SENATOR BRAD HOYLMAN HONORS VIKKI BARBERO AS NEW YORK STATE SENATE “WOMAN OF DISTINCTION”

NEW YORK – State Senator Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) yesterday named Vikki Barbero, Chair of Manhattan Community Board Five (CB5) as this year’s “Woman of Distinction.” Sponsored each year by the New York State Senate, the ceremony is meant to highlight the essential role that women play throughout New York State and honor those that have “greatly enriched the quality of life in their communities and beyond.”

Vikki traveled to Albany on May 10 for the official celebration, at which she and women from each of the other 62 Senate Districts in New York State were honored.

Currently serving as the Chair of CB5, Barbero spent much of her professional career as an administrator at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) of the State University of New York where she worked closely with both City and State government officials. In her official capacity as Chair of CB5, Barbero has grappled with numerous matters affecting her community, including proposals to rezone East Midtown, the impact of supertall buildings in the 57th Street/Central Park area, the regulation of pedestrian plazas, and the future development of Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. In addition to her work on CB5, Barbero serves on the board of the Ali Forney Center, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to helping LGBTQ homeless youth. 

State Senator Brad Hoylman said: “In her commitment to community and unshakable sense of civic virtue, Vikki Barbero typifies the best of what the ‘Women of Distinction’ Award represents. Vikki is an invaluable community leader who contributes so much through her work as Chair of Community Board 5, consistently serving as a model of good government for other local community boards. Like many of my colleagues, I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside Vikki and have come to know her for her warmth, intelligence and unflappable nature; I am truly grateful to have the opportunity to honor Vikki for her hard work and dedication.”