Wai Po Tsang
Sheepshead Bay

Wai Po Tsang (Tiphaine) was born and raised in Hong Kong, along with seven brothers and sisters. After completing her education, she married and immigrated to New York City.  Like many immigrant women, times were difficult as she had limited English language skills and no support system of friends or family.  As she became proficient in English, she joined her husband’s business, ultimately serving as the Office Manager and Head Accountant of an import and export trading company.  She devoted her spare time to volunteering for the Parents’ Associations at her children’s schools and received recognition of her many years of service from P.S. 206 and I.S. 234. She began a full-time post at Victory Memorial Hospital as their Community Liaison in 1998, working extensively with Chinese-speaking patients to ensure they received proper healthcare, and she volunteered at Homecrest Community Services in her spare time.  In 2000, Tiphaine joined Homecrest’s staff and was responsible for helping low and moderate income families complete Child Health Plus or Medicaid insurance applications for their children. In recognition of this work, she received certificates of appreciation from Child Health Now! and The Children’s Defense Fund for “outstanding service to children at risk.”   In 2002, she became the Program Director for Homecrest Community Services, where she currently oversees Homecrest’s Senior Center Program, the Citizenship and Immigration Assistance Program and the Health Program. Successful projects Tiphaine has implemented include Homecrest’s Annual Health Fair— attended yearly by 700 seniors —and the annual Souvenir Journal.  She has received numerous community service awards in recognition of her outstanding service to New Yorkers. 

Suzelle Charles Augustin
Old Mill Basin

Suzelle Charles Augustin was born in Cap Haitian, a small town in the country of Haiti.  After completing her education, she worked as a secretary for the town’s Government Collection Office.  In 1977, she immigrated to the United States where she married and gave birth to her daughter, Manelli.  Ms. Augustin works at two jobs in order to provide support for her family here in the United States, as well as for family members who remain in Haiti.  She is employed by the housekeeping department of Manhattan’s Intercontinental Hotel and also works as a Certified Nursing Assistant at the Hamsalomon Home for Nursing and Rehabilitation. Her Catholic faith is a sustaining force in her daily life, and she is deeply committed to serving the needs of her local parish, Mary Queen of Heaven, in the Old Mill Basin section of Brooklyn.  There, she ministers as a lector, translator, catechist, and prayer group leader.  She serves on the parish’s International Planning Committee and coordinates an Annual Haitian Hospitality Sunday. Ms. Augustin is deeply committed to addressing the plight of Haiti and its people.  For many years, she has informally coordinated the collection and shipment of supplies to the island’s neediest.  Her outreach efforts have increased recently in response to the severe hurricane and earthquake that have devastated Haiti.  Locally, she is recognized as a strong and trusted member of the Haitian community.

Sherif Fraser
East Flatbush

Guyanese-born Sherif Fraser has dedicated herself to community service. She immigrated to the United States in 1982. After working in the medical field and later as an assistant day-care provider, she began her career in community service in 1987. She worked at the Communications Center in the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, then moved on to New York City Community Boards #3 and #9 before transferring to Community Board #17, where she is currently the District Manager. Ms. Fraser has lived, worked and raised her family in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn. She is presently the Chairperson of her Block Association and a member of the following organizations: the Historic Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Kingsborough Psychiatric Center, Susan Smith McKinney Advisory Board, Tots and Teens in Focus, Guyana Tots and Teens Inc., and the Utica Church Avenue Merchants Association.  She serves as an advisor to the Wilfred Vernon Clarke Memorial Fund, Inc.

Her commitment to community service has earned her numerous honors and awards, most notably:  the Presidents’ Award, Dynamic Woman Award, as well as Proclamations from the City Council and Congress.  She is the recipient of numerous Community Service Awards. Ms. Fraser believes that everyone with a vested interest in a community should get involved in public service. She has a Bachelor’s degree and plans on pursuing a Master’s in Political Science and/or Public Administration.

