meet Chris Sosa
Early Life
Chris Sosa was born in Arlington, Virginia on September 8, 1989 to a working-class family with roots in Appalachia and Costa Rica.
His dad, Juan, was a construction worker, earning a college degree when Chris was seven-years-old and soon becoming a Certified Public Accountant. His mother, Rebecca, homeschooled him and his sister full-time until they attended college. Mom is now a college student and works for Mental Health America serving youth populations.
After beginning community college at age 15, Chris transferred to Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts after turning 18. He completed a B.A. in Communications Studies with an experiential component in disability advocacy.
New York Legislature
New Yorkers know Chris from his work serving the Democratic caucus of the State Senate. Chris has worked as a speechwriter for elected officials, spokesperson on legislative issues for New York Senate offices and advisor on progressive policies and messaging. His areas of work have included public education, health care, immigration, public housing, prison reform and LGBTQ rights.
Chris was the member communications lead on the media campaign surrounding passage of the Jose Peralta NY State DREAM Act sponsored by Sen. Luis Sepulveda. The law grants undocumented students equal access to funding for higher education and was implemented in 2019.
In the Media
Prior to his public service work, Chris was a journalist who aided in the reporting of a number of high-profile stories, including the Bill Cosby sexual assault case. Chris was among the journalists granted accuser interviews and collected corroborating material against Mr. Cosby, who was ultimately convicted on three counts of sexual assault and remanded into federal custody for nine years.
Chris has been a progressive media personality for over a decade, with bylines and appearances in a wide-range of media, including HuffPo, Mic, AlterNet, Salon, and the BBC.
Advocacy
Chris has worked outside government in the nonprofit education and advocacy sector. He's served as a voting member on the Scholarships Committee, Admissions Committee and Student Affairs Committee for University of the People. His work included a focus on undocumented, refugee and other underserved populations in the area of higher education.
His advocacy in the animal rights space also included efforts diversify movement representation, including the elevation of trans and POC voices through increased awareness and internal policy revision. He also served as a liaison to the United Nations for the president of a major animal advocacy organization.