September 9, 2022
September 11-17 is Direct Support Professional Recognition Week and the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) is commemorating the occasion by honoring our entire Direct Support Workforce and inducting 18 Direct Support Professionals, who have been named "DSPs of the Year," into our DSP Hall of Fame. These professionals are the best of the best and were singled out by their colleagues and the people they support as stellar employees and exemplars of what it means to be a Direct Support Professional.
Join us this month in congratulating the professionals who are our DSPs of the year:
Chantay Richardson, Bernard Fineson
Hilton Howard, Broome
Tracy Colon, Brooklyn
Melinda Pelkey, Capital District
Michael Laribee, Central New York
Anne Lefever, Central New York
Julee Burns, Finger Lakes
Holly Noody, Finger Lakes
Natacha Dufrene, Hudson Valley
Sophia Banton, Hudson Valley
Joel Appiah, Metro NY
Rondell Radcliff, Staten Island
Comfort Naxela, Staten Island
Antionette King, Long Island
Tamika Brooks, Sunmount
Amanda Bouyea, Sunmount
Joann Cerra, Taconic
Maria Salas, Western New York