board of trustees

wylene wood

Wylene Branton Wood is a lifelong educator, who as a teacher and volunteer has involved herself in activities to promote education, social justice and equality. Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Wylene grew up in a family and a community involved in calling for justice and battling segregation. She spent her teen years in Atlanta, Georgia, and in Washington, DC.

She received her bachelor’s degree from Spelman College in Atlanta in 1971 and a graduate degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. She taught in Chicago and in the public schools of Los Angeles before teaching English composition and literature courses for the Los Angeles Community College District, where she achieved the rank of professor during her ten years there. In 1986, she joined the faculty at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD, and upon moving to New Jersey in 1987, worked for the Mt. Olive School District, where she taught language arts until her retirement in 2004.

Since 2006 she has served as the President of the African American Historical Society of Rockland County. Also in 2006, she served as Co-Chair of the Amistad Project, a highly successful initiative that brought the Freedom Schooner Amistad to Rockland County and provided educational, cultural and historic experiences for hundreds of Rocklanders of all ages, races, and ethnicities. In 2009 and 2010 she coordinated the “A Mighty River” programs. These programs presented little known information about the social and economic contributions of peoples of the African Diaspora to the development of towns along the Lower Hudson River and were designed to enlighten all Rocklanders but especially school children in grades 6-11. The Amistad and the “A Mighty River” events were joint projects of the African American Historical Society of Rockland County, The CEJJES Institute, and the Spring Valley NAACP along with major support from Rockland Community College.

Wylene is also Secretary of the Board of Directors of VCS, Inc. (Volunteer Counseling Service), and a member of the Board of Governors of the Summit Park Hospital and Nursing Center. In addition to being a member of both the Spring Valley and Nyack NAACP organizations, she also is a former member of the Board of United Hospice of Rockland, where she still co-chairs the African Partnership Initiative that provides support for a similar agency in rural South Africa.

She has been a featured speaker for numerous events and organizations as well, including the Morris County (NJ) NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner, Church of the Redeemer (Episcopal) Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration (Morristown, NJ), Nyack College’s Social Justice Luncheon, the American Association of University Women’s Diversity Brunch, and Harvard Divinity School and the Charles Hamilton Houston Society of Harvard Law School’s Justice Program for African American History Month 2010. A poet and writer, she has had work appearing in publications of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus Spouses Organization, and LEADS, The Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement of Spelman College. She has been recognized by several organizations for her efforts on behalf of citizens of Rockland County. She and her husband Cliff have four grown children, two grandchildren, and two canines.

drusilla kinzonzi

Drusilla Marie Kinzonzi is employed by the East Ramapo Central School District as an 8th Grade English Teacher. She is an alumna of Brooklyn College where she earned a BA degree in Elementary Education, an MS in Reading, and a Professional Diploma in Administration and Supervision/School District Administration. She is also licensed as an English Language Arts Teacher for grades 7-12.

She is a dramatist, Toastmaster, and author of the self-published children’s book, What Kwanzaa Means to Me, and her One-Woman’s Show “A Tribute to Education,” which she debuted at the Billy Holiday Theater in Brooklyn, New York.

From 1978 through 1980 she served as the talent coordinator of the Annual Kwanzaa Celebration at Harlem Hospital. From 1994-1998, she was the Coordinating Faculty Advisor for the Student Council to Mayor R. Giuliani.

Her awards and citations include the following: Appreciation Award – Nyack Branch N.A.A. C.P. (2010); Dr. Edmund W. Gordon and Dr. Susan Gordon Community Service Award (2010); Toastmasters International Competent Communicator Recognition (2009); Torch of Enlightenment Award – National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. (2009); Appreciation of Service Award – Chestnut Ridge Middle School (2007); Outstanding Leadership in Education Award – Delta Pi Chapter Citation (2006); Women’s History Month Recognition Award – Association of Black Educators of New York (2002); Unsung Heroine Award – Community School District 23, NYC Board of Education (1994); Meritorious and Outstanding Community Service Award El Hajj Malik Shabazz Parade and Celebration Committee (1994); Exceptional Meritorious Woman Award – New York State Association of Ministers’ Wives & Widow Association(1994); Teacher of the Year Award– San Bernardino Unified School District, San Bernardino, CA (1982); Best Supporting Actress Award – California’s Inland Empire Association (1983), for her role as Beneatha in stage production of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry.

Organizations and Affiliations: Life Member and Eastern Regional Director of the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc.; Executive Advisor of Epsilon Chi Chapter; Founder of the Annual “King For A Day” oratorical contest; Founding member and secretary of the Rockland Association of Black School Educators; Member and Usher at Christian Faith Fellowship Family Church in Middletown, NY.

