NYC Community Services Board of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the NYC Administration for Children’s Services Advisory Board and received honors for her community work, 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. Today, Denise Rosario continues to advocate for the provision of exceptional mental health and child welfare services in urban communities.