The Foundation in Support of Educational Excellence (FSEE) will honor local leaders in sports, politics and education at its annual gala on May 16. The 6 p.m. gala at X20 Xaviars on the Hudson benefits the Charter School of Educational Excellence (CSEE) in Yonkers.
The gala honorees are Betsy May Stern, president of the FSEE; Westchester County Legislator Shanae Williams; and Dr. Joseph Durney, CEO of STEER for Student Athletes, Inc.
“Our three honorees represent the financial, moral and professional support that has been critical to our school’s tremendous success,” said Sobeida Cruz, vice-chair and treasurer of the Foundation in Support of Educational Excellence. “Their generous help empowers our students to achieve their full potential, including an amazing 1,084 college acceptance letters for the Class of 2024.”
Stern is a Westchester philanthropist who supports educational causes. She is a former president of the Edgemont School Board, a former chair of the Scarsdale/Edgemont United Way and former chair of the Greenburgh Arts and Cultural Committee. She has served on the boards of the UJA Federation Women’s Division of Central Westchester, Westchester Medical Center, the Westchester Institute for Human Development, and the Westchester Parks Foundation.
Williams represents District 16 at the Westchester County Board of Legislators, and she has served six years representing Council District One on the Yonkers City Council. Williams is a Yonkers Democratic Committee District Leader, and she is a member of the Westchester Black Women Political Caucus, Hudson River Community Association, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Young Elected Officials Network, among other groups.
Durney is a former Deputy Superintendent of Schools for the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District. He is currently an adjunct professor at Manhattanville University in the Graduate School of Education, teaching in the Educational Leadership Program. Through the STEER program he helps identify students, provides mentorship, connects them to services and monitors their progress.
The CSEE accomplishments in the 2023-24 academic year include:
- The premiere of the school’s first high school musical, Godspell.
- The opening of a new fitness and health center.
- The Positive Coaching Alliance named soccer coach Michael Zepeda a regional 2024 Coach of the Year.
- The volleyball and flag football teams won their league championships.
Tickets for the gala are available at the school’s website.
