Commending Douglas DiGesare upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of the 2026 Leadership Award and the Years of Service Award by the New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation

Assembly Resolution No. 1244

BY: M. of A. Conrad

        COMMENDING  Douglas  DiGesare upon the occasion of
        his designation as recipient of the 2026  Leadership
        Award and the Years of Service Award by the New York
        Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation

  WHEREAS,  Individuals  who give of their time and energies and serve
the best interests of their communities are an asset beyond remuneration
and cannot be sufficiently extolled; and

  WHEREAS, Douglas DiGesare has given not only his time  and  energies
but  also his competence, intelligence, and leadership, and consequently
has been designated for special honor; and

  WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud  to  commend  Douglas
DiGesare  upon  the occasion of his designation as recipient of the 2026
Leadership Award and the Years of Service Award by the New York Alliance
for Inclusion and Innovation; and

  WHEREAS, Both the 2026 Leadership Award and Years of  Service  Award
are  granted  by  the  New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation as
part of their Annual Excellence Awards; and

  WHEREAS, The Leadership Award is a prestigious honor granted  to  an
individual  who  has  made  significant,  lasting  contributions  to the
disability and human services sector through leadership that  emphasizes
integrity, effectiveness, and collaboration; and

  WHEREAS,  Douglas  DiGesare  is  an  experienced leader and has been
serving The Arc Erie County, New York for 35 years; in 2018, he  stepped
into  the  role  of  chief  executive  officer  and has been leading the
organization since; and

  WHEREAS, His sustained tenure at The  Arc  Erie  County  has  earned
Douglas  DiGesare  the  Years  of  Service  award, which is reserved for
individuals who contributed to long-term growth and  innovation  through
visionary leadership in their organization; and

  WHEREAS,  For  over three decades, Douglas DiGesare has gone through
the ranks at The Arc Erie County, starting  as  a  residential  manager,
then  moving  onto  roles  such  as  director  of  residential services,
director of  quality  improvement  and  training,  and  chief  operating
officer; and

  WHEREAS,  Douglas DiGesare earned his Master of Arts in Business and
Policy Studies from  SUNY  Empire  State  College,  and  he  earned  his
Bachelor of Science from SUNY Brockport; and

  WHEREAS,  As  a  well-known  and  respected individual in his field,
Douglas DiGesare is widely recognized for his dedication to  individuals
with  intellectual  and  developmental disabilities, and he was recently
included on a list of influential  local  leaders  by  Buffalo  Business
First; and

  WHEREAS,  Douglas  DiGesare's career spanned many impactful projects
and achievements; amongst his current projects is the Black Water  Acres
initiative, which is an upcoming inclusive farm in Alden, New York, that
is  designed  to  provide vocational training and community programs for
individuals supported by The Arc Erie County; and

  WHEREAS,  Rare  indeed  is  the  impressive  dedication  shown by an
individual  for  the  benefit  of  others  which  Douglas  DiGesare  has
displayed throughout his life; and

  WHEREAS,  It  is  the  sense  of  this  Legislative  Body  that when
individuals of such noble aims and accomplishments are  brought  to  our
attention,  they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens
of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
commend  Douglas  DiGesare  upon  the  occasion  of  his  designation as
recipient of the 2026 Leadership Award and the Years of Service Award by
the New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation; and be it further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted to Douglas DiGesare.