Our Honorees

Congratulations to our 2025 Gala Honorees!

Yvonne Flowers '90

Yvonne D. Flowers, a lifelong Poughkeepsie resident and dedicated community leader, made history in January 2024 as the city’s first African American mayor. Before retiring from Dutchess Community College after 33 years of service, she excelled as the Grants and Contracts Finance Officer and earned the prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence.

Mayor Flowers has an extensive record of community involvement, serving four terms as 5th Ward City Councilwoman. During her tenure, she championed efforts to improve community-police relations, enhance city finances, reduce blight, increase homeownership, upgrade park facilities, and expand youth programs and resources. She remains deeply committed to her family’s legacy of unity and hope, inspired by her father, John Flowers, through organizing holiday celebrations and community events that strengthen connections within the city.

Her leadership and unwavering dedication continue to drive meaningful change, fostering opportunities and creating a stronger Poughkeepsie for all residents.

Kirk Imperati '89

Kirk A. Imperati became the sheriff of Dutchess County on January 1, 2023.  With over 30 years of service, including 14 years as undersheriff, Kirk has held key roles in the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, including training director and coordinator of the School Resource Officer and Crime Prevention Programs, which earned statewide recognition.

Kirk has been instrumental in proactive policing initiatives, including the Hudson Valley Safe Streets Gang Task Force, Field Intelligence Group, and the Child Advocacy Investigative Unit. In 2020, he led the Sheriff’s Office Police Modernization and Reform Plan, establishing a Community Policing Unit and recruitment efforts to build a more diverse workforce. His leadership has garnered numerous awards, such as the Lifetime Service Award from the Child Advocacy Center and the Community Service Award from the John Flowers Organization.

A lifelong Dutchess County resident, Kirk graduated from Marist College with a degree in criminal justice, completed the FBI National Academy, and is pursuing a master’s in Public Administration. He serves on the boards of the Hospice Foundation and the Ryan McElroy Children’s Cancer Foundation and is a trustee of Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church. Committed to community and service, Kirk continues to lead with integrity and dedication, striving to protect and strengthen the communities of Dutchess County.

Dutchess BOCES

Dutchess Board of Cooperative Educational Services (Dutchess BOCES) serves more than 1,200 students (from kindergarten through adult) across 60 school districts, including all 13 in Dutchess County. It was founded in May 1957 with five participating districts. The first class of students was housed in a former Shell gas station in 1958.

Since then, it has grown significantly, offering programming in multiple locations. In 2023, Dutchess BOCES consolidated three locations (Civic Center Plaza, Dutchess Turnpike and Salt Point) into one campus at 5 BOCES Road. The schools and programs provide a wide range of learning and enrichment opportunities from special education to career and technical education for youth and adults to literacy programming to the community.

Their expert staff also provide services to districts in the areas of business, communications, human resources, education, professional development, and instructional technology, making it cost-effective for districts to offer programs and services that might not otherwise be possible.

Dutchess BOCES employs 497 people throughout the agency and works with more than 200 business partners to support the students in their care.  They also contract with a variety of service providers on behalf of their districts.

Poughkeepsie City School District

Established in 1843, the Poughkeepsie City School District is organized into one high school, one middle school, and five elementary schools. As with many school districts across New York, the Poughkeepsie City School District has seen a decline in student enrollment and a shift in student demographics. Today, the Poughkeepsie City School District services approximately 4,000 students annually.

In 2023, 46% of the student population identified as African Americans, 41% identified as Latino, 8% identified as multi-racial, 5% identified as white, and 1% identified as Asian.

As part of the district's overall transformation strategy, in 2020, the Poughkeepsie City School District designated all seven of its schools as Community Schools. The decision behind the designation was to create schools that serve as community beacons, bringing together school and community resources to improve student success and create stronger families and healthier communities. Given the fact that a child’s waking hours between kindergarten and high school amounts to 20 percent in the school environment and 80 percent in the community, it is imperative that a school, home and community approach is employed to holistically address the evolving and emerging needs of children. Across the country, community schools build bridges between school, home, and community to facilitate a holistic approach that will better guarantee that children find success in and out of school.

