June 2005
Contact: Dorothy Wills-Raftery
(845) 255-1400 xt. 1209

Dennis O'Mara Joins Ulster Board

The Ulster County Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) welcomes new Board of Education member Dennis O’Mara. O’Mara represents the Wallkill Central School District and comes to Ulster BOCES having served 15 years as a member of the Wallkill Board of Education, a position he was recently reelected to for three more years.

After 23 years working for IBM in the Fishkill, Poughkeepsie, and Albany offices, O’Mara is now retired but continues to be actively involved in the community. An alumnus of Wallkill High School, the community and children have always been important to O’Mara, who says he is looking forward to serving on the Ulster BOCES Board of Education.

“I’ve always been interested in Ulster BOCES. I believe it fills a real purpose for the kids,” states O’Mara.

An advocate for the disabled, O’Mara strongly believes in making certain today’s children receive the best education they can, and he would like to see more concentration on American History in the schools. “My own experience in school was not the best,” he says. “I would like to see that all children, especially those who are disabled, have the skills to go on and continue their education and become someone. I want to make sure the children have the best education we can give them.” O’Mara is pleased to be an Ulster BOCES Board of Education member. “I believe being a Board member is an important and interesting role. The other Ulster BOCES Board members are very good people and I look forward to working with them,” he says. “ I hope that during my term as an Ulster BOCES member, I can make a little bit of a difference and help make some good decisions for our students and the community. I care about the students and will do the best I can for them.”