Aixa Torres

Aixa Torres was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, to Domingo Arturo Torres and America Figueras. She moved with her parents and sisters to New York City in 1955, where she attended public schools. Ms. Torres graduated from the City University of New York and Lincoln University.

Among her many achievements, Ms. Torres was instrumental in working with Senator Squadron and his colleagues to push the New York City Housing Authority to fully repair old, faulty gas pipes at Smith Houses that sometimes forced residents to go without cooking gas for weeks or months at a time. Under this leadership and partnership, Smith Houses residents can reliably use their ovens and stoves without having to worry about looming gas outages.

Ms. Torres’ leadership has also been put to the test by multiple natural disasters. Her efforts resulted in the successful evacuation of hundreds of Smith residents ahead of Hurricane Irene, and her advocacy during Hurricane Sandy demonstrated that an organized community can overcome the worst of disasters.

After decades of community work, serving on advisory councils and public school parent associations, and advocating for children and families, Ms. Torres retired in 2014 from the Department of Education as the Lower East Side’s Family Advocate. In August 2004, she, along with Principal Santiago Tavares, instituted a Citywide High School Summer Graduation. Ms. Torres also began serving as President of the Alfred E. Smith Resident Association, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, in 2010.

Ms. Torres married the late George Carmona, Jr. in 1971, and had two children, George III and Liza Noemi. For more than 50 years, she has resided on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where she lives with her daughter and grandchildren, Mia and Elijah.