Early successes in the implementation of the community school design have resulted in each elementary school achieving "Good Standing" status by the New York State Education Department during the 23-24 school year. This achievement was last attained 13 years ago. While there has been tremendous success at the elementary level, the school district continues to stress focus on student achievement at its secondary schools.

Through the district's school, home, and community approach and through partnerships with the Poughkeepsie Children's Cabinet, Dutchess Community College, and other critical partners, the outcomes of Poughkeepsie City School District students continue to rise.

Wappingers Central School District

The centralization of school districts in southern Dutchess County was first discussed on November 30, 1937, and approved by voters in September 1938, leading to the formation of the Wappingers Central School District. Initially comprising 11 schools across Dutchess and Putnam counties, the district included Fishkill Elementary, which remains in operation today. In 1940, the Wappingers Central School "main building" opened in Wappingers Falls as a K-12 school, constructed through President Roosevelt's Work Projects Administration during the Great Depression, with intricate moldings and cabinetry showcasing skilled craftsmanship. 

Throughout the 1950s, the district expanded with the addition of the Stormville, Old Hopewell, East Fishkill Number 6, Gayhead, and Shenandoah districts, prompting the construction of five new elementary schools: James S. Evans, Fishkill Plains, Vassar Road, Brinckerhoff, and Oak Grove. On January 28, 1960, voters approved the construction of a new senior high school on Myers Corners Road in Wappingers, later named Roy C. Ketcham High School in honor of the longtime Board of Education president and centralization advocate. The original main building was then renamed Wappingers Falls Junior High School, which was expanded in 1963. Further growth continued in 1966 with the construction of Van Wyck Junior High School and four more elementary schools—Sheafe Road, Gayhead, Myers Corners, and Kinry Road—along with an addition to Roy C. Ketcham High School and plans for a second senior high school on Route 52 in East Fishkill. In 1969, John Jay Senior High School officially opened, marking another milestone in the district’s continued development. 

Wappingers Central School District is one of the largest central school districts in New York State, with an enrollment of approximately 10,500 students. There are ten elementary schools: eight K-6, one K-2, one 3-6; two junior high schools: both grades 7-8; two 9-12 senior high schools; and one alternative high school. Central administrative offices are housed at 25 Corporate Park Drive, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533.

The District covers 120 square miles. Major roadways which go through the District are the Taconic State Parkway, Interstate 84 and Route 9. Stewart International Airport and access to the NYS Thruway are close by. Vassar College, Marist College and Dutchess Community College are located in nearby Poughkeepsie. Other area colleges include Bard, Mt. St. Mary, Western Connecticut State, the State University College at New Paltz and the Culinary Institute of America. A large percentage of the residents of our suburban community are college graduates engaged in professional careers. New York City is within commuting distance by car or train.

Eleanor ("Ellie") Charwat

Ellie has spent most of her life in Poughkeepsie, where she worked as a college administrator, a teacher, writer, consultant and community volunteer. She served as executive director of the Marist College School of Adult Education.  She was also a partner in The Athena Group, consultants for government and non-profits.

Her community service includes two terms on the Poughkeepsie Town Board, a Book Buddy and tutor for Literacy Connections trustee of the Poughkeepsie Library District and Oakwood Friends School, and president of the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill and the Dutchess County League of Women Voters.  

Ellie currently serves on the board of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley where she chairs the Development and Marketing Committee. She is also a member of the Poughkeepsie-Arlington Rotary Club and the Marist Center for Lifetime Study.

Ellie is the author of “Prohibition in the Hudson Valley,” “Small Town Lawyer: Highlights of Nathaniel Rubin’s Carrier” and “The League of Women Voters in Dutchess County 1925-1990.” She received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and her master’s in Public Administration from Marist College. She and her husband Martin are parents of two and grandparents of eight.