New Full-Time Staff 2026

Juan Somarriba 

Finance Budget Specialist 

KCC alum Juan Benito Somarriba returned to Kingsborough Community College in November 2025, this time as a finance budget specialist in the Office of Finance and Administration. “The time was right to return to my alma mater,” he said. “CUNY is home.”  

Born in León, Nicaragua, Juan was raised in Brooklyn, where he has lived for more than 40 years. He earned an associate degree in accounting in 2006 before completing a bachelor of science in accounting at Hunter College in 2008.  

He remembers that his favorite class at KCC was business law. “It prepared me to see a different spectrum of finance: the story behind the numbers,” he said. “It still plays a crucial role in my day-to-day, especially during audit season.”  

Juan worked as an income tax preparer at Countrywide Business & Tax Services before returning to CUNY as an employee, first as a college accountant at KCC and then as a senior accountant at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He later served as an accounting manager at Brooklyn Community Services, a nonprofit organization.  

Now back at Kingsborough, Juan is focused on supporting the College’s financial operations. He sees his role as one rooted in consistency and teamwork. “I’m looking forward to using my finance experience to assist the finance department in various business facets and day-to-day projects,” he said. “I hope to continue to maintain the department’s excellent accounting standards and be an asset to the unit for years to come.”  

Outside the office, Juan values time with his family. He enjoys cheering his children from the sidelines at their taekwondo tournaments. “My son is a black belt and 2025 USAT NY State Taekwondo Sparring Champion, and my daughter won bronze in the 2025 AAU Taekwondo Poomsae Nationals championship held in Utah this past summer,” he proudly shared. He tries to keep himself active, despite dealing with past injuries, training as a mixed martial arts hobbyist, and playing sports when he can. (He also appreciates moments of quiet to relax and recharge.)  

Juan said returning to campus feels familiar and yet different. He enjoys seeing how the campus itself has expanded. “It feels like my career has come full circle.”