Town Honors Exceptional Residents at Special ‘Women of Distinction’ Ceremony
Honorees from Farmingdale, Jericho, Syosset, Massapequa, Bethpage, Muttontown, Oyster Bay and Plainview
Oyster Bay, NY – Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino and the Town Board recently held a special ceremony to recognize exceptional women who have significantly impacted their communities. This year’s ‘Women of Distinction’ ceremony awarded several individuals who live and work throughout the Town of Oyster Bay.
Supervisor Saladino stated, “These extraordinary individuals all have something special about them that deserves recognition. While they all have different outstanding qualities that make our Women of Distinction Committee members select them as honorees, they all have one thing in common – these women all do what they do without the expectation of any recognition.”
Councilwoman Johnson, Chairperson of the Women of Distinction Committee, added “Our committee had a particularly difficult task of narrowing down the nominees this year. The honorees selected should take pride in their great achievements as they are true role models in their various fields and communities.”
HONOREES:
Laura Escobar of Oyster Bay – Laura is involved in several local civic and charitable organizations. As a member of the YOLO Strong Foundation, based here in Oyster Bay, Laura joins with other strong women who have the passion, determination and unwavering ambition to give back and make a meaningful impact. These amazing women have made such an impact on the lives of many sick children and their families, through fundraising and hosting events to raise money to help those in need. Further helping her community, Laura is also an active leader in the Boys and Girl Scouts organizations and the local civic association. Her new business in downtown Oyster Bay also helps connect local artisans and brings in tourism through a monthly market. Laura’s various involvements always help bring others together and create a true sense of community.
Uzma Syed of Syosset – Uzma’s involvement in her community consists of bringing people closer together. Very active in the Syosset School District, Dr. Syed is a member of the PTA and involved in various school events and programs. Further assisting young people reach their goals, Uzma runs the non-profit Align-US organization, which helps mentor high school students. Through this program, students have the opportunity to bridge from the classroom into real world experiences. They are immersed in one-on-one experiences with professionals in many fields and industries, such as health care, business and technology. She also participates in many interfaith activities, including the Jewish-Muslim teen dialogue, helping to teach the importance of tolerance and acceptance. A medical doctor, as well as mom and business owner, Uzma is an inspirational role model for young women, as well as all who have benefitted from her great community involvement.
Misha Khan –Plainview-Old Bethpage teacher – A 7th grade teacher at Plainvew-Old Bethpage Middle School, Misha goes above and beyond her position as an educator to encourage and inspire her students. Among the many inspiring projects she’s undertaken with her students, one that particularly stands out is that she raised thousands of dollars to have a well built in South Sudan, which brings clean water to thousands of people. This is one example of how she has inspired both students and teachers and instilled a love of learning and benevolence in her classroom. After the pandemic hit, Misha furthered her efforts to help others by initiating a non-profit called Long Island Helpers, which helps ensure that those impacted by COVID-19 are able to provide food for their families. They have assisted single mothers in shelters, domestic abuse survivors, struggling immigrant families and those impacted by illness – and have already assisted more than 1,000 families.
Janice Seaman of Oyster Bay Cove – Janice has long been involved in the organization SCO Family of Services, based in Sea Cliff. This organizations helps embolden local communities to support family life and personal well-being, providing everyone with the opportunity to succeed. Janice’s involvement furthers their mission to build a strong foundation for the future, helping young people and strengthening families. Janice has organized and is a major contributor to the ‘Fun Fund,’ which holds several events for local handicapped children and ensures they can celebrate holidays with customary traditions. She is also a counselor for the Life Center, an organization which assists pregnant women in need, and participates in Champions for Charity. Simply put, Janice is someone that puts the needs of those less fortunate first and is truly an inspiration.
Kathleen Kalt of Massapequa Park – Kathleen has proudly served her community as a fifth generation member of the NYPD. Kathleen became a staple for the Towers of Freedom Monument organization, a group which formed to help memorialize those who were lost in the events of September 11, as well as fallen members of our military in the subsequent war on terror. The Towers of Freedom Monument stands proudly at John Burns Park as an important reminder that freedoms are never free and of the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform. Kathleen is also involved in the Long Island Shields Organization, a group comprised of and in support of local police officers. Throughout her community involvement, as well as her professional work, Kathleen always puts others before herself and acts as a role model for others.
