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Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III
Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, is President of State University of New York College at Old Westbury and Pastor of the nationally renowned Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York.
As President of The College at Old Westbury, Dr. Butts works continuously to create an invigorating atmosphere dedicated to academic excellence and the development of leadership qualities in students. Through its broad multidisciplinary liberal arts programs, the College confers degrees in more than 40 majors leading to Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Professional Studies and Master of Science degrees.
Since being named Old Westbury’s President in September 1999, Dr. Butts has reinvigorated among the most diverse public college campuses in America. He is determined to prepare Old Westbury students to succeed in the global marketplace while fostering in each leadership qualities that will prove valuable to both themselves and the communities in which they live.
In working to enable Old Westbury to achieve its fullest potential, Dr. Butts has guided the campus as it has grown its enrollment, added full-time faculty, and expanded the services it provides to support and aid students. Under his leadership, the College earned accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, has invested more than $4 million in cutting-edge technologies, has also introduced five new residence halls and a new Student Union, and secured $72 million towards construction of a new academic building for the campus.
A native of New York City, Dr. Butts earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He returned to New York and earned a Master of Divinity Degree in Church History from the Union Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry in Church and Public Policy from Drew University. He has taught Urban Affairs and served as an Adjunct Professor in the African Studies Department at City College, New York. He has also taught Black Church History at Fordham University. Sought after internationally for his comments on social, religious, educational and ethical issues, Dr. Butts has conducted speaking engagements before a vast array of colleges and universities, business and professional organizations, religious congregations, and governmental agencies throughout his career.
Along with his Presidency at the College at Old Westbury, Dr. Butts continues as pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York — among the most historic churches in the nation. Under his leadership, Abyssinian Baptist Church is committed to playing an active role in the ongoing development of its New York City home.
Dr. Jean Lau Chin
Dr. Jean Lau Chin is Professor and Dean of the Derner Institute of Applied Psychological Studies at Adelphi University, an appointment she has held since June, 2006.
Dr. Chin is a licensed psychologist with more than 30 years of experience as an administrator, educator, clinician, and consultant in the health, mental health, and human services fields. She has served as a faculty member at Boston University School of Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine, and was Co-Director of the Thom Clinic, Executive Director of South Cove Community Health Center, and President of CEO Services. Prior to accepting her Adelphi appointment, she served as Systemwide Dean and Professor of the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University.
Dr. Chin has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters in professional publications on women’s issues, cultural competence, Asian American, and ethnic minority issues. She recently completed a four-volume set, The Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination, which covers racism, ethnicity, gender, and all forms of discrimination, and Learning From My Mother's Voice, a book on family bonds using oral history and mythology as a healing tool and transformational journey for immigrant families. She also serves as the series editor of Race and Ethnicity in Psychology (Praeger Press).
On the national level, she is a member of the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association, board of directors of the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology, and past president of the Society for the Psychology of Women. She is listed in Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare and Who's Who Among Outstanding Americans. She has received honors from the Women in Philanthropy, Asian American Psychological Association, Association for Women in Psychology, and by the Patriots' Trail Girl Scout Council. She holds an Ed.D. and M.A. in school psychology from Columbia University, and a B.S. in psychology from Brooklyn College.
Craig Gurian
Craig Gurian is Executive Director of the Anti-Discrimination Center, Program Manager of “Fair Housing for All” (www.fairhousingforall.org), Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School, and Scholar-in-Residence at Fordham’s Stein Center for Law and Ethics. He has practiced anti-discrimination law since 1988.
Professor Gurian was a principal drafter of the comprehensive 1991 Amendments to the New York City Human Rights Law. He was the principal drafter of the Local Civil Rights Legislation Act (enacted by New York City in 2005). He acted as counsel to ERASE Racism in connection with the drafting and passage of the comprehensive 2006 Nassau County Fair Housing Law. He has also drafted and is leading the effort to pass both the Fair and Prompt Coop Disclosure Law and the Local Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Laws (Intros 119 and 685, both currently pending in the New York City Council).
Professor Gurian is the author of several articles, including, most recently, Judicial Activism in the Service of Privilege: New York’s First Department Makes Special Rules for Special Defendants, 71 Albany L. Rev. 369 (2008).
Melody S. Goodman, Ph.D.
In June 2006, at the age of 27, Melody S. Goodman received her Ph.D. from the Department of Biostatistics at Harvard University with minors in theoretical statistics and the social determinants of health disparities. She was a National Institute of Health (NIH) Minority Pre-doctoral fellow. Her doctoral work focused on statistical methods for community-based cancer interventions and racial/ethnic health disparities research. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine, Division of Evaluative Sciences, Graduate Program in Public Health at Stony Brook University Medical Center.
