Carolyn Fish was a founding member of Center for Safety & Change and served as its executive director for 35 years. A feminist activist since the early 1970s, she was a nationally and internationally known leader in the fight against violence against women, a sought-after educator and has received numerous honors for her work and passionate leadership.
Born in 1882 and raised in Nyack, Caroline Lexow Babcock (February 5, 1882 – March 8, 1980) was a leader in the suffrage movement. She was a pacifist, suffragist, feminist, co-founder of the Women’s Political Union and Executive Secretary of the National Women’s Party. Caroline lived until the age of 98, still wearing her Equal Rights Amendment button.
Mary Barbera began her career in the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office in April 1985 as a Deputy Sheriff. She was promoted to Senior Deputy, and in February 1996, promoted as the first female Chief in the Sheriff’s Office. In April of 2013, after 17 years as Chief, Mary was appointed and sworn in as Undersheriff.
Ellen Burstyn, an award-winning actress, is co-president of the Actors Studio along with Al Pacino and Alec Baldwin. The Tony Award, Academy Award and two-time Emmy Award winner starred in the Melbourne production of 33 Variations earlier this year, and starred in the soon-to-be-released films Never Too Late and Lucy in the Sky.
Simona Chazen is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison and earned her master’s in social work at Fordham University. She is a founder of the Rockland Family Shelter, VCS, the Rockland Community Foundation and Rockland County Pride Center. A visionary and feminist, she sits on the board of directors of the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC and the Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin. She is an activist in the fight against domestic violence.
Arlene W. Clinkscale earned her M.A. and professional certificate from Columbia University Teacher’s College. In 1960, she became the first black teacher in the Pearl River School District. She also carries the distinctions of being the first black principal in Rockland County and the first black woman Superintendent of Schools for the Nyack Union Free School District, a position she held until retiring in 1987.
Harriet Cornell has been a Legislator since 1984, the only woman to chair the Rockland County Legislature. Her long record of accomplishments including establishing the Rockland Housing Action Coalition, led The Journal News naming her as one of 25 people who made the greatest impact on Rockland County during the 20th Century.
Dr. Lucy Virginia Meriwether Davies (April 18, 1862 – April 17, 1949) was one of New York State’s first female physicians. She was also a botanist, civil libertarian, suffragist, philosopher and lover of music and art. ‘Dockie,’ as she was fondly known, saved many lives and delivered more than 6,000 babies, showcasing her deep commitment to her practice and community.
In 1966, Muriel Fox co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) and headed the communications that introduced the modern women’s movement to the media of the world. As Executive Vice President of Carl Byoir & Associates, she was dubbed America’s “Number One PR Woman” by Businessweek Magazine. She currently serves as board chair of Veteran Feminists of America.
Phyllis B. Frank, on staff at VCS since the 1970s, works tirelessly to end violence against women, racial injustice, heterosexism and other forms of oppression. She developed the first batterer program in New York in 1978, which continues to impact programs throughout the country. She is a founding board member of Rockland Family Shelter and the NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Rockland County Pride Center.
Susan G. Gordon, MD (October 15, 1947 – May 17, 2016), has devoted her life to advancing the health and wellbeing of children in and beyond Rockland County. A pediatrician for over 50 years, her influence extends to multiple establishments, including the Harriet Tubman Child Health and Guidance Clinic in Harlem which she founded with her husband, Dr. Edmund W. Gordon.
Helen Hayes MacArthur (October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress known as ‘The First Lady of The American Theater’ and was one of 15 people to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award. In the 1940s, she became involved with Helen Hayes Hospital, a medical rehabilitation facility in Haverstraw, which was ultimately renamed in her honor in 1974 due to her steadfast commitment to transform the hospital into a state-of-the-art facility.
Mimi Hoffman, a Founder of Rockland Family Shelter, moved to Rockland in 1969 and has 40+ years of experience in social justice. She became a probation officer, interviewing women seeking relief in Family Court from domestic violence. Mimi treasures her years with Rockland Family Shelter along with many other accomplishments. She resides in Nyack and her passion for social justice presses on.
Ellen Holtzman is a Rockland County attorney who has dedicated her legal practice to family and matrimonial law for three decades. Along with being a founding member of the Rockland County Women’s Bar Association, Ellen met victims of domestic violence who sought her services and soon became involved with Rockland Family Shelter.
