International Center honors HVCC President Ramsammy
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. » The International Center of the Capital Region (ICCR) recently presented Hudson Valley Community College President Roger Ramsammy, Ph.D. with the ICCR Distinguished Career Award during its inaugural Achievement Awards Luncheon at the Hilton Garden Inn in Clifton Park.
This event was developed to honor foreign-born community members who have made significant contributions to the area while advancing cross-cultural dialogue through volunteerism and advocacy.
A native of Trinidad and a first-generation college student, Dr. Ramsammy has served as president of Hudson Valley since July 2018. He has more than 35 years of higher education experience, including senior academic and administrative positions at three of the largest multi-campus colleges in the United States. Throughout his career, he has earned numerous awards for leadership, effective and inventive teaching, online instruction, academic program development, and community partnership.
“I am deeply grateful to the International Center of the Capital Region for this honor and for its important work within our greater community. Throughout my career, I had had the opportunity to teach, support and partner with students, faculty and business leaders from around the globe to increase access to education and foster positive change. I am proud to continue that work at Hudson Valley, and to partner with ICCR in building bridges, collaborative programs and networks that will advance communities both here and abroad,” Dr. Ramsammy said.
In addition to Dr. Ramsammy, several other community leaders earned ICCR recognition at the luncheon:
Dr. HP Wang, founder of GE’s Asian Pacific American Forum and the Capital Region Chapter of APAPA (Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association) was posthumously awarded the Civic Engagement & Citizenship Award.
Aneesa Waheed, owner of Tara Kitchen, received the Business & Entrepreneurship Award.
Rev. Mikhail Myshchuk, pastor of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Watervliet, received the Community Service & Philanthropy Award.
Manoj Ajmera, founder of the Festival of Nations, was awarded the Community Service & Philanthropy Award.
Diane Conroy-LaCivita, executive director of the Colonie Senior Service Centers, Inc., received the Volunteer of the Year Award.
ICCR is a non-profit organization founded in 1956 to promote cultural understanding by welcoming international leaders and newcomers to the Capital Region. It connects the Capital Region to the world through citizen diplomacy by hosting programs with foreign visitors and events that help establish relationships across borders and cultures.
After being headquartered in various locations since its founding, the organization’s headquarters were relocated to Hudson Valley Community College in the fall of 2021 in a space shared with the college’s Office of Global Initiatives. Educating the greater community and having a positive global impact are essential parts of both Hudson Valley and the ICCR’s missions, making this an intuitive and mutually beneficial partnership.