Stony Brook University is her undergraduate alma mater where she received her Bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in applied mathematics-statistics and economics and was a Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC)/NIH fellow. In 1999, at the age of 20, she received the Provost Award for Academic Excellence, was inducted into the Stony Brook chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and was one of only forty students to graduate from Stony Brook’s Honors College that year.
Dr. Goodman has also assumed the role of Director for the Center for Public Health and Health Policy Research. This center was developed through a memorandum of understanding between the Graduate Program in Public Health at Stony Brook University and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services with the mission to improve health and health care for the residents of Suffolk County, Long Island. Dr. Goodman is a promising young researcher and has received a New York State Assembly citation for her commitment to academic excellence.
Giving back to the community is at the heart of everything Melody does. She an active member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and was chairperson of Zetas Helping Other People Excel (Z-HOPE) for two years. While in graduate school she volunteered with Big Sister Association of Greater Boston and was a big sister to a group of girls at the Tobin School in Roxbury, MA
Amy Hagedorn
After teaching early childhood education for twenty-three years and helping to start several pre-kindergarten programs, Mrs. Hagedorn hardly retired, but continued to work for the betterment of Long Island . She is currently president of the board for Sustainable Long Island, a regional non-profit organization that promotes economic development, environmental health, and social equity. She also serves on the advisory board of the Long Island Community Foundation, where she has been donor and advisor of the Horace & Amy Hagedorn Fund for the past ten years. And now, as the widow of Horace Hagedorn, the Founder of Miracle-Gro, Ms. Hagedorn has established the new Horace Hagedorn Foundation where she serves as the president. She also serves on the boards of Hofstra University , North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System and the Partnership for After School Education and she is a member of the Nassau County Planning Commission.
Sister Elizabeth A. Hill
S. Elizabeth A. Hill, CSJ, JD has been President of St. Joseph’s College since 1997.
A magna cum laude alumna of St. Joseph’s, S. Elizabeth is a native of Brooklyn. She received her M.A. in History from Columbia University and studied theology and scripture in Rome under the auspices of Gregorian University. S. Elizabeth also received her J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law where she was a Thomas More Scholarship student and president of the Criminal Law Institute. After receiving her J.D., S. Elizabeth spent time as a staff attorney in the Catholic Migration Office in Brooklyn. Prior to being named President, S. Elizabeth served as Executive Assistant to St. Joseph’s previous President, S. George Aquin O’Connor from 1980-1997.
Since her inauguration, S. Elizabeth has been responsible for the building of a state-of-the-art Business and Technology Center on the Suffolk campus as well as launching a comprehensive, capital Master Plan for the Brooklyn campus. Under her leadership, enrollment on both campuses has continuously increased and a number of new programs including an Executive M.B.A. have been introduced. During her tenure as President, S. Elizabeth secured the largest grant in the College’s history and the first of its kind from the federal government.
S. Elizabeth is on the Steering Committee of LIRACHE (Long Island Regional Advisory Council on Higher Education) and sits on the College of Advisors for ERASE Racism. She is Vice Chair of the Long Island Association and on the Board of Directors of the Long Island Coalition for Fair Broadcasting, the Independence Community Foundation, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Fort Greene Strategic Neighborhood Partnership (SNAP), the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project and the Brookhaven Board of Ethics. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of The Mary Louis Academy and Xaverian High School.
S. Elizabeth has been honored by The Brooklyn Council, Boy Scouts of America at their Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon and by the 88th Police Precinct Community and Youth Council’s 23rd Annual Dinner Dance for SJC’s tradition of community outreach and efforts to improve the quality of life in Brooklyn. She is also the recipient of the Genesis Excellence in Education Award, was named a “Woman Sustaining the American Spirit” by State Senator Velmanette Montgomery and a “Woman of Distinction” by State Senator Caesar Trunzo. S. Elizabeth was “Woman of the Year” for the Patchogue/Medford Youth Community Services organization in 2001 and she received the Town of Brookhaven’s Office of Women’s Services award for Outstanding Service to the Community in Education. In 2004, the Long Island Association recognized S. Elizabeth as an “Education Advocate” for her leadership in workforce development. In 2005, she was the recipient of the 12th Annual Spirit of Long Island Education Award by Promote Long Island, New York. The following year, she received the 2006 Public Service Award from the Suffolk County Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, Inc. and the 2006 Distinguished Service Award from The Advancement for Commerce, Industry & Technology in recognition of her leadership and lifelong dedication to the field of education. In 2007, Temple Beth El in Patchogue named S. Elizabeth “Person of the Year” for her contributions to the community and the Child Care Council of Suffolk, Inc. honored her for her commitment and dedication to early education and the children and families of Suffolk County. She is a three-time recipient of Long Island Business News’ Top 50 Women award for her consistent record as one of the region’s most important and influential women, making her a Hall of Fame Honoree, and has also been named on that publication’s “Who’s Who in Education” list in 2003.
