Alumni and Local Leaders Recognized for Contributions to College and Community
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — MAR. 29, 2024 — The Dutchess Community College Foundation’s annual Our Community’s Bridge to the Future gala will be held on Saturday, April 6 at 6 p.m. at The Grandview in Poughkeepsie. The event will honor the 2024 Alumni Hall of Fame inductees and recipients of two awards for outstanding service to the College and community respectively. The Foundation provides more than $800,000 annually to DCC to support student scholarships, emergency grant needs, student technology and other educational initiatives.
Esteemed lawyer John Genovese and retired Vassar Dean Edward Pittman will be inducted into the DCC Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. Geraldine Laybourne and DAY ONE Learning Community will receive the College’s Bridge to the Future Award, and Brian Doyle will receive the Bernard Handel Community Leadership Award.
Genovese (’74) earned his A.A.S. in Retail Business Management with honors at DCC before transferring to Siena College where he graduated magna cum laude with his bachelor’s in 1976. In 1979, he earned his juris doctorate from Ohio Northern University (ONU) College of Law. He has had a distinguished law career, and has earned numerous awards for his accomplishments, including an honorary Master of Laws degree from ONU.
Longtime Poughkeepsie resident and community service member, Pittman (’80) graduated from DCC’s honors program, going on to earn his bachelor’s in sociology (Vassar College), master’s in education (SUNY New Paltz) and doctorate in higher education management (University of Pennsylvania). The focus of his long and impressive career in education has been on improving diversity, equity and inclusion. Among his many contributions are his development of the first diversity recruitment initiative at DCC and his service as the founding director of the ALANA Cultural Center at Vassar College.
Once the President of Nickelodeon and Disney-ABC Cable Networks, Laybourne has a long entrepreneurship career and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2020. Laybourne has been a longtime advocate for women and children and co-founded DAY ONE Early Learning Community, an early childhood education group in Poughkeepsie.
Brian Doyle served as the CEO of Family Services for 11 years before his retirement in 2023. During this time, Doyle led the company to grow and expand into behavioral health and community programs. He has worked in the human services industry for 50 years with multiple nonprofits in the Hudson Valley, along with volunteer efforts in his town of Poughkeepsie.
Lead gala sponsors include Bonura Hospitality Group, iHeart Media, Michael Dupree & Michael Fleischer, Pepsi-Cola of the Hudson Valley, Royal Carting Service Company, Nuvance Health, Hudson Valley Credit Union, and Hudson Valley Hospice.
Tickets are $225 per person. For more information, visit www.sunydutchess.edu/gala or contact Burnelle Roser at (845) 431-8402.
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Founded in 1957, Dutchess Community College is a two-year community college that has earned a reputation for providing an outstanding education at the lowest tuition in New York state. The College currently has four locations including its main campus in Poughkeepsie, DCC @ Fishkill, DCC @ HVR Airport, and DCC @ the Partnership. For more information visit www.sunydutchess.edu.