Leadership

Maria Torres is the President, Co-founder, and COO of THE POINT Community Development Corporation in the Hunts Point neighborhood of The Bronx. Ms. Torres was born and raised in Valley Stream, NY. She attended Cornell University and received a Bachelor's of Science degree in 1993 from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.  Following graduation, she pursued a career in community development in Hunts Point. In 1993, she launched the Neighborhood Internship Bank for at-risk youth, the first employment service of its kind in the South Bronx, while working for The Seneca Center Inc. Ms. Torres also established La Marqueta, an outdoor community market aimed at lowering the barriers to the marketplace for neighborhood entrepreneurs. In September of 1994, Ms. Torres along with Paul Lipson, Mildred Ruiz, and Steven Sapp founded THE POINT Community Development Corporation.  

In 2018, Ms. Torres was named on City & State magazine’s 2018 Bronx Power 50.  In 2011, she was the recipient of The President’s Award by the Women’s Caucus for Art.  Also that year, she was named one of the 25 Most Influential Women by the Bronx Times and honored by the Audubon Society at their Fall Roost. In addition to her duties at THE POINT, Ms. Torres serves as Chair of the Economic and Municipal Services Committee for Bronx Community Board 2.