September 2004
Contact: Holly Brooker
(845) 255-1450 xt. 1301

Ulster BOCES’ Elizabeth Hayter Elected President of DACE

Elizabeth Hayter, the assistant director of the Ulster Adult Career Education Center, a division of Ulster BOCES, has recently been appointed the new president of the Dutchess Association for Continuing Education (DACE).

Hayter has been a member of DACE for the past 16 years, 10 as an adult educator working at many institutions, including Rochester Institute of Technology at IBM East Fishkill, Marist College, Dutchess County BOCES, Krissler Business Institute, Ridley Lowell Business and Technical Institute, and most recently, the Ulster Adult Career Education Center. In 2003, she was the recipient of the DACE “Outstanding Service Award.”

Initially, Hayter began her career as an educator in an unlikely place, by working retail at a Radio Shack store. “I learned a lot about computers there,” she acknowledges.

As a result of what she learned, Hayter began her journey into teaching. She left Radio Shack and went on to become a teaching assistant at IBM for computer classes. Within six months, she was teaching her own class, juggling career and family, but loving every minute of it. “Looking back, it’s like it was a plan that all worked out very nicely,” recalls Hayter fondly.

Hayter is pleased to take over the helm at DACE and is eagerly anticipating her role as the new president. “First, I want to thank former president, Zeke Mavadones, vice president Russ Pirog, and all the members who supported this transition of leadership. I look forward to getting to know all the members and programs better over this next year,” notes Hayter. “My first goal is to expand the territory DACE covers. Along with Dutchess County, I would like to include more adult programs from Ulster and Orange Counties,” explains Hayter, who says that she also plans on increasing the organization’s membership.

“This is a transitional time, a time to expand into other counties, and I’m very excited to be part of that,” says Hayter.

While Hayter enjoys her role as an administrator, she is definitely looking forward to putting her teaching hat back on this fall when she will be conducting a workshop through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) at Benedictine Hospital in Kingston for their employees.

Adds Hayter, “The support of my family allows me to pursue these personal goals and the sense of mission I have to serve our community. This helps to put my life’s purpose into my career plan.”

DACE, which has been around for more than 25 years, is a Mid-Hudson Valley organization that provides cooperative publication and advertising services to various schools throughout the area and the current members represent the majority of adult continuing and community education programs in Dutchess County. DACE is a member of the New York Association for Continuing Community Education and the Hudson Valley/Catskill Partnership.