Linda Sarsour
Bay Ridge

Linda Sarsour is a working woman, community activist and mother of three. Ambitious, outspoken and independent, Linda shatters stereotypes of Muslim women while also treasuring her religious and ethnic heritage. She is a Palestinian Muslim American and a self-proclaimed "pure New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn!" Currently, she is the Coordinator of Community Initiatives for the YWCA Brooklyn and serves as Acting Director of the Arab American Association of New York, a social service agency serving the Arab community in NYC. Linda was a 2005 COROS New American Leaders Fellow and a 2007 participant in the New York-Hamburg IntegrationXchange Program- administered in partnership with the U.S. State Department- that focused on youth development in new immigrant communities.  Linda is also a board member of the New York Immigration Coalition, composed of over 200 nonprofit agencies serving the diverse immigrant communities of New York State.  In the last election, Linda coordinated the largest and most successful get out the vote effort in Brooklyn’s Arab American community with over 130 canvassers and 8,000 doors knocked. She has been featured in local, national, and international media speaking on topics ranging from women's issues, Islam, and the Middle East conflict. Linda’s strengths are in the areas of community development, youth empowerment, community organizing, and immigrants’ rights advocacy.

Pastor Mary D. Allen
East New York

Pastor Mary D. Allen is the First Lady of Calvary UFW Baptist Church and also serves as the Director of The Calvary Outreach Ministry under the leadership of her husband, Bishop Clenso Allen. Pastor Allen worked for Chase Manhattan Bank for 17 years until she felt a calling to more rewarding work — reaching out to meet the needs of the people.  The services that she oversees include serving the homeless, elderly and low income families; providing food, clothing, hot meals to those in need; and providing spiritual guidance and support.  The Church’s food pantry and soup kitchen was established 18 years ago. The services of Calvary Outreach Ministry provide help to more than 700 people a month and are offered to the community once a week.  On Thanksgiving, turkeys and a nutritious meal are supplied to families so that they can celebrate together.  Pastor Allen believes that, “We must be about our father’s business.”  She is honored to be able to serve the community in love. “They have a very special place in my heart - I am devoted to my God-given task,” says Pastor Allen. She lives in East New York.

Kathleen Snow
Marine Park

Kathleen Snow, a lifelong Brooklyn resident, began her career in teaching after a transition from a successful career in the business world.  Kathleen served the children of P.S. 222 in Marine Park as a teacher, literacy coach, and academic support provider before being promoted to her current position of Assistant Principal.  She works tirelessly to assure that each student receives the best possible education, while serving as an incredible role model for her students and staff.  Kathleen works hard with her colleagues on the constant improvement of her school community, thus promoting P.S. 222’s reputation as a successful neighborhood school.  Kathleen has served as a volunteer at a yearly Surfer’s Healing event in which professional surfers visit local seashore communities and spend the day with autistic children of all ages, giving them surfboard rides.  Most recently, Kathleen became a member of the New York City Department of Education Emerald Society.  In addition, Kathleen finds the time to be active in her church community.

Kimberly Maier
Park Slope

Kimberly Maier joined the Old Stone House as its Executive Director in August 2004.  In that capacity, she has worked with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (Brooklyn Division) and the Historic House Trust of New York City to re-energize OSH and JJ Byrne Playground/Washington Park.   During her tenure, she has forged strong partnerships with other community-based organizations.  As a result, OSH’s educational outreach has greatly expanded, providing services to more than 6,000 students annually, as well as professional development for hundreds of New York City schoolteachers in the areas of Colonial, Revolutionary and Environmental education.  Ms. Maier has more than 20 years experience managing small not-for-profit organizations.  As the director of national programs for the Business Committee for the Arts, she oversaw the growth of BCA’s regional affiliate network and its national awards program.  Her work with the National Association for Corporate Art Management and the Association for Professional Art Advisors resulted in the merger of these two organizations in 2002.  She is a graduate of Trinity College and New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.  She is the treasurer of the dance education organization, Together in Dance, and a member of the Community Board 6 Parks Committee.  Ms. Maier lives in Park Slope.

Jodi Reznik
Flatbush
 

Jodie Reznik is a second generation Brooklyn native and an accomplished still-life painter. A large part of her work is portraiture in oil, and her mastery of the medium has resulted in many prestigious commissions and broad acclaim. She is known for many fascinating community oriented art projects including Portraits of the Fallen Angels Project. For this Project she paints portraits of members of the New York City Police Department who lose their lives in the line of duty.  These portraits are then donated to the surviving family. Mrs. Reznik also painted a commissioned work of art -  now displayed in six embassies - in acknowledgment of the efforts of the people of China, Japan, Spain, the Dominican Republic and Sweden in rescuing Jews from the Nazis during the Holocaust. She worked as a graphic designer for many prestigious firms, but left to pursue a career in teaching.  She went on to work with the special needs community as director of several programs.  She returned to the art world at the urging of her husband, Jeff. This renewed commitment resulted in her opening the J. Reznik Studio, from which she exhibits her work and teaches painting. Mrs. Reznik lives in Flatbush and is the proud mother of 5 daughters.

