Emérita Torres

Assemblymember Emérita Torres represents the 85th District in the South and Southeastern Bronx, including Hunts Point, Longwood, Soundview, Clason Point, and Harding Park. A lifelong Bronx resident, Emérita brings 20 years of progressive experience in public policy, diplomacy, and advocacy to the Assembly, with a career defined by a commitment to equity, justice, and opportunity. Before her election, Emérita served as the Vice President of Policy, Research, and Advocacy at the Community Service Society, New York’s leading anti-poverty organization. In this role, she spearheaded transformative, data-driven campaigns to expand economic opportunity across New York. She was instrumental in expanding New York’s half-price MetroCard program, advancing tenants’ rights and homeownership opportunities, and reforming the city’s rental assistance programs. Nationally, she co-led efforts to address the cost-of-living crisis through the National True Cost of Living Coalition. Emérita’s career also spans a decade as a U.S. diplomat, tackling global challenges, including labor rights advocacy, climate change mitigation, peacekeeping, and protecting women’s rights in conflict. Her diplomatic tours with the U.S. Department of State included Brazil, Pakistan, Colombia, Washington, D.C., and the United Nations. As Director of Policy Research and Programs at The Soufan Center, she advanced efforts to address national security challenges including disinformation, terrorism, and the rise of authoritarianism. Her advocacy led to the sanctioning of the first white supremacist group in U.S. history. But Emérita’s commitment to her community transcends her professional achievements. She has served as a Board Member of the Bronx River Arts Center (BRAC) and the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco), where she advanced initiatives in arts, housing, and economic development for local families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she sprang into action, organizing and delivering life-saving PPE and food to Bronx families, embodying the resilience and solidarity that define her community. Emérita has also mentored dozens of Bronx middle and high school students, inspiring the next generation of leaders by sharing her journey from public assistance to the halls of Harvard. Emérita’s journey from humble beginnings—her parents’ hard work, reliance on public assistance programs, and access to rent-stabilized housing—fuel her resolve to break systemic barriers. As the first in her family to graduate from college, she earned a B.A. in History from New York University and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. These experiences underpin her drive to ensure affordable housing, economic opportunity, and access to a brighter future for all are achievable not by chance, but by deliberate, equitable policy. Emérita is a proud mother of two and lives with her partner and children in the Soundview section of the Bronx.