POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (October 19, 2017) — President David Yellen presented Marist College’s Community Service Awards to Dutchess County luminaries Shirley A. Adams, Executive Director of the Catharine Street Community Center, and Nick Citera, co-owner of Cosimo’s Restaurant Group, today at the College’s 50th annual Community Breakfast in the Murray Student Center Cabaret on campus. 

The awards recognize those who have made the Hudson River Valley a better place to live, learn, and work.

“I am so pleased to formally recognize the impactful work Shirley and Nick have done and continue to do in Dutchess County and the greater Hudson Valley,” President Yellen noted. “Marist College has a strong commitment to community service and this year’s honorees illustrate the myriad ways in which individuals can give back to their communities, whether that is through a career in nonprofit service, volunteering time serving on boards, or supporting initiatives to better the community. Their tireless work on issues such as food insecurity, community revitalization, and improving the lives and educational prospects of low-income children has enriched the Hudson Valley.”

Adams has had a storied career in public service, particularly with a focus on children and youth. For more than 20 years, she has served as the Executive Director of the Catharine Street Community Center (CSCC), an organization that provides school readiness and literacy support services to at-risk children and their parents. In addition to her role at CSCC, Adams is the board chair of the Poughkeepsie Housing Authority and serves on the City of Poughkeepsie’s judiciary screening committee. Prior to coming to the Hudson Valley, Adams spent 12 years with the New York City Department of Investigations and the Office of the Inspector General.  She went on to serve as the First Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development Agency. Highlights of her numerous honors include receiving the Crystal Apple Award for Outstanding Woman of the Year in New York City Government and a Distinguished Service Award from the New York State Department of Health – AIDS Institute. Adams holds a BA in psychology and special education from Bennett College and an MA in public administration from NYU.

Citera, a long-time area resident and a Marist alumnus class of ‘87, is the co-owner of the real estate firm Cosimo’s Development Group and Cosimo’s Restaurant Group, a family-owned business that operates several restaurants in the Hudson Valley area including Cosimo’s Brick Oven, Cosimo’s Pizza Café, and The Pizza Shop. Deeply committed to the betterment of the Hudson Valley community, Citera serves on the boards of the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, the Greater Newburgh Partnership, Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, and on the Marist College School of Management Advisory Board. Citera also played an instrumental role in the revitalization of the Newburgh waterfront, both as a partner in the restaurant, Torches on the Hudson, and also through the restoration of the historic West Shore station, which eventually became The Pizza Shop. In partnership with the Dutchess County Chamber of Commerce, he established a scholarship fund at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park specifically for students from the region. Previous honors received include the Cosimo DiBrizzi Humanitarian Award from the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley and Good Neighbor Award from the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Past recipients of the President’s Community Service Awards include former Town of Poughkeepsie Councilperson Ellie Charwat, and Bill Austin, owner of Gold’s Gym Dutchess County.