Jeanne B. Lambert
Flatbush

Born in Haiti, Jeanne B. Lambert immigrated to the United States in 1971.   Her goal and her vocation as a baptized Christian  has always been to serve.   In the parish of Saint Jerome in Flatbush, where she exercises her ministry, Jeanne serves her community in many different areas, among them, hospitality, fraternal welcome and evangelization.  Her assistance to new immigrants often includes introducing and welcoming them to the community. Ms. Lambert has evidenced a passion for the work of the parish and beyond, whether it be in the Charismatic Renewal, where she is a member of the National Council, or the Legion of Mary, where she serves as the spiritual guide and director.  Jeanne enjoys the respect of her compatriots, as well as the appreciation of those from other countries. She shares her affection and her smile with all those who approach her, and she dedicates her life to the service of all.

Megan Kerrigan
Mapleton

Megan Kerrigan was born and raised in Marine Park, Brooklyn.  Megan always had a passion for fashion and for helping others.  She graduated with a B.A. in Apparel Merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Technology and pursued a career in fashion public relations.  She later decided to switch careers to pharmaceutical sales so that she could help others who, like herself, struggle with diabetes. Ms. Kerrigan created Operation Fairy Dust, a volunteer-based non-profit organization that collects thousands of donated formal gowns each year and distributes them to high school girls throughout New York City who are unable to afford a prom dress. The goal of this organization is to enhance self esteem in NYC high school girls.  Her organization has been featured on CNN, O the Oprah Magazine, Lucky Magazine, FOX NY, ABC, MSNBC, E! Entertainment, Life & Style Weekly and the NY Daily News.  Many celebrities have donated dresses from their personal wardrobes to this worthy cause.  Ms. Kerrigan was recognized as NY1 News’ New Yorker of the Week in May 2006 and was awarded a Jefferson Medallion Award for Public Service in November 2008.  Most recently she was honored by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz at his 2010 Inaugural Event at the Park Slope Armory.  Ms. Kerrigan currently resides in Mapleton with her fiancé Sean and their dog Boo.

Colleen Golden
Bay Ridge

E. Colleen Golden is a life-long Brooklyn resident who has devoted her time to her community. She joined the Ragamuffin Committee in 1991 where she was an active Committee member until being nominated for President in 2000. Ms. Golden served as President from 2000 through 2006, and again in 2008. As President of Ragamuffin, Inc., which provides more than 1,000 children the opportunity to march in Bay Ridge’s Third Avenue in the Children’s Parade in Brooklyn, she reached out and met with local Bay Ridge organizations to garner their support to fund the Ragamuffin Parade. She is also very active at the Leif Ericson Day School (her youngest son’s school) and works in the family business at the Bay Ridge Manor. Ms. Golden has been honored by the Advocates for Services for the Blind Multihandicapped Inc. She is a Lady of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem and a parishioner of St. Anslem Roman Catholic Church. Ms. Golden and her husband Marty live in Bay Ridge. They are proud parents of sons Michael and Patrick.

Victoria Aviles
Boerum Hill

Victoria Aviles is the owner of Bridge Cleaners & Tailors and King Garment Care. She has 35 years of experience in the dry cleaning industry and was the winner of Crain's New York Business Top Entrepreneur Award of 2009. Ms. Aviles has been a key player at the National Cleaners Association and on the NCA Board of Directors for more than 30 years.  She has been a stalwart supporter of all the National Cleaners Association efforts, especially in their campaign for the passage of New York State's Abandoned Property Bill.  This was important legislation that provides for due notice to consumers at the point of sale regarding unclaimed garments and secures for them six months of protection prior to distribution to a charity by the cleaner. She also serves as a pro-bono translator of the association's material into Spanish. On numerous occasions she has donated the use of her facility for training classes, tours for government regulators, the media and other cleaners who want to learn about the dry cleaning industry.  Ms. Aviles is also a participant in the NCA annual Coats for Kids drive and resides in Boerum Hill.