Additional honors include membership in Sigma Iota Chi (St. Joseph’s College honor society), Kappa Gamma Pi (national honor society) and Delta Epsilon Sigma (national honor society).
Jeffrey A. Kraut
Mr. Kraut coordinates the strategic planning, marketing and web-based activities of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, as well as the development of its network of providers through merger, acquisition or affiliated relationships. North Shore-LIJ is the third largest secular health system in the country with revenues in excess of $4 billion and employing over 30,000 persons.
A member of the NYS Hospital Review and Planning Council since 2003, Governor Spitzer recently designated Jeffrey Kraut as its chairman. The Council is charged with improving the quality and efficiency of health care throughout New York State and is responsible for revisions in health policy, code regulations and the approval of Certificate of Need applications. He also served as a member of the Long Island Regional Advisory Committee of the Commission on Healthcare in the 21st Century, (the “Berger Commission”).
Mr. Kraut is a recognized leader in health planning and policy. A fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and active in GNYHA, HANYS and AHA committees, Mr. Kraut is a former President of the New York State Society for Health Planning and was the recipient of its 25th Anniversary Leadership Award. He has served on the boards of nursing homes, transplant organizations and early childhood intervention programs. Mr. Kraut is a member of the Health Committee of the Long Island Association, the Long Island Committee for the Regional Plan Association and the College of Advisors for Erase Racism.
Mr. Kraut speaks frequently on the challenges facing health care providers, the implications of market forces on strategy development, and the integration of strategic processes into management and governance structures. He is a proponent of integrating health planning activities into broader regional efforts for economic development and sustainability. He serves as a key member of the Long Island Index which serves as a catalyst for regional thinking about the future and on the Vital Signs project of Adelphi University, which systematically identifies and tracks the social health of populations and communities to inform policy and stimulate the provision of needed services.
Prior to joining North Shore-LIJ, Mr. Kraut served as the Vice President for Policy and Planning at the SUNY Downstate Medical School, where he was recruited from the health care consulting group of KPMG Peat Marwick. Mr. Kraut received an MBA in Healthcare Management from Baruch College/Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.
John R. Logan
John R. Logan is Professor of Sociology and Director of the S4 initiative. He came to Brown University in Fall 2004, after 24 years at the University at Albany, where he served as Chair of the Department of Sociology, Director of the Lewis Mumford Center, and Director of the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis. Dr. Logan is co-author, along with Harvey Molotch, of Urban Fortunes: The Political Economy of Place. His most recent edited book, The New Chinese City: Globalization and Market Reform, was published by Blackwell in 2001.
| Research Interests: Urban Sociology, Race & Ethnicity, Migration & Immigration, Family, Political Sociology |
Current projects: |
Shirley Robinson Pippins
Dr. Shirley Robinson Pippins is the President of Suffolk County Community College. Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) is a comprehensive publicly-supported, two-year, open enrollment, multi-campus institution located in the easternmost county of Long Island, New York. The service area for the college is approximately 900 square miles with a population of 1.5 million people. SCCC has a current enrollment of over 21,000 credit students and 10,500 continuing education students. Dr. Pippins is the first woman, and the first African-American to lead the college in its history. She was recently designated as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Long Islanders – Long Island Business December 6, 2005.
A native of East Chicago, Indiana, Dr. Pippins came to Suffolk County Community College from Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton, Virginia, where she served as its President for eight years. Prior to her association with Thomas Nelson Community College, she was a Vice President and Dean of Adult and Continuing Education at Westchester Community College. She previously served as director of Westchester Community College's corporate education program.
Dr. Pippins earned her doctorate at Teachers College, Columbia University and has completed studies at Harvard University's Institute for Educational Management. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois, where she graduated as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa national honor society. She holds master's degrees from the University of Illinois and from Manhattanville College in New York. Dr. Pippins has more than 25 years of leadership, management, consulting, teaching and faculty development experience. She has worked in both the public and private sectors.
