Police Reform and Modernization Collaborative Workgroups

Shirley A. Adams 

Chair, Poughkeepsie Housing Authority  

Shirley A. Adams, an advocate for social justice, brings a holistic and personal perspective to the many challenges facing individuals in our communities who continue to struggle for equal rights, full access, and participation. Shirley’s professional career spans the public and private sectors including the NYC Dept. of Social Services, Dept. of Investigations, Office of Inspector General, and Community Development Agency.  In Dutchess County, City of Poughkeepsie, Shirley provided non-profit management, social, and violence prevention services to at-risk individuals, children and families. Serves as Chair, Poughkeepsie Housing Authority, Member, City of Poughkeepsie Judicial Screening Committee, DC Criminal Justice Council and DC Commission on Human Rights among others. 

Thomas N. N. Angell 

Dutchess County Public Defender 

Thomas Angell has spent his entire legal career representing his Dutchess County neighbors—initially as a legal services attorney and for the last several decades as a public defender.  He seeks to affirm the innate human dignity of every client, to achieve the best life result possible for each client, and to advocate for systemic changes which will lead to a more just and caring Dutchess County.  He and his family reside on the farm on which he grew up in the Town of Stanford.  

Legislator Barrington Atkins 

Dutchess County Legislature-City of Poughkeepsie 

Barrington R. Atkins is the current Dutchess County legislator for District 10 in the City of Poughkeepsie. He holds a license in Social Work for NYS and has a background specializing in Mental Health, Psychopathology, Data Analysis, Policy & Advocacy. 

André Barnes 

Acting Director of Safety, Dutchess Community College 

Andre Barnes is currently the Interim Director of Campus Safety at Dutchess Community College. His role is providing daily administrative oversight for campus safety in addition to overseeing the transition of the department from a contract security operation to a SUNY sworn Peace Officer Model.  He is a retired law enforcement officer (Chief of Police) from California with experience in both municipal and campus safety, and also a member of NOBLE/National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. 

Rev. Stacey Bottoms 

Associate Minister Beulah Baptist Church 

Rev. Stacey Bottoms was born and raised in Peekskill, NY and moved to Dutchess County in 2001. She’s an associate minister at Beulah Baptist Church in Poughkeepsie, NY under the tutelage of Rev. Dr. Jesse V. Bottoms Jr. She also holds the position of Asst. Church Clerk and Youth Director, serves as a Health Ambassador of the H.O.P.E. Ministry (Health. Outreach. Prevention. Education.) of The National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc under the leadership of Dr. Michael Minor.  She is the current president and founder of Readers Are Leaders Inc. She is a community worker, loves God first and most, young people and our community.  

Serving people and my community is a privilege and pleasure for her. She believes that accountability and transparency are needed first and everything else will fall in place. 

Gary E. Christensen, Ph. D. 

Justice Solutions, Inc. & Corrections Partners, Inc.   

Dr. Christensen has worked within the field of criminal justice for the past 42 years and has researched extensively the application of evidence-based, outcome-driven practice throughout criminal justice systems.  Since his retirement from public service as Corrections Administrator of the Dutchess County Jail and Chair of Dutchess County’s Criminal Justice Council, Dr. Christensen continues to work with leaders throughout the United States to enhance the implementation of evidence-based practice and evaluate its effects on system efficiency and long-term public safety.  Dr. Christensen also serves on several national advisory boards, inclusive of the PREA Review Panel, and authors publications for the field at large, inclusive of the Transition from Jail to the Community Model Implementation Toolkit. Dr. Christensen is qualified as a Master Police/Peace Instructor by the State of New York and, for over 20 years, instructed officers statewide on myriad topics inclusive of use of force according to Article 35 of the NYS Penal Law, defensive tactics and crisis intervention, and interpersonal communication.   

John T. Gildard, MPA 

Retired Director of Safety and Security, Marist College 

John Gildard has been a Dutchess County resident since 1956 growing up in Wappingers Falls, living in Pleasant Valley and now the City of Poughkeepsie.  He has a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and an MPA Degree, both from Marist College.  He is a retired Captain from the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department serving from 1973 to 1996.  He then served as the Director of Security (1996 to 2016) at Marist College, retiring in 2016.  He’s been married to his wife, Patricia, for 46 years and they have three sons and 4 grandchildren.   