Elizabeth Stock
Park Slope

Computers for Youth (CFY) was a nascent non-profit in 1999 before Elisabeth Stock transformed it  into a national leader in improving the home learning environment of low-income families. CFY helps improve family interaction around learning at home by offering free workshops, enhances the educational resources available in children's homes and helps teachers connect classroom learning with the home. Since its founding, CFY has served 20,000 families across the country and has built a solid foundation from which to grow.  Under her leadership, CFY now has a nationwide infrastructure, serving more than 4,000 families per year in New York City, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area.  This year, CFY will serve 15 schools in New York City and five schools in Brooklyn including middle schools in Bushwick, East New York, and Crown Heights. She was honored by Crain's New York Business as one of 40 New Yorkers under 40 shaping the city. Recognized as an expert in her field, Ms. Stock has been awarded an Ashoka fellowship and has served as an advisor to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the NYC Department of Education.  Prior to her work at CFY, she served as a White House Fellow, where she was the principal architect of a program that enables federal agencies to donate surplus computers directly to schools.  She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa and later worked for the World Bank, traveling extensively and publishing numerous articles. Elisabeth holds four degrees from MIT and a patent for a medical device. She is a resident of Park Slope.

Patricia Reddock
East Flatbush

Patricia Reddock was born in Jamaica and immigrated to the United States in 1961.  She was employed by Merrill Lynch for 20 years, and it was while there that she attended Adelphi University and received a degree in Social Work and Early Childhood Education.  Upon receiving her degree, Pat accepted a position with the Department of Social Services in the New York City Human Resources Administration.  This work allowed Pat to interact with people of various cultures and fueled in her a desire to become more involved in her own community.  She formed a block association in East Flatbush, which in turn led to her involvement with the 67 Pct. Community Council.  There, she has served as fundraising chairperson, second vice president, first vice president and president, a position she has held for the past ten years.  During her involvement with the Council, Pat also served as an auxiliary officer for five years. She went on to became a member of Community Board 17 and currently holds the position of Chairperson for the Youth Services Planning Committee.  Ms. Reddock and her committee sponsor a Youth Happen’n Day each August for approximately 3,500 children.  Pat is a role model for the young adults and kids in her community, for whom she is a constant source of support and encouragement.

Dale Mc Reynolds
Sheepshead Bay
 

Dale Mc Reynolds has been very active in the historic First Baptist Church of Sheepshead Bay since 1994. She is originally from Kentucky and following high school she lived in Tennessee, Colorado and Oklahoma. Upon relocating to New York City, Mrs. Mc Reynolds continued her life-long career in retail and became a personal shopper for Jones New York at Macy’s Herald Square. This allowed her an opportunity to meet many celebrities including rap artist Heavy D, Lena Horne and opera legend Beverly Sills, as well as diplomats and politicians such as Bella Abzug.  In 1994, her husband accepted the call to become Pastor of the historic First Baptist Church of Sheepshead Bay. Since then, she has served the church in many roles including lead soloist, producer of the church’s television broadcast on BCAT, and she has been involved in missionary work to uplift those in nursing homes, victims of domestic violence and others affected by tragedies such as Hurricane Katrina.  Mrs. Mc Reynolds is a resident of Sheepshead Bay.  She has two sons and seven grandchildren.

Candice Anderson
Park Slope
 

Candice Anderson is the Executive Director of Cool Culture.  Founded in 1999, Cool Culture helps forge and sustain institutional partnerships that connect 50,000 low-income families to cultural institutions – providing educational opportunities that involve the entire family and prepare children to succeed in school. Cool Culture’s innovative program model succeeds by bringing together community stakeholders to support economically challenged children and families. Cool Culture is able to reach families throughout the five boroughs via its partnerships with more than 425 publicly subsidized early education programs including Child Care, Head Start, Universal Pre-Kindergarten programs and Title I public schools. Partnerships with 90 of the city’s best known cultural institutions provide parents and children with free, unlimited admission to museums, botanical gardens, zoos and historical societies including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, El Museo Del Barrio, the American Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Studio Museum in Harlem. Ms. Anderson received her M.S. in Urban Policy from the New School for Social Research and a B.A. from Oberlin College. She is a resident of Park Slope.

