Claudia Hernández

Claudia Hernández was named Chief of Staff to the President in July 2022, after serving in SUNY’s Office of Global Affairs (OGA) since 2004. In her most recent position as Education Abroad and Financial Manager, she served as a liaison between SUNY System Administration and the offices of International Education at each SUNY campus regarding policies, procedures and financial issues related to education abroad, and was responsible for the review and approval of all SUNY education abroad programs. In this capacity she also administered the OGA budget, served as a liaison to the Research Foundation’s Office of Sponsored Programs and was the main contact for OGA to address crisis situations abroad.

Since 2021 Claudia has also served as Director-in-Residence of the SUNY Hispanic Leadership Institute (HLI), where she plays a key leadership role in the development and implementation of the program. Her appointment followed her participation as an HLI Fellow in 2019.

Prior to her career at SUNY, Claudia worked as an attorney in her home city of Bogotá, Colombia—first in the legal department of the country's largest national bank, and then as a project manager in charge of trusts for an international bank and trust.

Claudia earned a law degree from Universidad Externado de Colombia School of Law and a graduate degree in finance from the Universidad del Rosario School of Economics, both in Bogotá, Colombia. She later came to the U.S. as an international student and earned a Bachelor of Arts in international relations with a concentration in Latin America from SUNY New Paltz.

Claudia has been an active member of the Association of International Educators (NAFSA) and has presented at the European Association for International Education (EAIE).