Carol McGrorty of Bethpage – Carol has been an inspiration for the youth of our community for many years. As a coach and active member of the Long Island Junior Soccer League, she has helped train young players with her avid proficiency and high skill of the game. Her teams have won sportsmanship awards and consistently advanced in the sport. More importantly, Carol has instilled a strong sense of teamwork and mutual respect for players, giving them not only a love of the game but the deep satisfaction of seeing the rewards that come from working together. The invaluable life lessons she’s taught have impacted countless young people in our community and her dedication is evident both on and off the field.
Barbara Russo of Massapequa – Barbara has impacted the local community in many ways. As a member and current president of the Board of Directors for YES Community Counseling Center, Barbara has helped thousands of young people struggling with drug addiction. She has empowered countless young people with the tools for success and bettered their mental health. She has volunteered her time in various ways, whether it be at the Sunday School offered through her church, the Ashely Rose Foundation which focuses on research and education related to Spina Bifida, her local civic association, or as a troop leader for girl scouts. During Super Storm Sandy, Barbara helped start a Disaster Relief Center, coordinating cleanups and providing concrete resources to south shore communities. She is a role model who unselfishly gives of her time and talents for the benefit of others.
Cindi St. George of Massapequa – Cindi is well-known in her hometown for her tremendous support of the school district. She is someone who has been an integral part of the community, by continuously contributing her time and efforts to children and their parents. She promotes child advancement in the school system, is involved in countless school programs and is also an integral part of the PTA. Currently a co-president of the executive board of the PTA at her local Unqua Elementary School, Cindi has continued the school’s longstanding tradition of going far beyond the routine in order to achieve truly superior results. Cindi’s great involvement in making the education experience better for our young people is reflected in the school’s motto, “Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow.” Well Cindi’s leadership both today and tomorrow serves as an example to us all.
Gina Bajaj of Hicksville – Gina is a practicing optometrist, one that goes out of her way to assist and guide patients that are dealing with vision loss or vision issues. She spent multiple hours volunteering in her quest to become a medical professional – all of which helped to benefit those in need. She has performed vision screenings in shelters, spent time coordinating fundraising and charity walks, spent time with elderly patients at nursing homes – all while completing her doctorate in one of the top optometry colleges in the nation. Gina is not only a consummate professional, but she is a natural leader. And we’re sure she’s just getting started, and will motivate other young women to do the same.
Shanon Tranchina of Massapequa Park – Shanon is an avid community activist. In addition to being immersed in events in her local village of Massapequa Park, Shanon is heavily involved in her local school district. A mother of three young children, Shanon is very active in the education system. She is currently the president of the PTA at McKenna Elementary School in Massapequa, in addition to serving as recording secretary of the Massapequa Elementary Council of PTAs. As if all this doesn’t keep her busy enough, especially with three young children at home, Shanon and her family were thrown into a crazy time in 2017 when their daughter, Quinn, was diagnosed with leukemia at the early age of just 4. Truly acting as an inspiration to others, Shanon and her family have used the experience to help work with charities and raise awareness about the world of pediatric cancer – as the condition is more prevalent than most realize and yet pediatric cancer research only receives 4 percent of funding.
Samina Subzwari of Muttontown – Samina’s vast community involvement stems from her great desire to help others. She has volunteered at local assisted living centers, leading weekend school at a local community center for women and children, and assists those with hardships through donations of food, clothing and finances. As a volunteer with the ICNA, Samina helps provide religious education to women in the community. Through this organization, she has helped respond to the growing need for a supportive Muslim community and enriching its values. Samina is recognized as a selfless individual who inspires women to help one another.