Renee Flowers
Gowanus

Renee Flowers is a Gowanus resident who has dedicated her career to developing the talent of the Gowanus Wildcats Drill Team for 40 years. She became a member of the team at a young age and has since worked to lead the team as their Director. The Wildcats is an all-girl-drill team whose movements are a combination of stepping, cheerleading and marching. They have performed in numerous shows and parades throughout New York City and the tri-state area. Ms. Flowers has also committed to other worthwhile causes that have enhanced the quality of life in her community.  These are some of her titles and affiliations: President of the Gowanus Houses Tenants Association; member of Gowanus Houses Tenant Patrol; Advisor to Explorer/Venturer Crew 588 of the Boy Scouts of America Greater New York Council; Board member of Community Board 6; 30-year-member of the American Postal Workers Union (A.P.W.U.) and member of Post Office Women for Equal Rights (P.O.W.E.R.). She is also a choreographer, poet, songwriter, singer and rapper. As Director of the Wildcats, she has seen the young girls of Gowanus and its surrounding community grow up and blossom into beautiful and respectful women. To the young women whose lives she has touched, she is also known as a second mom, a big sister and – more importantly - a friend.  Ms. Flowers is the proud mother of Darryl.

Ismay Griffith
Carnarsie

Ismay Griffith, who hails from Guyana, is a licensed clinical social worker and an ordained minister who has worked in the field of child welfare in New York City for more than 25 years.  After twenty years at MercyFirst , she accepted a position there as Vice President for the Foster Boarding Home Program. Ms. Griffith was honored by the New York State Foster and Adoptive Parent Association for her work with foster parents.  In 2003, she co-founded the Caribbean-American Social Workers Association (CASWA) and served as its President for the first five years. CASWA’s mission is to promote the professional development of Caribbean-American social workers, as well as other social work providers.  She is currently employed as a Child Welfare Trainer with the New York City Children’s Services and also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Empire State College.  Ms. Griffith has earned Master’s Degrees in the fields of Sociology and Social Work and has completed graduate study in Family Relations and Child Development.  In her words, “My family is important to me, having been a single parent and having educated my two children who have been successful in their careers.” One is a medical doctor and the other an audiologist and speech pathologist. She resides in Canarsie.

Amy Cohen
Carroll Gardens

Amy Cohen feels fortunate to be teaching hearing-impaired children at the Hearing Education Services. As a teacher, she has found that many kids with learning disabilities do not have the esteem that they deserve and as a result turn to substance abuse. She devotes her time to counseling them. During the last five years, Ms. Cohen has volunteered at the homeless shelter at the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue.  She has been a PTA President at her daughter's Middle School. She ran a half-marathon to raise money for children with cancer and has several rescue dogs. Ms. Cohen and her husband reside in Carroll Gardens and are proud parents of three wonderful children. Her husband is an architect who builds homes for low-income families. Her thirteen brothers and sisters-in-law (two of whom are priests) are all in careers which are service-oriented.

Bazah Roohi
Coney Island

Pakistani-born Bazah Roohi is a powerful advocate for social change and a strong voice in the global fight against human rights abuses. She is the president and founder of the American Council of Minority Women (ACMW). ACMW was established in July 2005 for the empowerment, development, protection and promotion of human rights of women in the United States, particularly in the state of New York. It is the first Pakistani-American organization in the U.S. that focuses on human rights abuses in Pakistan. Members of the ACMW have led rallies in New York and Washington, D.C. to protest the regime of General Pervez Musharraf. They have also arranged many symposia and seminars to increase awareness of gender apartheid and gendercide in Pakistan and to shine the light on the oppression of human rights of the Pakistani people.  ACMW has established the Adult Literacy Center in Brooklyn, which has enabled 26 women to read and write. Since moving to the U.S. in 1998, Ms. Roohi has developed close connections with several women’s rights and human rights organizations, as well as Pakistan-based organizations including: Aurat Foundation, Human Rights Commission for Pakistan, War Against Rape, and Synergy.  She has also developed networks with South Asian and Muslim domestic violence organizations including: Anaa, Equality Now and Girls Learn International.  Ms. Roohi lives in Coney Island.

Margarette D. Tropnas
East Flatbush

Haitian-born Margarette D. Tropnas has dedicated herself to making a difference through social work and her commitment to the Caribbean community. She is currently the Program Director at Community Counseling and Mediation (CCM) Preventive Services Program.  CCM is a community-based, non-profit organization with staff dedicated to providing an array of culturally sensitive and highly effective services to immigrant families and individuals since 1982. Ms. Tropnas has also been active in issues pertaining to the Caribbean community, including the advancement of multiculturalism in neighborhood schools and ready access by Creole speakers in social service delivery. Prior to joining CCM in 2008, she had worked at the Flatbush Haitian Center for twenty years providing various services to the Haitian community. She is a former Associate Adjunct Professor at NYU’s School of Social Work.  She has earned her certification in such areas as field work instruction, substance abuse, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect prevention, stress management, parenting skills, HIV/AIDS, adolescent pregnancy prevention and cultural diversity. Ms. Tropnas is the recipient of the 100 Haitian Women of Distinction Award and the City of New York Proclamation for her services in the community given by the City Council Office. She graduated from SUNY, Stony Brook, where she was awarded a B.S. in Psychology.  In 1989, she earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from New York University. She lives in East Flatbush with her spouse, Cherimond, and their two daughters - Lindsay, 18 and Melissa, 16. 