During 1991, she served in South Africa, through the U.S. Information Agency, as an Academic Specialist assisting educators in exploring alternative models of higher education, including community colleges. Dr. Pippins has participated in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC) and also served on the American Association of Community Colleges' (AACC) Commission on International/Intercultural Services and the Guidance and Admission Assembly Council of the national organization, the College Board.
Dr. Pippins is a member of the executive committee of the board of the American Association of Community Colleges and serve as the immediate past chair of their audit and finance committee. She is the past chair of the American Council on Education's Commission on Women in Higher Education. Dr. Pippins is a member of the Board of Trustees of Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, New York.
Dr. Pippins has three grown children. She resides in Calverton, New York.
john powell
Professor john a. powell is an internationally recognized authority in the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, and issues relating to race, ethnicity, poverty, and the law. He is the executive director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University . He also holds the Williams Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the Moritz College of Law.
Professor powell has taught at Columbia University School of Law, Harvard Law School , University of Miami School of Law, American University , the University of San Francisco School of Law, and the University of Minnesota Law School. He joined the faculty at Ohio State in 2002. He has written extensively on a number of issues including racial justice and regionalism, concentrated poverty and urban sprawl, the link between housing and school segregation, opportunity-based housing, gentrification, disparities in the criminal justice system, voting rights, affirmative action in the United States , South Africa and Brazil , racial and ethnic identity and current demographic trends. He has worked and lived in Africa, where he was a consultant to the governments of Mozambique and South Africa . He has also lived and worked in India and done work in Europe and South America .
Clifford Richner
Clifford Richner is vice president and publisher of Richner Communications, Inc. [RCI].
Mr. Richner began working in the family business part time and summers when he was 13. He returned to RCI on a full time basis in 1982 as associate publisher. He and his brother, Stuart, became publishers in 1987 upon the retirement of their father, Robert Richner. Since becoming publisher, Mr. Richner along with his brother, has started seven community newspapers in south Nassau County. Today RCI publishes 12 Herald Community Newspapers, as well as several specialty publications.Under Mr. Richner’s leadership, Herald Community Newspapers have become recognized leaders in community journalism; winning well over 100 awards for journalistic excellence from various state and national press associations.
Mr. Richner is the immediate past president of the New York Press Association [NYPA] and currently president of two of the association’s subsidiaries: the New York Press Service, and the NYPA Foundation. Prior to being elected president, he served for many years as chairman of NYPA’s governmental affairs and libel hotline committees. He has been a member of NYPA's executive committee since 1994. Previously, he served two terms (1985-89) as Nassau County director of NYPA and as a director at large.
He has completed a course in Managing Weekly Newspapers at the American Press Institute in Reston, Virginia.
Mr. Richner received an A.B. degree with honors in Government from Georgetown University in 1974 and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1978. At Georgetown, he served as editor of the Georgetown Law Journal, one of the country's leading law reviews, and received a teaching fellowship in legal writing and research. He also served as a reporter for the Georgetown Voice and the Georgetown Law Weekly.
In 1978, he entered the private practice of law as a litigation associate in the firm of Shea & Gould and later with Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine, both in New York City. His areas of practice included trademark and copyright, securities regulation, antitrust and mergers and acquisition. He is admitted to practice before the New York State and Federal courts.
Richner has led seminars on libel law for several professional groups including NYPA and the American Press Institute.
Mr. Richner is a member of the board of visitors of Touro Law School and the board of directors of the Empire State Pride Agenda. He has served on the board of the Five Towns Community Chest. He is a member of the Press Club of Long Island/Society of Professional Journalists and the Society of News Design.
Marguerite A. Smith
Ms. Smith is an enrolled Shinnecock, and an attorney, educator, dispute resolution professional (consulting on policies and procedures and serving as a mediator and arbitrator in various types of community, family and workplace disputes), and an advocate for health and justice, especially in the areas of racial/ethnic and gender bias prevention and intervention, and economic and environmental justice. Marguerite maintains her residence on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation on Eastern Long Island, New York, and has been instrumental in advancing various Native rights, economic development, cultural preservation and health promotion efforts of her Native Nation and others. She maintains a law practice based in Suffolk County.
She has been a member of the Board of Directors of the First Nations Development Institute since the mid-1980's and serves as one of its representatives on the Board of First Nations Oweesta Corporation. In addition to work on tribal recognition and resource rights, and supporting health care and Indian family wellness (including ICWA administration and Family Violence controls) and economic development on her reservation, she is active also in other community groups on and off reservation, including SAMP (the Shinnecock Substance Abuse Mobilization Project), Self-Development of People (a grant-making activity of the Long Island Presbytery), the South Fork Community Health Initiative, and is, in 2006, President of the Board of Directors for her county's cooperative extension service, the Cornell University Cooperative Extension Association of Suffolk County. She tries to save time to be a good daughter, sister, wife, "stepmom and grandma", and to many, "auntie"!
