SUNY Ulster will host a Virtual Alumni Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to recognize six distinguished alumni for their educational and professional success and their community and public service on Thursday, September 24.
Sponsored by the Ulster Community College Foundation, Inc., the lecture can be viewed from any location with internet access at 5:30 p.m. through SUNY Ulster’s YouTube Channel and through a Facebook Watch Party.
The new inductees are Dr. Lynn May Brown, ’75, of Fanwood, N.J., Scott Davis, PE, ’91, of Stone Ridge, John A. DeGasperis, Esq., ’16, of Kingston, Robert R. Jacobsen, Esq., ’98, of Kingston, The Honorable Kenneth L. Ronk, Jr., ’06, of Wallkill, and Ambassador Beatrice Wilkinson Welters, ’72, of McLean, VA.
Dr. Lynn May Brown received her Associate in Arts in Liberal Arts: Math and Science from SUNY Ulster in 1975. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in Organic Chemistry from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California. Lynn is currently a Director of Regulatory Affairs of Biologics at Merck & Co., where she is responsible for development programs in oncology, rheumatology, and diabetes therapeutic areas. Prior to her current position at Merck & Co., Dr. Brown held director positions at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Schering-Plough, Inc., and Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Scott A. Davis, a graduate of Onteora High School, received his Associate in Science in Engineering Science from SUNY Ulster in 1991. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Founder of Peak Engineering, a civil/structural engineering firm in Stone Ridge, Mr. Davis has more than 25 years of experience in Structural Design and Analysis, and Civil Engineering. He is active in the Eastern New York Chapter of the Association for Bridge Construction and Design (ABCD), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and serves on the Ulster Community College Foundation Board of Directors.
John A. DeGasperis, a graduate of Kingston High School, received his Associate in Science: Individual Studies from SUNY Ulster. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Arts from SUNY Albany and his Juris Doctorate from Albany Law School. He currently practices personal injury and medical malpractice law at Basch & Keegan LLP, in Kingston, NY. Before joining Basch & Keegan, Mr. DeGasperis worked as a law clerk at the New York State Attorney General’s Office, and served as a judicial intern in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York. Mr. DeGasperis is a member and treasurer of the Ulster County Bar Association with service as past president, a member of the New York State Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the Capital District Trial Lawyers Association, the New York State Trial Lawyers Academy, the Knights of Columbus and the Ulster Community College Foundation Board of Directors.
Robert R. Jacobsen, a graduate of John A. Coleman High School, received his Associate in Science in Business Administration from SUNY Ulster in 1998. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the State University of New York at New Paltz, and his Juris Doctor from Western New England University School of Law. Mr. Jacobsen is admitted to practice law in the states of New York and Connecticut and has been a practicing attorney in the Hudson Valley for the past 15 years. Currently, Robert is a sole practitioner in his office, Robert R. Jacobsen Attorney at Law, specializing in real estate law. Robert also is a New York State licensed title insurance agent and owns The Title Service Company, which is an agent for a leading top national title underwriter Westcor Land Title Insurance Company, providing title insurance services throughout the Hudson Valley. A resident of Kingston, Mr. Jacobsen serves as a Board of Director on the Ulster Community College Foundation, Inc.
Kenneth J. Ronk, Jr. earned an Associate in Arts Degree in Liberal Arts: Humanities and Social Sciences in 2006 and was elected to the Ulster County Legislature while attending classes at SUNY New Paltz where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Political Science in 2007. Ken was one of the youngest Ulster County Legislators ever elected when he was sworn into office in 2008 and was elected Majority Leader in 2012. In 2016, Ken was elected as the youngest Chairman of the County Legislature where he spearheaded projects like the Restorative Justice and Community Empowerment Center and advanced local laws to expand and protect human rights at a local level. He continues his legislative leadership duties today as Legislative Minority Leader. His early career was in a family owned business, WCC Tank Technology, where he gained first-hand insights about the struggles of sustaining a small business in the Hudson Valley. He is currently the Director of Downstate Regional Services for New York State Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay. He serves as a volunteer with the Wallkill Ambulance Corps and the Wallkill Fire Department.
Beatrice Wilkinson Welters, former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago from May 2010 through November 2012, received an Associate in Arts Degree in Liberal Arts: Humanities and Social Sciences from SUNY Ulster in 1972. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts from Manhattanville College, and Master of Arts from the City University of New York. She also received an Honorary Doctorate from Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina in 2009. Mrs. Welters serves as the Founder and Co-Chair of the AnBryce Foundation, a foundation she established with her husband Anthony Welters (LAW ’77), Esq. in 1995 as a way to provide opportunities to underprivileged children. She established Camp Dogwood Summer Academy in 1996. In 1998, the mission of the foundation was further advanced through the creation of the AnBryce Scholars Program at NYU Law School. In 2004, the Welters founded a second organization to serve underserved youth, the Vincent Wilkinson Foundation. She serves on the board of the Brookings Institution and is a member of the Board of Visitors of Colin Powell’s School for Civic and Global Leadership and City College. She and her husband are recipients of the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service in recognition of their long-standing commitment to philanthropy. Mrs. Welters serves on the Perlmutter Cancer Center Board at NYU Langone Medical Center.
For information on the virtual ceremony, contact the President’s Office at (845) 687-5049.
September 23, 2020 – Stone Ridge
Arnaldo Sehwerert, Regional Director shares, “SBDC’s free business counseling services has provided much needed support to local entrepreneurs for 35 years, during good and bad times. And, SUNY Ulster continues to assist in this contribution to the wellness of the local economy.”
Sam Kandel’s client, Pine Ridge Dude Ranch, was awarded SBDC Tourism Business of the Year. Mike Offner, who took ownership of the ranch after its owner passed away suddenly worked closely with employees to bring the ranch back to life under the guidance of SBDC’s Sam Kandel. Sam Kandel notes, “Serving the needs of the small business community in Ulster County is a distinct honor. What we at the SBDC invest in time and energy with our clients, the community gets back in spades with investment, job creation, and economic prosperity.”
