The New York School Public Relations Association (NYSPRA) has named Holly Brooker, Director of Community Relations at Ulster BOCES, as its 2025 Communicator of the Year. This prestigious honor recognizes a communications professional who exemplifies excellence, leadership, ethics, and a steadfast commitment to advancing public education through strategic communication.

Brooker, a Highland resident and a 1994 graduate of the State University of New York College at Brockport, was recognized during the NYSPRA Annual Conference in Verona, NY on Tuesday, March 10. She was lauded for exemplifying the leadership qualities central to NYSPRA’s Communicator of the Year Award. She is widely respected locally and on the state-level as an expert in the communications field and credible advocate for public education, known for her ability to communicate clearly and effectively with diverse audiences. 

A hallmark of Brooker’s work is her commitment to helping schools establish trust and transparency with their stakeholders. District leaders consistently praise her calm, thoughtful guidance during times of crisis, her precision in transparent message development, and her unwavering advocacy for public education. As Highland Central School District Superintendent Joel Freer shared, Brooker always knows what the audience needs to hear while ensuring communications remain honest, timely, and grounded in integrity.

“This recognition is deeply well deserved,” said Dr. Jonah Schenker, Ed.D., Ulster BOCES District Superintendent & Chief Executive Officer. “Holly’s work on behalf of our agency, our county, and partners from well beyond Ulster BOCES consistently reflects excellence, integrity, creativity, and a deep commitment to telling the story of our students, our staff, and our mission. The impact of her leadership and her team’s work is felt every day, often behind the scenes, and this award is a meaningful acknowledgment of that impact.”

“To be recognized by colleagues I admire so deeply is both humbling and meaningful,” Brooker said. “School communicators understand better than anyone that this work is rarely about individual voices—it’s about listening, building trust, and helping communities stay connected to their schools. When communities trust and support their schools, and have the information they need to participate in their child’s education, students thrive.”

Brooker has worked with Ulster BOCES for 31 years, taking over the leadership of the department as its coordinator in 1998. Through her service to the agency, she has been recognized countless times by the New York State and National School Public Relations Associations, including a prestigious National Gold Medallion Award in 2017 for her county-wide school communications campaign, “The Fight Against the Opioid and Heroin Crisis,” created for the Ulster County Interagency Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention. In 2023, she was named an Ulster County School Boards Association Distinguished Friend of Education, and most recently, in 2025 she was part of a team that earned a national award of excellence for the new “Leading for Deeper Learning with Ulster BOCES” podcast, an idea proposed by Brooker that has now entered its second season.      

In addition to supporting schools professionally, Brooker is on the Board of Directors of the Highland Rotary Club and actively serves on many education-related Rotary committees, including supporting annual school supply donations; facilitating donations for personal care essentials for the Highland Middle School Kindness Closet and Highland High School Teen Closet; helping to organize scholarship donations to Highland High School and Ulster BOCES students from Highland who are entering the workforce; and assisting with the Grades 4-6 Environmental Essay Contest. She is also a classroom volunteer for the Junior Achievement program. In 2023, she was named Highland Rotary Club Rotarian of the Year, and in the same year also received the District 7210 New Rotarian of the Year award.    

Brooker is a 1989 graduate of Rondout Valley High School.