State Senator Daniel Squadron selected Aixa Torres as one of New York’s “Women of Distinction,” honoring her last week at the annual state Senate celebration recognizing outstanding women throughout the state.
“Aixa has proven time and time again — as president of the Smith Houses Residents Association, the Department of Education’s Lower East Side Family Advocate and a dedicated mother and grandmother — that she is a woman of distinction in our community,” Squadron said. “Her passion and resolve inspire others every day, and her contributions to the Lower East Side continue to have a big impact on the community.”
Torres was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and moved with her parents and sisters to New York City in 1955. She attended public schools and graduated from CUNY and Lincoln University. She married the late George Carmona, Jr. in 1971, and had two children, George III and Liza Noemi. For more than 50 years, Torres has lived on the Lower East Side, where she still lives with her daughter and grandchildren, Mia N. Daniel and Elijah M. Daniel. She retired from the Department of Education in 2014 as the Lower East Side’s family advocate.
Torres became Smith Houses president in 2010. She led the evacuation of hundreds of residents ahead of Hurricane Irene and advocated effectively for her community after Superstorm Sandy. She worked with Squadron to fully repair the Lower East Side housing complex’s old, faulty gas pipes that sometimes forced residents to go without cooking gas for weeks or months at a time.