Darrell Honkala 

Retired Detective, Town of Poughkeepsie PD 

Darrell Honkala is recently retired from the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department as a Detective after 23 years and continues to work in law enforcement on a part-time basis outside of the county.  He also own a local consulting business that specializes in polygraph and police applicant background investigations to assist police agencies during the hiring process of police and civilian applicants. He is a proud Red Cross volunteer, active as a Disaster Action Team supervisor, which assists local community members that have been affected by natural disasters and home fires. He previously served on the Dutchess County Criminal Justice Council Victim’s sub-committee.  His desire to join this reform committee stems from personal and professional experiences. As an 18 years old teen, he was wrongfully arrested, interrogated, held in a cell and subsequently written bogus traffic summonses. A week later, he was again wrongfully custodial arrested for disorderly conduct, by the same police officer, for an incident at a teen party which he was not a part of.  Additionally, during my professional law enforcement years, he reported illegal conduct that he witnessed at work and then I was retaliated against for reporting this information, all while being ignored by the police administration. He’s very invested in this process and looks forward to working with everyone to create professional change, accountability, modernization and transparency among the various law enforcement agencies in our diverse community.   

Mario Johnson 

Community Volunteer 

Mario Johnson is currently employed at the Poughkeepsie City School District, a fsormer Dutchess County Legislator, reside in the City of Poughkeepsie, is a Board Member of the Poughkeepsie Alliance, Chair of the DC Youth Bureau Coordinating Council and Member of the DC Census Complete Count Committee. He’s also a Volunteer Project Manager for the Nubian Directions Community WiFi Project.  

Nick Joseph 

Assistant to the Chairman, Dutchess County Legislature 

Nick has spent the past six years working for the State and County governments in a public policy and legislative capacity. He staffed the Legislative Chairman and County Executive’s Joint Commission on Ethics and Independent Reapportionment which resulted in the County’s new Code of Ethics, Financial Disclosure, and Independent Reapportionment laws. His goal with this Workgroup is to ensure that each recommendation to law enforcement agencies and governments is effective and free of ambiguity. 

Enrique Rob Lunski, PhD 

GET-e60-ABClatino President 

Dr. Lunski has been involved in the economic and cultural development of the Mid-Hudson Valley for the last 25 years, for which he’s received two US Congressional Awards, a Black Prestige Award, Hispanic Heritage Awards, State and Municipal Awards. He’s spent the last 16 years heading a nonprofit organization –Gateway to Entrepreneurial Tomorrows— helping minorities and low income people prosper in life. The two main programs are: Entrepreneur360: Entrepreneurial training that over the years helped start over a hundred minority owned businesses ABClatino media network: Providing bilingual and multimedia access to information, resources and content to the growing Latino community, through a monthly digital magazine, weekly radio program, monthly digital and printed health bulletins, weekly TV program, social media content and events (now on hold) at the Community Room at 356 Main St.  

Steve Miccio 

CEO, People USA 

Steve Miccio is the CEO of People USA, a peer-run behavioral health organization headquartered in Poughkeepsie, NY. Inspired by his personal lived experience, Steve has spent over two decades designing, developing, implementing, and operating innovative crisis response services and systems-level improvements throughout the United States and the world. Steve serves on the DC Criminal Justice Council and chairs the Diversion Committee. Steve directs and coordinates the CIT training in Dutchess County and is the principal designer of the Dutchess County Stabilization Center.   

Cindy Murphy 

Assistant District Attorney, DC DA’s Office 

Cindy Murphy was born and raised in Brooklyn NY, to a single mother.  She’s a first generation African American, of West Indian descent. She’s a servant leader at Beulah Baptist Church in Wappingers Falls. She’s the mother of two children and served in the United States Army, stationed in Korea.  She received a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from SUNY New Paltz and went on to obtain her Juris Doctor degree from Duke University School of Law.  She’s been a resident of Dutchess County for approximately 23 years, and is employed by the County as a Senior Assistant District Attorney.  As an Assistant District Attorney, she’s worked in the Special Victim’s Unit, and the Narcotics Unit, to include being assigned to both the City of Poughkeepsie and the City of Beacon Drug Courts, as well as the Road to Recovery Drug Treatment Program.  She’s currently assigned to the Major Crimes Unit to prosecute violent crimes throughout the County.