Georgine Hyde (January 20, 1925 – August 28, 2015), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, endured the horror of Nazi concentration camps where she lost her parents. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1952 and from 1957 called Pomona, NY her home until her passing in 2015. She dedicated her life as a volunteer public servant and co-founded the Rockland Center for Holocaust Studies.
Ellen Jaffee has been a county resident since 1978. She was elected to the Rockland County Legislator in 1998 and elected to the NYS Assembly in 2007. She represents the 97th Assembly District. Her bills include New York’s Breast Density Inform Law, the most comprehensive in the nation that helps increase early detection in breast cancer screenings.
Brigadier General Cindy Glazier Jebb, a New City native, became the first woman from Rockland County to gain admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1978. She served in the US Army’s 1st Armored Division. Fast forward to today, Jebb is the first woman to serve as a dean at West Point in the 200 plus year history of the school.
Judith Johnson is a career educator and respected thought leader with an unwavering commitment to ensuring all children acquire essential skills, knowledge and competencies. Her career has taken her from the guidance office to the administrator’s office to the U.S. Department of Education to the Superintendent’s seat. She currently sits on the New York State Board of Regents.
Sister Ursula Joyce is the Executive Director of Thorpe Village and Dowling Gardens, the Dominican Sisters Senior Housing ministry in Sparkill, NY. A licensed psychologist, she has a PhD from Fordham University, and served as Chair of the Psychology Department at St. Thomas Aquinas College. She was among the founders of the Rockland Family Shelter and United Hospice of Rockland.
Edythe Eleanor Levin Kurz (March 31, 1925 – January 29, 2011) was a psychological therapist who dedicated her life to helping others, social justice and advocating for civil and human rights. She was founding director of the Kurz Family Foundation, which supports causes in social justice, the arts and health care. She also established The Edythe Kurz Research Center with the Annual Edythe Kurz Conference that was later endowed at Westchester Jewish Community Services.
Mary P. Leahy, MD, is the first female physician named CEO of Bon Secours Charity Health System, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, in 2013. Her service to its employees, physicians, patients and the community has deep roots. In addition to being a longtime resident of Rockland County, she is a board-certified internist who has practiced medicine for over 25 years.
Megan Leavey is a former Marine Corporal and a Purple Heart recipient. She and her canine partner, Sgt. Rex, worked more than 100 missions over two tours in Iraq searching for explosives. Injured with Rex in a roadside blast, Megan fought and overcame military red tape to keep Rex after their tour of duty. The canine areas at Congers Lake Memorial Park are dedicated in part to Leavey and Rex.
Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey is currently serving her 15th term in Congress, representing parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties. Lauded as “one of the most influential members of Congress” by The Journal News, she was the first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee and has taken leadership roles in vital public policy issues ranging from national security to education.
Kathleen Lukens (January 5, 1931 – October 18, 1998) was a wife, mother, author and education activist whose life’s work centered on creating viable community-based alternatives to institutional care. She founded Camp Venture summer camp, a free day camp for children with disabilities. In 1976 the organization became a 24/7 service provider with the opening of the Venture Inn Community Residence.
Martha “Bobby” MacGuffie, MD (January 22, 1924– March 7, 2011), was a pioneering surgeon and activist who touched lives near and far. A mother of eight, Dr. MacGuffie notably founded SHARE (the Society for Hospital and Resources Exchange) in 1987 after losing her two sons to a mysterious blood-borne illness. SHARE provides medicine, medical supplies and care to orphans affected by the AIDS epidemic in Kenya.
Dr. Stella Marrs enjoyed success and acclaim as a jazz singer, producer and actress. A lifelong civil rights activist, she founded the Martin Luther King Center in Spring Valley in 1978, serving as CEO and executive director for 21 years. Now retired, she is a proud member of the Rockland County Human Rights Commission Hall of Fame.
Dr. Frances Pratt, a civil rights leader, nurse and health care administrator, has fostered a lifelong commitment to advancing the health and welfare of others. She is the longtime President of the Nyack NAACP, a longstanding member of the Hudson Valley NAACP and was the recipient of the New York State Harriet Tubman Spirit Award for her many decades of struggle against racism and inequality.
Marsha Rand is a successful and distinguished figure in the local real estate industry, having launched her firm in 1984 and earning number-one market share in Rockland County since 1989. Her real estate firm is among the nations’ top 60 with nearly 30 offices and more than 1,300 agents.
Martha Robles professional career began in public health administration until she took a leap of faith to follow her dream to connect with the community at the grassroots level. As executive director of Catholic Charities Community Services of Rockland, she put her energy and love to work helping Rockland’s neediest. She retired in 2017 after 12 years of service.