Kim Melkun of Farmingdale – An avid hockey fan – particularly a NY Rangers fan – Kim created and oversees a ticket exchange program for sports enthusiasts who may not be able to otherwise purchase tickets for these events. Since the pandemic began just a few months ago, Kim spearheaded the non-profit ‘Cover Your Faceoff’ – whose main objective is to produce and distribute face masks to essential employees across the world who are in need. Because the team that works with her on this initiative was built on a foundation of die-hard hockey fans, they have collected hundreds of Rangers t-shirts and produced masks that have been sold to fans. This has allowed them to donate at a one to one ratio – for every mask sold, one mask is donated to an essential employee.
Dr. Pamela Beth Wasserman of Jericho – Dr. Wasserman is an active member of the Jericho community and has been involved in the local school system for many years. By day, she is a licensed clinical psychologist who assists families, groups and individuals through various practices. Outside of her impressive career, Dr. Wasserman can be found at school and community events, always supporting students and residents in her community. She recently began her second term as a member of the Jericho Board of Education, furthering on her efforts to make an impactful difference. As a board member, her focus is advancing the board’s work on safety, mental health and emotional well-being, as well as the importance of respecting different world views and maintaining an open dialogue within the diverse Jericho community.
Patti Wukovits of Massapequa Park – Patti is a registered nurse and meningitis advocate who lost her 17-year-old daughter Kimberly to Meningitis B in 2012. After her daughter’s passing, she created the Kimberly Coffey Foundation to improve awareness of bacterial meningitis and the two vaccines available to help prevent it. As the foundation’s executive director, Patti speaks at various medical conferences, colleges and high schools both locally and throughout the country to educate people about the condition and its symptoms, transmission and the importance of prevention. Most recently, she co-founded the Meningitis B Action Project, a nationwide disease awareness and advocacy initiative. As a result of her efforts as part of the Project, Meningitis B educational materials are being used to educate patients in 3,000+ doctor’s offices and examination rooms, as well as hundreds of schools and colleges across the country.
Rachel Margolin of Massapequa Park – Rachel is an inspiring young woman and at just 22 years of age, has impacted the lives of countless children in need. As a teenager still in high school, Rachel launched an organization called Royal Events Princess Parties, a company she fully created and ran out of her own home. Royal Events provides princess characters for parties and events all over Long Island – and many of their engagements involve working with local charities to visit with children who are ill or otherwise in need. Rachel not only created and runs this company, she also transforms into several favorite fairy tale characters. In addition, she does all the preparation, any necessary hiring, booking and costume maintenance for each and every event. And while every entrepreneur wants to see their business succeed, Rachel’s greatest reward is seeing the expression on children’s faces when they see and get to interact with their favorite princess. She is literally making dreams come true.
Kerry Wachter of Massapequa – Kerry has been volunteering in her hometown of Massapequa for over a decade. After first joining the PTA, she quickly became an integral part of the organization and is always looking for ways to improve and streamline procedures. She is someone who has always strived to improve upon local schools and recently took the reins as president of the Massapequa Board of Education. Kerry has given so much of her time and talent to the students of her community, and is determined to provide every child in the district with the best experience possible.
Gene Mazzara of Bethpage – Mrs. Mazzara is a woman pioneer in so many ways and has exemplified what it means to be a modern women way ahead of her time. In 1942, she graduated from RIT, which was very unusual for a woman to do at that time. Just 10 years later, she opened an insurance and real estate business where she was equal partner with her husband, also unusual for the time. When they sold their business, Gene went back to Old Westbury to make her degree from RIT into a BA – which she then used to work at an insurance personnel company. She worked for that company until she was 90 years of age. Mrs. Mazzara has been involved in the Bethpage Against Drug Abuse organization, Family and Children’s House, and has even volunteered on a weekly basis for a homebound senior woman who lives in her community.
Dolores Genovese of Massapequa – Dolores has been a resident of Massapequa since 1940 and has always showed a great love for her community. She taught in the Massapequa school system for 29 years, and became an active volunteer after retirement. She has touched the lives of countless students and children in need. For 20 years she volunteered her time to tutor elementary aged children and she has served as Chairlady of the Child Welfare Group of the Women’s Club of Massapequa. Through this group, funds are raised to assist needy families in our community who are experiencing temporary financial hardship. She has also volunteered at the INN soup kitchen for many years, has partnered with her school district and YES Community Counseling Center to identify and assist children and families with hardships.