“Hunter gave me the confidence and analytical grounding to reimagine my career around purpose. The Urban Policy & Leadership program challenged me to use data not just as information, but as evidence to redesign systems that work better for people.”
Public policy strategist and equity advocate, Carrie Torres turns data into action and purpose into policy across New York State’s public construction and design portfolio. Carrie is passionate about equitable economic development, procurement diversity, and using data to drive institutional transformation. Her focus is on creating more accessible and inclusive pathways for socially and economically disadvantaged businesses to participate in public works, while ensuring that public capital investments genuinely reflect the communities they serve. For her, equity isn’t just a principle — it’s a design framework for how institutions should operate.
Before she found her way to Hunter, Carrie earned her B.S. in Political Science from SUNY New Paltz. During that time, she interned for both U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton and Congressman José Serrano, gaining a front-row seat to how policy decisions shape people’s lives and how transformative representation in leadership can be.
After graduation, she worked as a Constituent Liaison in Senator Clinton’s New York office, helping small businesses and workers affected by 9/11. She then spent more than a decade working in affordable and market-rate real estate development. Those years were formative — she witnessed firsthand the resilience of New Yorkers, along with the barriers that prevent equitable recovery and shared development.
A debilitating car accident led to a profound personal and professional shift. During her healing journey, Carrie spent time across six continents teaching yoga. When she returned home, she committed herself to service: teaching yoga in shelters for unhoused residents, offering classes to people experiencing severe mental illness, and supporting men and women returning home from incarceration. That chapter of her life reminded her that community and compassion are powerful tools — and it ultimately motivated her to return to graduate school to better understand how to influence policy and strengthen the systems that shape people’s daily lives.
After graduation, Carrie joined the New York City Housing Authority, where she developed community-based initiatives for youth and families across all five boroughs. She later served as Vice President at New York State Homes and Community Renewal, leading statewide efforts that resulted in more than $1 billion in participation of MWBEs (Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises) and SDVOBs (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses) in affordable housing construction.
Today, she serves as the Director of the Opportunity Programs Group at the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), which finances, designs, and builds health and education infrastructure statewide. Her work focuses on ensuring that public dollars create public opportunity. One of her proudest accomplishments has been launching Prime Pathways, DASNY’s first statewide mentor-protégé program, pairing established construction firms with emerging MWBE contractors.
Carrie says, “Every day, I work with a dynamic team to build programs that open doors and change trajectories for small businesses across New York. It’s both policy work and people work, and I love that intersection.”
Carrie has received many honors, including the Public Sector Leadership Award from the National Hispanic Business Group, the Women in Public Leadership Award from the NYC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Distinguished Equity Award from the Association of Public Policy Analysts and Managers. But beyond awards, Carrie’s greatest accomplishment is knowing that her programs have expanded opportunity for hundreds of small business owners — creating ripple effects of economic mobility that strengthen entire communities.
Community service keeps her grounded. She currently serves on the Executive Board of Active Plus NYC, helping youth build success through fitness, mindfulness, and leadership. She is also a board member for Youth Construct, providing vocational training in the field of construction administration to high school students. She supports micro-finance programs in Africa through Sunday Funds and serves as an Open Data Ambassador with Beta NYC, teaching New Yorkers how to use data to advocate for their communities. Whether through policy, mentorship, or community work, Carrie says, “I know how transformative one opportunity can be. You are never too old to start over, too young to lead, too broken to heal others, or too ordinary to create extraordinary change.”