Remysell Salas
Remysell was born and raised in New York City specifically in the Borough of the Bronx. He was a Co-Author for the “Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro-Latin American Biographies”-W.E.B Dubois Research Institute at Harvard University, an educator, and political strategist for New York City government.
Formerly, he represented City Hall as the Manhattan Director for the New York City Mayor’s Office, where he managed initiatives and policies for Northern Manhattan and the Latino Community. He also provided in-depth Policy analysis and advanced solutions as a Project Manager for the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) in the Division of Strategic Planning and Policy. Further, Remy helped organize various elections in New York City and was the campaign manager for NYS Assemblymember Carmen De La Rosa, a legislative policy aide for the New York City Council, and an intern for Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Office of the Prime Minister of Norway.
Currently, he serves as the Associate Vice President for a Government Relations that supports the nonprofits by achieving their fundraising goals by working with the team on strategic plans, relationship building with key government officials and collaborating with our legislative staff on policy initiatives.
He received a Master of Philosophy degree in Comparative and International Education (focusing on Research Methodology) from the University of Oslo (in Norway), a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University at Albany – SUNY, and completed a graduate political program from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
He is passionate about African and Afro-Latino history, politics, socio-economic empowerment, immigration issues, eliminating gender & racial inequality, education equity, and upliftment of underrepresented groups through revolutions.
Expertise
Political Science, Caribbean History, Social Democracy, Immigration, Social Justice Reform, Research Methods, and Policy Analysis.
Degrees
- SUNY, University at Albany (Albany, NY)Bachelor of Arts in History (minored Political Science)
- University of Oslo (Oslo, Norway)Masters of Philosophy Degree in Comparative and International Education (Research Methodology)
- Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government (Cambridge, MA) Graduate Political Program: Leadership, Organizing and Action: Leading Change
Courses Taught
- This course studies the history of the Dominican Republic from the pre-Columbian and Colonial periods to the present. It deals with the geographical, political, social, and economic factors that form the Dominican nation. Emphasis is given to relations with Haiti and North America. The course also analyzes the position of the Dominican Republic in the community of Latin American nations as well as its place in today's world.
- This course studies the varied experiences of Latinos in the United States of America. Through readings, lectures, discussions and fieldwork, students will become familiar with the group and its diverse components from North, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean, while covering representative nationalities such as Mexicans, Salvadorians, Cubans, Colombians, Ecuadorians, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. The course will survey the history and evolution of Latinos at the same time that it explores issues of culture and identity. Other topics include family, race relations, religion, education, economic incorporation and political participation. Key issues of contemporary interest will also be explored, such as Latinos and immigration, and the impact they have on local, state and nationwide elective office.
- This course studies the varied experiences of Mexicans in the United States from an interdisciplinary perspective. Through readings, lectures, media and discussions, students will learn about the historical, social and cultural contributions of Mexican Americans. The course will survey the history and evolution of Mexicans in the United States at the same time that it explores issues culture and identity. While the course emphasizes developments in the 20th and 21st centuries, students will also engage with developments prior to the 20th century. Students will study major political and social events that contributed to the incorporation of Mexicans into US institutions as well as become familiar with current events and perspectives regarding the experiences in today’s society.
- This course engages with the Black Radical Tradition (BRT), which is a long and diverse practice whose actors are dedicated to confronting anti-blackness and racism rooted in the histories and legacies of slavery and colonialism through scholarship, protest, community organizing and other direct action. In learning about the BRT, students will investigate terms like blackness, anti-blackness, diaspora, racism, class, gender, and sexuality and discuss how categories of difference appear in the literature we read. Students will identify how activists and other community members in and outside the US have put pressure on the structures and campaigns of violence committed against Black peoples. Moreover, we will examine how the BRT is a global exercise resisting colonialism throughout the world and intersecting with traditions like Pan-Africanism and anti-colonial activism.
- This course is a survey of the economic, political and cultural institutions which characterize the present nations of the Caribbean, their antecedents in the post-Emancipation period and the prospects for the future.
- This course studies the history of the Dominican Republic from the pre-Columbian and Colonial periods to the present. It deals with the geographical, political, social and economic factors that form the Dominican nation. Emphasis is given to relations with Haiti and North America. The course also analyzes the position of the Dominican Republic in the community of Latin American nations as well as its place in today's world.
Research and Projects
Power To People! A comparative study that analyzes how effective would New York City Government adopted the Nordic Social Democratic Model of Norway. University of Oslo Dissertation for 2021.
Publications
Honors, Awards and Affiliations
- Selected as a speaker at the CIES Conference 2015: for Masters Thesis on Internationalization in Higher Education
- Harvard Black Alumni Society Board member
Additional Information
My graduate thesis “The Rationales and Strategies of Internationalization in Higher Education: A Comparative Study of the University at Albany and the University of Oslo (2014)” objective was to investigate the motives and strategies behind internationalization in higher education. The intentions are to address the rationales behind internationalizing in higher education in Norway at the University of Oslo, and in the USA, at the University at Albany. As well as the effective strategies on how and to what extent universities increase internationalize on their campus. The research method used was qualitative with the use of a comparative design to compare the University of Oslo and the University at Albany. I interviewed six participants from both universities using semi- structured interviews.
The study explained the mechanisms that make internationalization a success. Common perception that drives internationalization in higher education is financial, competitive and quality driven reforms. For the University at Albany the perspective of increasing the cost of higher education tuition is not to make a profit but to create revenue subsidized programs, which will help the universities to maintain resources available for domestic students. Regarding the University of Oslo’s perspective, higher education provides tuition free to anyone that is enrolled regardless of their background. I examined both universities that have the same objective to increase the rate of internationalization but accomplish these goals very distinctively. The significance of this study is essential for the greater outlook for higher education, where capitalistic influences can reshape how universities recruit and implement their goals. If higher education becomes another industry motivated by capital profits, the development of skilled workers, cultural understanding, and development of society can be affected. My conclusion from the study is that the foundation of a great nation comes from a successful education system, because it is where they can develop cultural understanding and development of national citizenship.
