ROCHESTER, NY — Monroe County Executive Adam Bello today announced the appointment of

Anthony Plonczynski-Figueroa as assistant county executive, effective January 22, 2024. He joins the County Executive’s senior leadership team comprising Deputy County Executive Jeff McCann and Chief of Staff Amy Grower.

“Mr. Plonczynski-Figueroa is a proven leader, collaborator and community builder with a deep history of service to our community and extensive experience in the non-profit, higher education and government sectors,” said County Executive Bello. “He brings new perspectives and a wealth of  knowledge to my administration. I look forward to putting his skills to work for the residents of Monroe County.”

Plonczynski-Figueroa, co-founder of the local non-partisan advocacy initiative La Cumbre –Latinos United for Progress, has served as the Regional Political Organizer for New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), covering a nine county region since 2020. He previously spent 13 years working at the David T. Kearns Center for Leadership and Diversity in Science & Engineering at the University of Rochester (UR) where he held a variety of roles, culminating in his service as Director of Operations.  At UR, Plonczynski-Figueroa managed multiple grants interfacing with a diverse array of foundations, businesses, public sector and private sector partners. He has experience interfacing with intergovernmental partners including the federal and state Departments of Education and the National Science Foundation. Plonczynski-Figueroa served as Lead Coordinator of the National Science Foundation’s INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science) initiative for the Upstate New York region hosted at UR.

This project, Redefining Potential – the Upstate NY Design and Development Pilot for Diverse Student Populations, comprised a multi-campus partnership that included UR, Cornell University, Monroe Community College and D’Youville College. The goal of the project was to develop pre-collegiate, collegiate and community partnerships to improve exposure and access to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM).

Recognizing the importance of engaging young people through arts and cultural experience, Plonczynski-Figueroa worked with colleagues to organize the UR Hip-Hop Symposium, whichinvestigated the culture of hip-hop and its relationship to women, culture and entrepreneurship. He has been part of the organizing committee for the Regional Latino Advocacy Coalition Campaign Academy and an Advisory Board Chair and volunteer with theYouth Lifeline Foundations Free Life Skills and Football Camp. Plonczynski-Figueroa is pursuing a doctorate in teaching and curriculum from UR, and holds a master’s degree in secondary social studies education, urban teaching and leadership from UR’s Margaret Warner School of Graduate Education and Human Development and a bachelor’s degree in political science and government. He resides in Greece with his wife Crystal Figueroa.