The New York State Senate today unanimously approved the current chairwoman of the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), Melvina Lathan, for a second three-year term. Tom Santino was also unanimously approved to serve as one of three commissioners on the State Athletic Commission."I want to congratulate Melvina and Tom on their appointments," Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez said. "Chairwoman Lathan has served the state with dignity, and I am pleased that the State Senate has confirmed her to continue in her current role. Boxing has a long and storied history in New York, and under Melvina's guidance the Athletic Commission has reinvigorated the sport here, making it as safe as possible and helping better prepare boxers for life after boxing. She has made the Athletic Commission as transparent as it has ever been."
"It has been my honor to serve as chair of the State Athletic Commission," Chairwoman Lathan said. "I am looking forward to continuing my work with Governor Paterson and Secretary of State Cortés-Vázquez, ensuring boxing bouts here are safe and fair. We will never compromise safety in the ring, and I will continue to work with NYSAC-trained doctors and inspectors to ensure their training is as current as possible."
"I want to thank Governor Paterson, Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez and the State Senate for this opportunity. As a former professional boxer, I know how important it is to have an open and transparent Athletic Commission overseeing boxing in New York state," Tom Santino said. "I look forward to working with Chairwoman Lathan and fellow commissioner Judge Edward Torres and continuing their efforts to reinvigorate boxing in our state."
Chairwoman Lathan was appointed by Governor David Paterson on July 25, 2008 – the first woman and the first African American female to hold this title – after holding the position of NYSAC commissioner for the previous year. She has a distinguished career as a professional boxing judge, judging more than 235 fight cards including 82 world title matches in the 10 countries. She became the first African American female licensed as a professional boxing Judge in New York in 1991, and she is also licensed in five other states and by two Native American tribes. Chairwoman Lathan has devised and conducted training seminars for boxing judges for NYSAC, the Washington, D.C., Boxing Commission, the International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Organization. She is the only female recipient of the Rocky Marciano Officials Award presented by the American Association for the Improvement of Boxing.
Commissioner Santino is a retired NYPD detective, former professional boxer and current coach of the Baruch College baseball team. He lives with his family in Queens, NY.
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