The Mohawk Valley Community College Board of Trustees received multiple awards at the New York Community College Trustees' (NYCCT) annual conference last week.
Elaine Falvo received the Donald M. Mawhinney, Jr., Trustee Leadership Award, which celebrates
trustees who demonstrate a significant commitment to the community college mission
through exceptional leadership, inspired vision, and outstanding professional contributions
to the goals and accomplishments of their local campus, following in the tradition
of Trustee Mawhinney, one of the longest continuously serving community college trustees
in North America.
Falvo has served on the Board of Trustees since her appointment in 1988, having been consecutively appointed by three governors. She has served as chair twice, from 1993-1996 and from 2010-2013, and was vice chair from 1991-1992. Prior to retirement, Falvo served as the chief financial officer and treasurer of H.J. Brandeles Corp. of Utica, a mechanical contractor. Through knowledge gained while employed there, Falvo was a leader in the building of three major facilities at MVCC. Falvo has been of member of several other local boards, including New Hartford Board of Education and the board of Faxton Hospital, from which she has been able to further MVCC’s mission of helping students succeed, especially in the area’s growing career fields. During her 35 years as a trustee, Falvo has received several other awards, including the Marvin A. Rapp Award for Distinguished Trustee Service, a Distinguished Service Award from the Association of Community College Trustees, and a 25-Year Leadership Award from the MVCC Board of Trustees.
Dr. Frank Dubeck, Jr., received the Anne M. Bushnell Memorial Award for Special Achievement, the highest
accolade bestowed to a trustee by the NYCCT. It recognizes extraordinary leadership
and achievement as demonstrated by the incomparable trustee Bushnell, throughout or
in part of the term of his or her service as a trustee, to the trustee’s local college
or the community college system.
Dubeck, appointed in 2015 by Governor Andrew Cuomo, currently serves as Board Chair, elected in 2022, and previously served as vice chair from 2020-2022. He retired from his position as medical director for Change Healthcare, King of Prussia, Pa., where he provided clinical support for the development and maintenance of various software solutions for the healthcare industry. He is a 2016 inductee to the Healthcare Hall of Distinction. Previously, Dubeck worked for more than 10 years at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield in various roles, including chief medical officer, vice president of medical policy, and regional vice president of the Utica Region. Prior to working at Excellus, he was the executive vice president at Summerhill Co. in Sherburne, a physician services company, and served as a general internist at Slocum Dickson Medical Group in New Hartford. Dubeck also was a Major in the USAFR Medical Corps and served as Chief of Medicine at Ehrling Bergquist USAF Hospital, Offutt AFB, NE.
Camille Kahler received the Marvin A. Rapp Award for Distinguished Trustee Service, which honors
Trustee Rapp, whose extensive work in establishing and leading community colleges
is legendary. Because of the geographic reach of his work, this award honors multiple
individuals who go above and beyond to contribute time, effort, and/or ideas that
offer opportunities to students, faculty, and/or staff at the local community college,
or the regional or statewide level.
Kahler was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2012 by Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente. She has served as the Board’s chair, from 2018 to 2020, and vice chair, from 2015 to 2018. Kahler earned her Juris Doctor from Albany Law School of Union University and is admitted to practice in New York and Florida. She has been part of Saunders Kahler, L.L.P., in Utica since 1983, first as an associate before making partner in 1988. Kahler’s work involves a general practice with an emphasis on corporate law and real estate. In addition to her service on the MVCC Board, Kahler has been active in a variety of other community organizations, including the Oneida County and New York State Bar Associations, the YWCA of the Mohawk Valley, the United Way of the Greater Utica Area, Inc., and The Jervis Public Library Association, Inc.
MVCC’s FastTrack model received an honorable mention for the Community College Innovation Award, which is given to a community college that has introduced a unique idea, project, process, or procedure that the college’s Board of Trustees has approved and supported, which has resulted in significant improvements in student success. FastTrack, a program that relies on short-term training experiences available at no cost to the student, is providing pathways to living wage careers for underserved populations. Designed to move people of the sidelines of no work or low-wage, dead-end jobs into skilled jobs in extended career pathways, FastTrack braids funding from multiple sources to provide free, short-term, and accessible training with holistic supports to move them along a clear pathway that advances economic mobility.
MVCC partner Wolfspeed received the Edward J. Pawenski Business/Industry Partnership Award for its work with MVCC and support of economic development. This award recognizes a unique partnership developed with the local community college in a concerted effort to stimulate increased worker training and retraining activity. It is given to a nominee who actively supports economic development and the community college mission in New York and the United States, in the tradition of community college pioneer Trustee Pawenski, businessman and government official.
New York Community College Trustees
The New York Community College Trustees (NYCCT) is a voluntary nonprofit consortium of community college trustees established to strengthen the effectiveness of New York community college trustees as an active force in the development and implementation of public policy impacting community colleges. NYCCT represents the appointed board members who govern the 30 community colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system.