Helen Castellanos Brewer

Dr. Helen Castellanos Brewer is an unwavering advocate of inclusion and diversity, with a career-long commitment to expanding educational opportunities for historically underserved students and promoting the community college mission of access, affordability and educational excellence with an emphasis on student retention and goal realization.

As a transformational leader with progressive experience in higher education at two and four-year; single and multi-campus institutions, her areas of expertise include strategic planning, program management and development, college operations, enrollment management, program assessment and evaluation, student success and retention, budget management, financial aid services, judicial affairs, counseling services, policy and procedures development, and supervision, training and evaluation of faculty, staff and executive administrators.

As a quantitative researcher and contributor to the literature on retention and success of first-generation college students, she has teaching experience at the community college, graduate and doctoral levels. She has served as a recruiter, educational counselor, TRIO director, director of student life, associate dean of student development, campus director, vice president of student development and adjunct faculty.

Dr. Brewer currently serves as vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at SUNY Rockland Community College; she will transition to her new role as vice president of student services at College of the Mainland, in September 2021.

Dr. Brewer holds a doctorate of philosophy in education leadership, management and policy from Seton Hall University; a master’s in counseling from Trinity Washington University; and a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Maryland College Park.