Local leader honored with Lifetime Achievement Award
Laura Chodos receives award from New York State Archives Partnership Trust
SARATOGASPRINGS, N.Y. >> Local leader Laura Chodos was honored on Monday with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York State Archives Partnership Trust.
During a ceremony at the National Museum of Dance & Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, Chodos was recognized for her many contributions as a former member of the Board of Regents as well as a longtime education advocate and Spa City-area philanthropist.
Dozens of friends, family, colleagues and fellow community members attended Monday’s event to show their support for Chodos upon her receipt of this award, presented by State Archivist Tom Ruller of the New York State Archives Partnership Trust.
“There is no one person more deserving than Laura Chodos,” Ruller said at the event, noting that it was the first time the trust gave this award to an individual.
Other speakers included Skidmore College president Philip A. Glotzbach and Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner also lauded Chodos for her work during the award presentation.
“Thank you, Laura, for breaking through and for leading the way,” Woerner said, speaking of how Chodos took on leadership roles previously held by men.
Glotzbach, who is also a neigh- bor of Chodos, “It’s helpful to look to the example of citizens such as Laura Chodos,” he said, giving some highlights from her lifetime of dedication to worthy civic causes.
Chodos was appointed to the Board of Regents in 1976 representing Saratoga County and eleven other counties north to the Canadian border. She served for 17 years on the board and was the first woman in the board’s history to head its Committee on Higher Education and the Professions. She represented New York State at two White House Conferences on Libraries and Technology and chaired an international task force to follow progress on conference resolutions.
Throughout her career, Chodos advocated for funding to strengthen services for the state’s libraries, archives, and museums.
“As a Regent, Laura always put children first and advocated for funding and programs to improve students’ lives across the
state,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said in a press release. “Her dedication to making New York’s historical records more accessible has made a lasting impact on schools throughout the state.”
State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia added, “Laura’s tireless support and championing of the value of primary sources in education is an inspiration to all educators. Throughout her career, she has advocated for archives and records management so that we can preserve history for future generations to study and learn from.”
As regent emerita, Chodos and her husband established an endowment for the annual New York State Archives Student Research Awards for student research using primary source materials.
Always a believer in lifelong learning, Chodos graduated from Girls’ Latin School in Boston and Tufts University with degrees in economics and urban sociology and she continued doctoral studies in education at the State University at Albany. Her commitment to education included many programs in the Saratoga area, including Skidmore College, as well as international education initiatives. Chodos spent over 25 years developing educational and cultural exchanges with Russia, following its struggles to join the global economy in the late 1980s. In 2000, she founded the Chekhov, Russia- Saratoga Springs Sister City partnership. The group sponsored 13 visits by delegations from Russia to Saratoga Springs on topics that included the development of a not-forprofit industry, health systems, education, small business development, and art exchanges.
In her unending dedication to her community, Chodos served as a trustee of the Saratoga Arts Council and fundraising chair- woman for Shelters of Saratoga. She also taught English for several summers to young immigrant workers at the Saratoga Race Course. She was appointed a member of a 15-member nonpartisan citizen Saratoga Springs Charter Review Commission in 2016.
With an impressive list of contributions, “We will reap the benefits of all that she has given us for generations to come,” Ruller said.
In accepting her award, Chodos thanked many others in the room for their efforts and encouraged the audience to participate in government to create a better future. “It’s we the people that make up the democracy,” she said, sharing her hope for a new renaissance in the years ahead.