Drusilla and her husband, Kinzonzi Manitou, reside in Monroe, NY; they are the proud parents of five adult children and Ma’Dear & Pa’Dear to nine wonderful grandchildren.

dana stilley

A faithful, and energetic leader, committed to excellence are words that have been used to describe Dana Greene Stilley. Dana attributes it all to the grace of God, and a loving family – immediate and extended – that consistently provide strength and support. Born and raised in Rockland County, New York, Dana graduated from Tappan Zee High School. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and then attended The Columbia Graduate School of Business where she earned a Masters of Business Administration degree in Finance and Management Science.

Dana began her professional career as an account executive at Merrill Lynch. Over the years her career flourished, and she was promoted to various executive positions within Merrill Lynch Global Markets & Investment Banking Division. In 2000 Dana was promoted to Director, a position she maintained until retiring from Wall Street after 18 years of service in 2003.

Dana was born and raised in Rockland County, and has been an active member of the community her entire life. She is a member of the Rockland County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the Nyack branch of the NAACP. Additionally she serves as the Vice-President of the Head Start of Rockland Board of Directors. Dana is a member of St. Charles A.M.E. Zion Church where she serves on the Trustee Board. Dana is currently employed by Rockland Community College. Her hobbies include gardening, and knitting.

dr. lisa schachter

Dr. Lisa Schachter currently serves as an Associate Professor of Nursing at Rockland Community College and is also a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner at Neighborhood and Family Health Center Clinic in the South Bronx. Schachter’s responsibilities at RCC include teaching both in the classroom and clinical setting, while also serving on committees such as the Community Involvement Committee, the African American History Month Committee, and Program Outcomes Committee. As an FNP-C, she practices medicine within the scope of license in New York and New Jersey, being credentialed and trained in accordance with current standards of care, demonstrating the ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate individual patient care appropriate to the age of patients.

Her Active Involvement with the AAHSRC includes being co-secretary from 2012- present. Her past contributions include volunteering and being co-chair for the African American History Month Committee at Rockland Community College featuring the Smithsonian Institute Indivisible Art Display, the Gospel Concert, and collaborating with the CEJJES Institute for A Mighty River – A Celebration of the Economic Contributions of the African Diaspora along the Hudson River.

Research: Dr. Schachter conducted a Feasibility Project with colleague for a Pilot Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Residency Program in Long Term Care. Study completion date: November 30, 2012.

Dr. Schachter is active in the Rockland County community. She serves on the Board of Directors of the African American Historical Society of Rockland County, New York. On a national level, she serves as a site evaluator for the Accreditation for the Commission in Nursing Education (ACEN) and is a member of Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing, New York State Nurses Association: District # 17 and the National League of Nursing. She has been a volunteer and supporter of the American Heart Association, People to People Food Drive, United Way of Rockland and Adopt a Road Clean up campaigns.

Dr. Lisa Schachter earned a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (2013-DNP) from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, a Masters in Science of Nursing from Columbia University School of Nursing (2002-MSN/FNP), a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Dominican College (1999-BSN) and an Associate in Applied Science (1996-A.A.S) from Rockland Community College. She was also the recipient of the 40 Under 40 Recognition Award from the Rockland County Economic Development Center in 2006.

dr. arlene clinkscale

Dr. Arlene Clinkscale is the first African American woman in New York State to lead a school district. Dr. Clinkscale has distinguished herself in the field of education since 1950. She came to Rockland County in 1960 after ten years of teaching elementary school in Virginia. She taught in Pearl River and Spring Valley for six years before assuming a series of senior administrative positions in the East Ramapo and Nyack Central School districts, rising to the rank of district superintendent in Nyack in 1981. She served as principal for Englewood Public Schools in addition to assistant superintendent and acting superintendent. Her most recent position in the public school system was in Roslyn, Long Island, where she served as Educational Consultant for Minority Affairs.

In addition to her public school service, Dr. Clinkscale taught as an adjunct faculty member of the City University of New York. Dr. Clinkscale earned a B.S. from Hampton Institute in Hampton, VA, as well as a Masters degree and professional diploma from Teachers College, Columbia University. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkhill, where she served on the Board of Trustees.

Dr. Clinkscale was appointed in April 2004 by the Rockland County Legislature to the Rockland Community College’s Board of Trustees, to serve the unexpired term of a former trustee. In 2005, Dr. Clinkscale was reappointed by the Rockland County Legislature to serve a full five-year term from July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2010. The RCC Board elected Dr. Clinkscale as Chair in June 2005. She was re-elected three times to this post in 2006, 2008 and in September 2012, serving each term for two years.

