June 29th, 2020
Visit Commission on RASE Website
Mayor Lovely A. Warren and County Executive Adam Bello announced today that they have made the joint appointment of ESL Federal Credit Union Senior Vice President Arline Santiago as the third co-chair to the Commission on Racial and Structural Equity (RASE), joining co-chairs former Mayor William A. Johnson Jr. and Dr. Muhammad Shafiq. Ms. Santiago's extensive experience in the business and legal communities, combined with her history of volunteer involvement on executive boards in the non-profit sector, positions the Commission to confront historic racism.
"I'm honored to have been selected to join this esteemed team," said, Ms. Santiago. "I look forward to the positive change we will make for our city and county, together. "
The RASE Commission is charged with examining current, and recommending new, local laws and policies that seeks to systematically dismantle structural inequities, as well as, racism across Rochester and Monroe County. More than 30 resumes have been received since the announcement of the Commission on June 18. The first task of the co-chairs is to develop a process to select the 21-member panel. The co-chairs want community members to be involved in all aspects of the Commission's work, from the selection of Commission members to the dissemination of the final report.
"We are making every effort to make sure this is as inclusive a process as possible," said Mayor Johnson. "Our community must share in the ownership of this work."
The application process is open to all Monroe County residents age 16 and older. Those interested in serving on the Commission should visit www.rocrase.com/apply to complete the application.
Applications must be submitted by 5 p m. Friday, July 10. Candidates are encouraged to submit a resume along with their application, but resumes are not required. Anyone not selected to serve on the Commission will have the opportunity to participate in other Commission activities.
"Although there will only be 21 Commissioner positions, there will be multiple ways to be involved," said Dr. Shafiq. "We want to include voices from every corner of our county."
Arline Santiago Biography
Ms. Santiago is the Senior Vice President and General Counsel at ESL Federal Credit Union. As ESL's chief legal counsel, she manages the organization's legal, compliance, risk and regulatory affairs. She also serves on the ESL Governance, Senior Management, Crisis Management, Employee Benefit Plans, and Operations Committees. Prior to joining ESL, Ms. Santiago was a member of the Eastman Kodak Company legal department's marketing, antitrust, and litigation group, and a member of its corporate and regulatory affairs legal group. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Yale University and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
She is also active in the community, serving as chair emeritus of the board of Foodlink, Inc, serving on Foodlink's Executive, Compensation, and Governance (Chair) Committees. Ms. Santiago is on the board of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, serving on its Executive Committee, and as the chair of its Governance Committee; she recently joined the Board of the Ibero-American Action League; and serves as a member of PathStone Corporation's Personnel Committee.
For more information on RASE or to complete the application, visit the new Commission website at www.rocrase.com. To request a copy of the application by mail, call (585) 753-1090.
