Urban Colloquium Guest Lecture Spring ’25: Costa Constantinides @ APR 23RD, 4:00 PM

Costa Constantinides serves as the CEO for the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens. In September 2021, Costa was appointed to the Board of Directors for the NYC Economic Development Corporation and NYC Environmental Justice Advisory Board. Costa is a nationally recognized expert on climate change. Sustainability, resiliency, and air quality have been among Costa’s top environmental issues long before he was sworn in. In his 7 years plus in the NYC Council, Costa passed 44 bills as the lead sponsor to combat climate change and its effects on New York City. Costa was born, raised, and continues to reside in Astoria, Queens and attended Queens College, where he now teaches as an adjunct lecturer in both the Political Science and Urban Studies departments.  For 65 years, The Salah M. Hassanein Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens (VBGCQ) has been an anchor in the Astoria/Long Island City community, offering children a safe haven to learn, play, and grow into tomorrow’s leaders. Since opening its doors, VBGCQ has upheld a strong tradition of community leadership to make a difference in the lives of young people. The Club’s 30,000 square foot facility is open to the community 7-days a week and includes an indoor swimming pool, makerspace lab, computer room, teaching kitchen, gym, auditorium, art studio, dance studio, film studio, and outdoor playground. The Club specializes in providing children of all ages with the highest quality programming and pride themselves in being the largest youth development organization in Western Queens, serving over 4,000 young people each year.