Royal Parker 

Civil Rights Activist 

My name is Royal Parker and I go by He/Him pronouns, I am a black, transgender, veteran CEO of Until We’re All Free, and Teacher Assistant! Our vision at UWAF is to support various organizations fighting for intersectional justice, freedom from oppression, and those unifying marginalized communities by providing resources, and most importantly fighting on the front lines alongside the organizations who are focused on the pursuit of justice within their disenfranchised communities. I am passionate about creating awareness and helping amplify the voices of others who are struggling to fit in. 

William Patterson 

Case Manager, Nubian Directions

Will Patterson is a business owner and entrepreneur, currently working as a Case Manager for the Youth Build Program and representing Nubian direction II and Robert Wright. He’s concerned about steps to improve policing without wanting to see Law enforcement suffering for it. He’s stated before that if the goal is fighting systematic racism then you must solicit ideas from those that rose despite its effects. People that it stopped can offer valid solutions. 

Pastor John E. Perez 

Faith Temple COGIC 

Pastor John Perez, has been a member at Faith Temple Church in Beacon, NY since 1994; in 2015 he was installed as the lead Pastor.   Along with his wife Dr. Paula C. Perez, he provides leadership training for non-profits and churches  across the U.S.   Recently retired from corporate America, Pastor John currently serves on numerous boards including the Human Relations Commission in the City of Beacon, and the Foundation Board of SUNY Ulster.   He is also past treasurer and Board President for the House of Hope, a domestic violence shelter located in Dutchess County.    John’s driving force is to impact the community with his ability to bring different voices and viewpoints to the table for transparent and transformative discussions. 

Gregg Pulver 

Chairman, Dutchess County Legislature 

Chairman Gregg Pulver, a farmer by trade, has decades of community involvement and local government experience. As a member of the Workgroup, he will aid in developing community concerns and recommendations into valuable policy and oversee its passage of the County Legislature. He is board member of the Mashomack Foundation which grants scholarships to graduating high school seniors and a Trustee of Dutchess Community College. 

Van Riley

Senior Assistant Director of Admission, Marist College

Van Riley is a resident of Dutchess County and a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. His fraternity was founded on Friday November 17th on the campus at Howard University. This is the first black Greek letter organization founded at a Historically Black College/University. He’s also the senior assistant director of graduate admission at Marist College, and has been employed at Marist for 15 years. Prior to that he worked for Office of Children and Family Services for 5 years as Youth Division Aid.  He attended Marist for his undergraduate and graduate degrees. He is a firm believer in affecting change one act at a time, and believes that it takes hard work and collaboration to make significant change. 

Seema Rizvi, MD 

Dutchess County Commission on Human Rights Member 

Physician by profession specializing in Geriatrics elderly care work in local Nursing homes.  Founder of Organization " All for One -One for All   United we Stand- Divided We Fall “Mission to deliver a message of peace, kindness and tolerance helping people in need.   Recently Organized food drive for people in need affected by Pandemic "All for One Joint Community Effort food drive thru Commission Member on Dutchess Human Rights Commission. Serves as a member on the Dutchess Interfaith and Jewish-Muslim Alliance.   Former Board of Trustees for Wappinger School District.    Philanthropist Involve in global health and education issues, and refugees. 

Karmen Smallwood 

Assistant Commissioner for Youth Services 

Karmen Smallwood currently serves as the Assistant Commissioner for Youth Services with the Dutchess County Department of Community and Family Services. In her current position, she works to enhance community assets by bridging research with practice and aligning efforts to provide the best array of resources, services and supports for children, youth and families.  Prior to assuming her current position, she served as a Probation Officer with the Dutchess County Probation Department where she worked with justice-involved youth and adults. Ms. Smallwood holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Howard University and a Master of Arts degree in Counseling and Community Psychology from Marist College. 

