Karla Cabrera Carrera was tapped as the new Bronx Community Board 7 district manager at the board’s general meeting on Tuesday night.
Cabrera Carrera will step into the position — which comes with an annual salary of $96,000 — from her current role as CB7’s assistant district manager, which she has held since November 2021.
The district manager seat had been vacant since Cabrera Carrera’s predecessor, Ischia Bravo, was appointed as Bronx County clerk earlier this year. Bravo was sworn in on Feb. 9, becoming the first Latina to hold the position.
“Thank you all for your vote of confidence,” the 35-year-old said during the meeting Tuesday. “I will not let you down.”
CB7 encompasses the Bronx sections of Bedford Park, Fordham, Jerome Park, Kingsbridge Heights, Mosholu Parkway, Norwood and University Heights.
Cabrera Carrera was announced as the final candidate for the position by a screening committee, consisting of community board members Michelle Avila, Yajaira Arias, Andrew Laiosa and Erick Ascencio, on April 3. All members voted to approve her for the position except for Ascencio, who abstained from the vote without providing a reason.
Majority approval from the whole board at Tuesday’s meeting was the last step in finalizing the promotion. After public comments, the board went into executive session to privately discuss Cabrera Carrera’s appointment, before returning for the vote.
The board voted 20-6 to approve her for the position, with abstentions from Ascensio, Emmanuel Asamoah, Lowell Green, Jean Hill, Daisy Perry, Helene Redd and Adaline Walker-Santiago. Walker-Santiago noted that she felt the board should’ve had two candidates to vote on.
In a statement to the Bronx Times Wednesday morning, Cabrera Carrera said she hopes to continue educating the district about the importance of local issues.
The new district manager, a Bronxite who immigrated from Guatemala City and has more than 11 years of city government experience, is a Lehman College and Baruch College graduate — holding both a bachelor’s of science and a master’s of public administration degree.
Prior to her job at CB7, Cabrera Carrera said she worked for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Garden of Happiness, and co-founded the Friends of Tremont Park and Bronx Femme Run. She’s also a mother.
“I thank the board members of Bronx Community Board 7 for electing me as the next District Manager to serve the district,” she said. “My goal as District Manager is to increase community engagement by educating residents on the role that Bronx CB7 has in the community, as the most grassroots level of government.”
Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Karla Cabrera Carrera’s last name in the headline.
— Camille Botello contributed to this report
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