Debra was raised in Dutchess County moving to Poughkeepsie at the age of 7.  In addition, Debra is a local graduate of both Poughkeepsie High School and Dutchess Community College.  As a single parent working full-time, Debra managed to return to school and earned a Bachelor’s degree from Marist College, and four Master’s Degree, two from Mercy College, an M.Ed. from Concordia University-Portland and MS in Philosophy from Walden University. She is currently a Doctoral candidate (ABD), in preparation for Dissertation Completeness, Ph.D. in Human & Social Services at Walden University, and is also pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Education in Teaching and Learning with an emphasis in Adult Learning at Grand Canyon University. In 2019, she was nominated and inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success and in 2020 she was nominated and inducted into the National Honors Society.

Debra has held different director’s positions throughout the Hudson valley: working under the umbrella of the WIA (Workforce Investment Act) with out of school youth, Deputy Director with Newburgh Community Action Agency, Director of the Hudson Valley Asthma Coalition, Director of Multi-Family Housing, and Director of Weatherization and most recently the Program Director for SNUG (Guns Spelled Backwards)

Growing up and flourishing in Poughkeepsie, Debra has a passion for education and student achievement, Debra also teaches at Dutchess and Westchester Community College as an Adjunct Instructor.

As a positive community leader, Debra believes that one of her most vital roles is to assist the community as a whole, as well as assist the community in how to critically evaluate, analyze, and solve problems. To be a successful as a community leader she see’s life and through different lenses so that new strategies are constantly being adapted, created, analyzed, and evaluated. Not only has she been a positive community leader, but she also gives back to her community as a Lunch Box Volunteer for the past 17 years.