Nassau BOCES Education Partner Awards Gala

  • Hundreds unite to salute Nassau BOCES' Education Partners

    Education Partner Award honorees
    Accepting the 2025 Education Partner Awards are, back row from left: Ashlee Fucarino; Angela Lucas; Robert MacKay; Diane Provvido; Alexis Joel; Thomas P. Dolan, Ed.D.; Charmise P. Desiré; and Christine Kavanagh. Front row, from left: John Fretz; Renee J. Blumstein, Ph.D.; William Monahan; Joanna Malament; Mindy Davidson; Michelle Byrne, CPA; and Lawrence F. Zaino Jr.

    Long Island's public education community gathered on April 30, 2025, to pay tribute to some of its greatest advocates. That's when Nassau BOCES presented 14 honorees with its Education Partner award before a cheering crowd at the Crest Hollow Country Club.

    A strategic education partner with school districts since 1967, Nassau BOCES created the awards program to honor those who share the agency's commitment to providing the best possible education to learners of all ages and abilities.

    Following are the 2025 Education Partner Award honorees, by category:

  • EDUCATION PARTNERS

    • Renee J. Blumstein, Ph.D., President, Informed Decision Services, LLC
    • Thomas P. Dolan, Ed.D., Retired Superintendent, Great Neck UFSD
    • Diane Provvido, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Technology, Oceanside UFSD

    NASSAU BOCES EMPLOYEES

    • Mindy Davidson, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Nassau BOCES Rosemary Kennedy School
    • John Fretz, Virtual Teacher, Nassau BOCES Center for Online Learning
    • Christine Kavanagh, Teacher Aide, Nassau BOCES Jerusalem Avenue School
    • Robert MacKay, Instructor, Nassau BOCES GC Tech
    • Joanna Malament, Associate Director, Nassau BOCES Department of Special Education
    • William Monahan, Program Developer, Nassau BOCES Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Technology

  • ORGANIZATIONS

    • The Joel Foundation, Billy and Alexis Joel, Founders 
    • Hangout One Happy Place, Angela Lucas, Founder and President
    • Long Island Association (LIA), Matthew Cohen, President and CEO

    SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS

    • Charmise P. Desiré, School Board Trustee, Uniondale UFSD 
    • Lawrence F. Zaino Jr., School Board President, Carle Place UFSD

    STUDENTS

    • Ashlee Fucarino, Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts; Wantagh UFSD

Watch the tribute video:

Nassau BOCES pays tribute to its Education Partner Award Honorees for 2025.

Proceeds from awards gala to fund educational innovation

The 2025 Nassau BOCES Education Partner Awards Gala was sponsored by the Nassau BOCES Educational Foundation, an independent non-profit organization which raises funds for innovative educational programs that fall outside of the agency's budget.

Grants in Action

Grants in Action: Since 2007, the Nassau BOCES Educational Foundation has awarded more than 350 grants totaling over $700,000 to benefit thousands of Nassau BOCES students.