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Acceptance Speech from 2016 Business Council Hall of Fame Family Business Award

April 21, 2016

Glen Island Harbour Club, New Rochelle NY

As delivered.

When our dad Ernie Sutkowski purchased CW in 1973 little did my sisters Nancy Trim, Karen Smith and I know we would be here tonight. I always wanted a big family.  Now, between my sisters and I we have 1000 children.   Our professor Shamva Wright Shingler coined that when she said she has 40 children.  It really is true – we feel responsible for and proud of every single student, whether a traditional student right out of high school, or our many adult students.

I remember the Business Council from many years ago when my dad was involved with the college, then The Westchester Business Institute, and the Business Council was the Golden Apple.  We are now MSCHE accredited and offer multiple degrees and certificates.

Marsha and I have known each other for many years. She reminded me earlier this evening that there is one thing almost all of us in this room have in common – all have CW grads who distinguish themselves working at your organizations.  Talk about the American Dream. Grads stay in Westchester, work in Westchester and support and run your organizations and help us all succeed. Many of you have also attended CW and have sent your family members, kids or even grandkids to CW.

Thank you to Marsha, and to Ted Miller, founder and CEO of Datakey Consulting and to Cindy Rubino, President and CEO of WMCA of Central and Northern Westchester, who co-sponsored our nomination, and to the committee who chose us!

We are passionate about educating and lifting up our students. We thank each and every one of them.  Most of all, thank you to our employees, some of whom are here tonight, who live the CW way every day. Please stand everyone!  We love you all.

We celebrated 100 years in 2015. 

Thank you all for helping us celebrate the start of our 2nd hundred years serving wonderful traditional and non-traditional students and all of you.

Thank you, Marsha and Business Council for this wonderful honor!!

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