Lee Sennish (October 14, 1926 – January 14, 2018) was an activist and leader in the women’s movement for over 40 years. After raising her children, she discovered her passion for helping others, serving as the librarian at Rockland State Psychiatric Hospital and later the Director of the Women’s Center of Ramapo College.
With 40 years of experience, Amy Stern has worked endlessly to improve care for families in our community. Earning her master’s in social work from Columbia University, Amy has worked at numerous local hospitals. She was the first social worker at United Hospice of Rockland where she has been the Executive Director/CEO for 30 years.
A lifelong feminist, Diane Sussman is a founding member of Center for Safety & Change where she has served on the board of directors for 40 years, including her tenure as board president. Among Diane’s notable achievements are co-facilitating the first support group for domestic violence survivors in Rockland County and creating the first Rockland Women’s Conference.
Australia native Gerri Viant was one-half of the winningest team ever in the history of women’s platform tennis, earning eight titles over 13 years. Credited for helping grow the game, she started the platform tennis program for the Nyack Field Club and pioneered platform tennis traveling camps. She was inducted into the Platform Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006.
Elisabeth Voigt was a native of Germany with a desire to help others. Inspired by her husband’s community activism, she was introduced to a group of women and men who were creating a movement to end domestic violence. She embraced the mission and became an original founder of Rockland Family Shelter. She served on the board of directors for 37 years, including two terms as president.
Randi Weingarten is president of the 1.7 million-member American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, which represents teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel, higher education faculty and staff, nurses and other healthcare professionals, local, state and federal government employees, and early childhood educators with a mission to help Americans secure a better life, a voice at work and a stronger democracy.
Maria Luisa Whittingham is a community mainstay in retail – and responsibility. She has been the force behind – and the face of – the Maria Luisa brand in Nyack since 1987, a women’s clothing and accessories business. By integrating her fashion training with her commitment to community and civic organizations, she supports causes including the arts, racial equality, women’s issues and education.
A fierce advocate for the rights of women and victims of domestic violence, Linda Winikow (May 9, 1940 – August 24, 2008) spent her professional career and raised her children in Rockland County. In 1971, she became the first woman to serve on the Ramapo Town Council. She served in the Rockland County Legislature and in the New York State Senate from 1975 until her retirement from politics in 1984.
Belle Mayer Zeck (February 22, 1919 – March 18, 2006) was a graduate of Fordham University Law School and served as a prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials. In 1970, she was elected president of the Rockland County Bar Association and served as a trustee of the Bank of New York and an original member of the Board of Trustees at Rockland Community College.
Center for Safety & Change is proud to have established the Rockland Women Leaders Hall of Fame, which was curated by and is hosted at the Center’s Headquarters in New City, NY in 2019 during the Center’s 40th Anniversary. As part of our upcoming 45th Anniversary, the Center is going to install an additional seven (7) inductees in 2024, bringing the number of women on the Hall of Fame to forty-five (45).
We will soon announce the seven inductees, culminating in the formal Rockland Women Leaders Hall of Fame on October 5, 2024, at the Center’s Sapphire 45th Anniversary Celebration at the Hilton in Pearl River.
Caroline Lexow Babcock, Mary Barbera, Ellen Burstyn, Simona Chazen, Dr. Arlene Clinkscale, Honorable Harriet Cornell, Dr Lucy Virginia Meriwether Davis, Carolyn Fish, Muriel Fox, Phyllis B. Frank, Dr. Susan Gordon, Helen Hayes MacArthur, Mimi Hoffman, Ellen Holtzman, Esq., Georgine Hyde, Honorable Ellen Jaffee, Brigadier General Cindy Glazier Jebb, Regent Judith Johnson, Sister Ursula Joyce, Edythe Eleanor Levin Kurz, Dr. Mary Leahy, Corporal Megan Leavey, Honorable Nita Lowey, Kathleen Lukens, Dr. Stella Marrs, Dr. Martha MacGuffie, Dr. Frances Pratt, Marsha Rand, Martha Robles, Lee Sennish, Amy Stern, Diane Sussman, Gerri Viant, Elisabeth Voigt, Randi Weingarten, Maria Luisa Whittingham, Honorable Linda Winikow, Belle Mayer Zeck
Click here or below to hear the stories of our current Rockland Women Leaders Hall of Fame Recipients in their own words.