In 2010, the Rockland County Legislature reappointed Dr. Clinkscale to the RCC Board of Trustees to serve another five-year term, which will expire on June 30, 2015.

jamila brathwaite

Jamila Brathwaite is a public historian, project consultant and curator. She has worked with the African American Historical Society of Rockland County for a number of years on projects, which seek to uncover the hidden history of the people of the African Diaspora in the Hudson Valley. Jamila has also taught pluralism and diversity, history and communication courses at SUNY Rockland Community College. She is a graduate of Western Michigan University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication Arts and Sciences and a Master of Arts in History from The City College of New York.

Jamila Brathwaite has been the curator of several historical exhibits including, Hillburn: Africana History within the Ramapo Pass; Before Mr. Marshall Came to Hillburn: The Quest for Equal Opportunity in Education; From Slavery to Freedom and The Mighty River: The Economic Contributions of the African Diaspora along the Hudson River a as well as many others.

Over the years, the Town of Ramapo African Twinning Committee, Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc., Rockland Alumnae Chapter and National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Epsilon Chi Chapter have recognized Jamila Brathwaite’s contributions to the community. She is also a Board Member of the African American Historical Society of Rockland County, the oldest organization in the area dedicated to the preservation of local African American history.

Ms. Brathwaite is currently researching the history of Greenwich Village residents of African descent in addition to her work concerning African Americans in Rockland County, New York. She has presented her findings regarding "Little Africa," a Black community, which flourished during the 19th century in New York City’s Greenwich Village to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. She also contributed to the book chapter, "The Bohemians' Neighbors" in The Village: 400 Years of Beats and Bohemians, Radicals and Rogues, a History of Greenwich Village by John Strausbaugh.

Ms. Brathwaite enjoys living in beautiful Rockland County with her husband, daughter and two frisky cats.

gerald mcCarthy

In Vietnam Gerald learned about racism when some crackers in his outfit burned a cross in front of one of the African American medic’s tent. This event changed him more than what he saw in the war itself. When he came home from the war, Newark was on fire. Gerald was discharged the day Dr. Martin Luther King was buried.

After undergraduate school and then the Iowa Writers Workshop, the poet Dave Kelly got him involved in teaching a creative writing workshop inside Attica Prison. He spent almost three years teaching at Attica and it was a defining moment in his life.

Gerald’s books include: War Story (1977), Shoetown (1992), and Trouble Light (West End Press, 2008). Poetry, fiction, reportage and criticism have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies including the recent The New Anthology of American Poetry: Vol. III: Postmodernisms 1950-Present edited by Steven Gould Axelrod (Rutgers University Press-2012), American War Poetry and Dismantling Glory (Columbia University Press), From Both Sides Now (Scribner’s), and A New Geography of Poets.

He is currently at work on a new collection of poetry and in the final edit and revision of a personal memoir as well as a book-length study of Home and Homecoming in African American Literature. This summer he was one of 23 college and university professors (selected from over 100 applicants) to participate in a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute on African American History and Culture in the Georgia Lowcountry at the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah, Georgia. In 2010 he was chosen for the Gilder Lehrman Institute on American Slavery at Yale University directed by David Blight. He has been a panelist for the NYS Foundation for the Arts Fellowships in Poetry and has twice served as judge for the Tillie Olsen Award from the Working Class Studies Association.

He lives in Nyack, NY with his wife Michele and their three sons.

Web page: http://geraldmccarthypoet.com/

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_McCarthy_%28poet%29

melissa roy

Melissa L. Roy, JD currently serves as the Director of Organizational & Staff Development at SUNY Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York. Ms. Roy’s responsibilities include serving as the College’s equal employment opportunity officer and accreditation liaison. In addition, she manages professional development opportunities for the College’s faculty and offers professional development opportunities to the College’s staff in collaboration with Human Resources. She previously practiced corporate and securities law at the law firms of Hogan & Hartson LLP in both its Washington, DC and New York offices; Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan in its Washington, DC office; and Goodwin, Procter & Hoar LLP in its Boston, Massachusetts office.

Ms. Roy is active in the Rockland County community. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Rockland Negro Scholarship Fund and the American Heart Association (Tri County NY Region); and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She has been a volunteer and supporter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the American Cancer Society, Keep Rockland Beautiful’s Adopt a Highway program and the Salvation Army.