Paul J. Tonna
Paul Tonna is the CEO of Professional Evaluation Medical Group, a preventive health care company headquartered in Hicksville, New York. He served from 1994 to 2005 as a Suffolk County Legislator and for three years, 2000, 2001, and 2002, his fellow legislators chose him to lead the Suffolk County Legislature as its Presiding Officer.
During Legislator Tonna’s 12 years of elected office, he had been a strong advocate for the poor, homeless and marginalized on Long Island, affordable housing, labor organizations and the environment. He sponsored, co-sponsored, and passed numerous laws and/or initiatives including: ground breaking non-smoking legislation; innovative programs focused on eliminating child poverty and homelessness; legislation designed to elevate the standard of living for all Suffolk County residents and innovative Greenways Funds to protect open space, farmlands and parklands.
Paul Tonna is a strong advocate of immigrants working and living on Long Island. The 2003 award-winning film documentary Farmingville chronicled some of those efforts. He has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows including: Lou Dobbs, CNN; The Rosie O’Donnell Show; News 12 Long Island; and PBS WLIW 21.
Mr. Tonna is an Adjunct Professor in Theology & Religious Studies at St. John’s University. He serves as Vice-Chairman of The Long Island Regional Planning Board; Trustee of the Long Island State Parks & Recreation Commission, is a board member of: Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation, The Nature Conservancy-Long Island Chapter, , Advanced Energy Research & Technology Center,The Long Island Index and Erase Racism’s College of Advisors. Mr. Tonna serves as a founding director of Empire National Bank, a Commissioner of the South Huntington Water District and as Molloy College’s Executive Director for The Energeia Partnership, a leadership academy dedicated to identifying and addressing the serious, complex and multi-dimensional issues challenging the Long Island region.
Paul Tonna has received many awards and honors including Molloy College’s Caritas Medal; St. John’s University St. Vincent De Paul Medal; Suffolk County Human Rights Commission Legislator of the Year; National Association of Social Workers Public Citizen of the Year; Habitat for Humanity Man of the Year; The Nature Conservancy’s Conservation Award Recipient; andNetworking Magazine’s David Award.
Mr. Tonna earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy from New York University, a Masters of Arts degree in theology from Immaculate Conception Seminary and conducted doctoral studies in systematic theology at Fordham University.
Paul Tonna resides in Huntington, New York with his wife Carol and eight children: Peter, Paul, John, Grace, Mary, Carolann, Joseph and Lucy.
Luis Valenzuela
Dr. Luis Valenzuela received his Ph.D. from Fordham University Graduate School of Social Services. He received his Masters of Social Work degree from the School of Social Welfare, at Stony Brook University and his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Stony Brook University. He graduated with University Honors and was also inducted into Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Sociology Honor Society. He completed Addictions training at the South Oaks Hospital Institute of Alcoholism and Addictive Behaviors.
Luis Valenzuela, Ph.D., LMSW is the Executive Director of the Long Island Immigrant Alliance (LIIA), and he is an adjunct professor of social work at the Adelphi University School of Social Work. Dr. Valenzuela works with an alliance of diverse community, religious, labor, and immigrant organizations in solidarity with all immigrants who are an integral part of our communities. He advocates support for all immigrants, affirms their legal and human rights, and advances the use of collective strength to overcome the voices of extremism, division, and hatred.
Dr. Valenzuela has the distinguished honor to serve as the President of the National Association of Puerto Rican Hispanic Social Workers. He advocates for collaboration among networks of human services organizations to empower communities. Dr. Valenzuela is active in many community organizations including: NASW (National Association of Social Workers), Intergenerational Strategies, The Latino Jewish Coalition, Adelphi University President’s Advisory Board, Vital Signs-The Long Island Social Health Project, SUNY Stony Brook President’s Multicultural Advisory Board. The National Hispanic-Latino American Agenda Summit: Mental Health Issues and Platform Committee, The Children’s Network in Far Rockaway, South East Queens Neighborhood Network, Delinquency Prevention Advisory Board Laurelton Public Library, The Jamaica Neighborhood Advisory Board, Brady Center’s Stop The Violence Gun Control Project, Long Islanders Against the Death Penalty, the NY ACLU Suffolk Chapter, The Nassau Suffolk Hispanic Legislative Task Force, and the NYC Immigration Coalition.