Nancy Carbone
Red Hook

Nancy Carbone is a wife and mother of two who runs Friends of Firefighters, a nonprofit counseling center that counsels and cares for New York City firefighters. She was one of thousands of New Yorkers who flooded into their neighborhood New York City firehouses on the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2001, offering to help in any way they could. Nancy found a bugler to play at a funeral, then doves, next bunting for a memorial service and even sought therapists for those in need.  She went to funerals “almost every day for as long as I can remember.”  Over time, the men and women of the New York City Fire Department came to trust and rely on her commitment of outreach. In January 2002, a firefighter asked Ms. Carbone about finding a place where the firefighters could go to relax, to talk about their problems, and to escape the often maddening grief that for some their own firehouses represented. By March, she had secured a storefront on Columbia Street in Red Hook. "They gave it to us for free for the first year," she said.  She funded the center with her own money, and when that ran out, grants and donations kept the center open. Ms. Carbone has received numerous awards including the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the FDNY Columbia Association and the Dedicated Service Award from the Uniformed Firefighters Association. For more information about Friends of Firefighters, click http://www.friendsoffirefighters.org.  She and her family reside in Red Hook.

Margaret Cusack
Boerum Hill

Margaret Cusack was born in Chicago and moved to New York in 1959.  She resides in a nineteenth-century Brooklyn brownstone with her husband, Frank, and she has been an active force in her community since she and her husband first purchased their home in 1973.  Ms. Cusack was one of the original creators of the Hoyt Street Garden, which is now 35 years old.  She served as president of the Hoyt Street Association for many years and has organized countless fund-raising events as well as a myriad of community activities, from the annual Holiday Dinner, to Stories in the Garden and neighborhood caroling.   Whether playing an integral role in community events or simply greeting passersby with a friendly “hello,”  Ms. Cusack has played a huge part in making her Boerum Hill neighborhood what it is today.

Deb Howard
Fort Greene

Deb Howard is the Executive Director of the Pratt Area Community Council (PACC), a community-based organization serving the Central Brooklyn neighborhoods of Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights and Bedford Stuyvesant.  Ms. Howard began her career in community development as a VISTA Volunteer in Chicago in the early 1970s .  In 2002, she became PACC’s Housing Director, overseeing PACC’s affordable housing projects, and she was promoted to Executive Director in 2004.  PACC manages a portfolio of 67 buildings and has developed 22 affordable housing projects.  PACC focuses on five program areas: home owner and homebuyer services, community and tenant organizing, lead poisoning prevention, economic development and commercial revitalization, and support services for persons living with HIV/AIDS.  Ms. Howard serves on the Boards of the Association of Neighborhood Housing Developers and South Brooklyn Legal Services.  She has served on Mayor Bloomberg’s Neighborhood Initiatives Advisory Panel, the steering committees of New Yorkers for Responsible Lending and the Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods. Since 1974, Ms. Howard has resided in Fort Greene with her spouse Jerry and daughter Emily.

Laurel O. Fraser
East Flatbush

Laurel Fraser, now retired from her position as Deputy Director for Early Childhood Education at the New York City Department of Education, calls two places home:  East Flatbush, Brooklyn, and Grand Cayman. Ms. Fraser holds a Master’s Degree in Education Administration from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and Spanish from Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  Her extensive work in Early Childhood Education spans more than thirty-five years. Throughout her career, Ms. Fraser has remained steadfast in her passion and love for children and her concern for the well-being of families.  She is committed to supporting the professional development of staff in meeting established standards of excellence in Early Childhood Education.  Ms. Fraser is the proud mother of two sons: Kwesi and Omar.  Her pride and joy is her one-year-old granddaughter, Kai Laurel Fraser, who is responsible for Laurel’s move to Grand Cayman, where Laurel is currently hard at work planning the opening of an Early Childhood Center called The Launch Pad Enrichment Center.