This week, New York State Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright honored four Roosevelt Islanders as “Women of Distinction.” The annual awards take place during women’s history month in March 2021.
By David Stone
“We celebrate women today who are exemplary change-makers and
influencers and the pioneers of the past upon whose shoulders we stand,”
Assembly Member Seawright said in a press release.
“They all inspire us to resist and keep up the fight. To the Women of Distinction, we say congratulations! You are an enduring inspiration to our entire community, our beloved city, and our great state of New York!”
Because the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic shut down the ceremony for 2020, Seawright included last year’s honorees as well. The session took place on Zoom and was shown live on Facebook.
Roosevelt Island Women of Distinction 2020-21
As noted in Assembly Member Seawright’s press release…
Aiesha Eleusizov is the Manhattan Association Chair for Girl Scouts of Greater
New York and a troop leader for Troop 3001 and Troop 3244. Over the past
eight years, Aiesha, with co-leader Yitza Martinez and the girls of their troops,
have spent countless hours making Roosevelt Island a better place. In her
professional life, Aiesha is a Senior Program Officer in education leadership at
The Wallace Foundation, where she works to foster equity and improvements
in learning and enrichment for young people.
Dr. Katherine Teets Grimm is a physician who specializes in pediatrics and child
abuse. In addition to her private practice on Roosevelt Island, she serves as a
child abuse pediatrician for the Mount Sinai Medical System and the New York
Center for Children.
Editors Note: Dr. Grimm has served with distinction on the board of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp., one of the first appointed after a public vote. In 2022, Dr. Grimm Bid Farewell to Her Longtime Pediatric Practice on Roosevelt Island.
Andrea Jackson is a talent management and acquisition professional. In our
community on Roosevelt Island, she is the Vice President of the Roosevelt
Island Senior Association.
Bobbie Slonevsky is vice president of the Roosevelt Island Historical Society
and writes and edits the digital publication, which is now in its sixth year. She
has unearthed and developed dozens of previously overlooked topics of
Roosevelt Island’s history. She hopes to expand their reach by compiling them
into a widely available book of “Roosevelt Island Vignettes.”
Honors for Jackson and Slonevsky were delayed from 2020 but no less significant.
Also, recently in Roosevelt Island News…
- Three New Schools Open in Western Queens Amid Ongoing Classroom OvercrowdingThree new schools have opened in Western Queens, giving some relief in classroom overcrowding, but families still face capacity challenges and tough implementation issues this fall.
- Certified 9/11-Related Cancer Cases Double at Northwell HealthNorthwell Health has seen a sharp increase as certified 9/11-related cancer cases double, transforming care for survivors and responders in the New York region.
- Long-Term Health Effects Linked to 9/11: 25 Years LaterThe 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks brings renewed focus to long-term health effects linked to 9/11, with ongoing needs for survivors, first responders, and affected communities.
- NYC Yellow School Bus Shortage Disrupts Back-to-School PlansA potential NYC yellow school bus shortage could affect back-to-school transportation and schedules as classes begin. Learn how families, schools, and city officials are responding.
- Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Suspected in Hunters Point High-Rise: FDNY RespondsA lithium-ion battery fire is suspected in the Hunters Point high-rise incident that prompted a major FDNY response, with a second Queens fire following at Ravenswood. Officials are investigating both events.
The WIRE: Two Futures, One Empty Chair
It is December 6, 2015, and David Stone is writing to Dr. Jack Resnick about a chair that will soon be empty. Dick Lutz is preparing to leave the Main Street WIRE, and Stone has been encouraged to ask whether he might replace him. Seven years of covering art, Cornell Tech and questionable practices inside Public Safety have taught Stone how the paper tells an Island story.