Mary Ellen Still 

Office of Probation and Community Corrections 

Mary Ellen Still has worked in the Office of Probation for 40 years, currently serving as Director. The department provides a variety of services. It is divided into units both geographically and by function.  The department provides pre-sentence reports for the courts, supervision for adults and juveniles and operates a Pretrial Services Unit. A wide variety of evidence-based Alternative to Incarceration programs and interventions are employed.  She is also the chair of the Criminal Justice Council. The CJC is committed to promoting a fair and effective criminal justice system. 

Denise M. Watson, ASCJ 

Dutchess County Family Court Judge 

Denise M. Watson began working in Dutchess County Family Court as Court Attorney to the Hon. Peter M. Forman in 1999 but was then elected and has served as Dutchess County Family Court Judge since 2011.  In 2013, she was appointed Acting Supreme Court Justice and has also presided over the Dutchess County Family Treatment Court, as well for the Youth Treatment Court.  She has been trained as a facilitator for the New York State Drug Treatment Court programs.  She also sits as the representative of the Family Court on the Court Involved Youth Committee and has previously served on the Dutchess County Sex Offender Management Committee, the Juvenile Justice Victim Offender Mediation Committee and the Children’s Services Council.   

Matthew Weishaupt 

Chief Assistant District Attorney 

Matthew Weishaupt is presently the Chief Assistant District Attorney in Dutchess County. He’s been with the District Attorney’s Office for 32 years and prior to that was with the F.B.I. He started his career in local law enforcement in Ulster County. He’s also an Adjunct College Professor presently teaching part-time at SUNY Ulster. 

Karen Hochhauser 

Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Dutchess County 

Karen and her family have a long history in Dutchess County as her maternal grandparents moved to Poughkeepsie from New York City in 1941. Being a child of the community, she valued all that was offered and the support she received, which is one of her driving forces now.  Karen’s career started in New York City at IIE working with the Fulbright scholarship while she simultaneously completed her Master’s Degree at NYU in Cross Cultural Management. She then switched careers, industries, and geographic locations. Working for a software company, she was promoted to Director of Training for Asia Pacific and moved to Beijing, China to practice her Chinese and build a training business from $200,000 to $2M. After 2 years in Beijing, she spent 6 years in Hong Kong, where she gave birth to her three sons, and then 10 years in Bangkok, Thailand where she worked in Moving & Relocation and then HR Consulting. Her return to NY stemmed mostly from her mother’s illness and was blessed to be with her when she passed. She is now Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Dutchess County. 

L’Quette Taylor 

President and Founder, Community Matters 2 Inc. 

L'Quette Taylor is a lifelong resident of the City of Poughkeepsie. He is currently the President and founder of a grassroots nonprofit organization called Community Matters 2; Inc. located in the heart of Poughkeepsie. He works directly with the community and has seen firsthand the separation between law enforcement and residents, especially those residents of color.  He believes that that for law enforcement to properly serve the people they swore to protect they need to know that community they serve. He is currently serving on the Procedural Justice Committee in Poughkeepsie, is a board member for Dutchess Habitat for Humanity and serves on the Dutchess County Complete Count Committee.   

William Grady 

Dutchess County District Attorney 

William Grady is a bronze star Vietnam veteran and has served as the Dutchess County District Attorney for the past 36 years. Mr. Grady has dedicated his life to public service with a 50-year career. From helping navigate criminal justice reforms and mandates to combating domestic violence, child abuse and drug trafficking, Bill has worked tirelessly to improve the criminal justice system within Dutchess County and Dutchess County residents safe. A lifelong Dutchess County resident, Bill resides with his family in Poughkeepsie and enjoys spending time with his four grandchildren.” 

Daniel Goldhagen 

Dutchess County Commission on Human Rights Member 

Daniel Goldhagen, Dutchess County Commission on Human Rights Member since 2018, and resident of Town of North East for over 25 years.   Formerly worked in financial services in NYC and currently active in volunteer work through the North East Community Center which includes tax preparation through AARP Tax Preparer Program as well as other community activities in the surrounding northeast region of Dutchess County.  Member of the Tri-Town Coalition to provide affordable housing in Amenia, North East and Pine Plains.