Ms. Roy earned a Juris Doctorate (1993) from Boston University School of Law and Bachelor of Arts degree (1989) from Tufts University. She was selected as a member of the Leadership Rockland Class of 2007 and Rockland County’s Forty under 40 (2005).

rev. louis sanders

Rev. Louis E. Sanders was born and reared in Plymouth, North Carolina. As a youngster, Rev. Sanders was very active in the Mt. Hebron A.M.E. Zion Church. He is a graduate of A & T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina, receiving a B.S. degree in Social Science. While attending North Carolina A & T, he participated in the Civil Rights movement of the 60’s and was arrested for demonstrating against segregated public accommodations in Greensboro. After graduating from A & T, Rev. Sanders taught for a while in the Sarah Lawrence College Upward Board Program, and the Harlem Haryou Acts Program. Upon learning these programs he became employed by the Marian Anderson High School in Camden, North Carolina, where he coached basketball championship teams. Later he moved on to Camden County High School where he was the first and only black teacher for two years.

He came to New York in 1968 and was immediately hired by the Tuckahoe Board of Education in Eastchester, New York. Here he taught Social Studies and served as the Chairperson of the Department, having taught for over 30 years. Rev. Sanders received his M.A. and M.S. degree from the City University of New York and his Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary.

Rev. Sanders began his ministry in 1970, having preached his trial sermon at Greater Centennial A.M.E. Zion Church, Mount Vernon, New York. He served as Assistant Minister at Greater Centennial A.M.E. Zion Church where he also did his field placement for theological studies; Associate Minister at Institutional A.M.E. Zion Church, Yonkers, New York; and Assistant Minister at Greater Hood Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in New York City.

In the course of his assignment at McGuire Air Force Base, Chaplain Sanders served as the interim pastor of the Gospel Service, acting Senior Protestant Chaplain, and Wing Chaplain. His gift of effective leadership positively influenced the chapel staff and base community during Operational Readiness Exercises and active duty chaplain’s deployments. As the Senior IMA chaplain, he systematically developed the training for IMA chaplains and chaplain assistants, so that “at anytime, any place” they would be prepared to serve. He served at Langley Air Force Base, Wilford Hall, Liaison Officer for the Air Force Academy, and McGuire Air Force Base. In 1989, he received the Distinguished Meritorious Service Air Force Award. In 1993, he was the recipient of the Three Oak Cluster Distinguished Air Force Award for outstanding support services during Operation Desert Shield and Storm. He has received two Air Force Commendation awards, African Heritage award, and numerous others. Chaplain Sanders (Lieutenant Colonel) retired from the United States Air Force on July 1, 2003.

In 1981 he was appointed the Pastor of the St. Charles A.M.E. Zion Church by the late Bishop William Milton Smith, where he led the church in the construction of a new educational facility and the renovation of the sanctuary to the amount of a million dollars. Pastor Sanders developed the following programs at St. Charles: Reach Out Suburbia – which was a program designed to aid homeless children from Harlem in developing positive attitudes toward the life process. This was in conjunction with Abyssinian Baptist Church in Manhattan under the pastorate of the Rev. Calvin Butts. He also developed the S.A.T. Tutorial Program for minority students in Rockland County and, a Cultural Awareness Program for minority youth in Rockland County.

This Church, under his leadership, provides programs and activities regarding H1V/A1DS with on-site testing and educational programs relating to prevention and abstinence.

Rev. Sanders is instrumental in providing seminars on domestic violence, wellness, People-to-People Food ministry on a monthly basis, provides clothing to the New York City Bowery, as well as contributes to their Thanksgiving and Christmas projects. He holds seminars for the senior members of his congregation.

Rev. Sanders, and the St. Charles Church are fully involved in the community. Under his pastorate, the membership has increased significantly. Rev. Sanders encourages and welcomes the active participation of the young and the old in all its affairs. He seeks to enrich the lives of the larger community by offering cultural programs, as well as opportunities for participation in local civic affairs. Rev. Sanders and the St. Charles Church are an integral part of the Rockland County Community, offering all those who enter a full and meaningful religious experience. Along with his continued outreach and support of the community, he finds time to minister to the members of his church. The St. Charles Church thank God for his 31 years of leadership, caring, sharing and commitment to God and the Rockland County community.

willie j. trotman

Willie J. Trotman is a graduate of Carter-Parramore High School in Quincy, Florida. He is a Viet Nam Veteran and received his Bachelor’s Degree from Dominican College and his M.S. Degree from Long Island University.

Willie retired from Rockland Psychiatric Center as the Director of Multicultural Affairs. He is a member of the Dominican College Alumni Hall of Distinction, The Rockland County Civil Rights Hall of Fame, received the Buffalo Soldiers Award and is currently the President of the Spring Valley NAACP.