[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 43 (Sunday, March 21, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      A TRIBUTE TO BEVERLY COLLIER

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                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS-

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Sunday, March 21, 2010

  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Beverly 
Collier, for her commitment to human services and her many 
contributions to her community.
  Beverly Collier is the Director of the ``My Turn Program'' at 
Kingsborough Community College, in Brooklyn, NY. She is a native New 
Yorker and was raised in Queens, NY. She attended Baruch College, CUNY 
where she received a Masters in Business Administration and Management. 
Ms. Collier has a graduate certificate in Aging from Brookdale Center 
for Healthy Aging & Longevity of Hunter College (formerly Brookdale 
Center on Aging).
  As the Director of the My Turn Program, Ms. Collier oversees the 
registration and advisement of the program's students, all of whom are 
over 60 years of age. The program allows senior citizens to take 
courses on a matriculating or non-matriculating basis, and currently 
has over 500 students enrolled in day and evening classes.
  The majority of Ms. Collier's professional experience has been in 
human services, specifically providing services to elders and their 
families. Prior to joining Kingsborough Community College, she worked 
for Services for the Underserved as the Senior Vice President for Home 
Care Services for 23 years and played a critical role in the expansion 
of the Home Care division. In this position, Ms. Collier managed two 
home care agencies and a home modifications program for disabled 
individuals.
  In addition to her administrative positions, Ms. Collier is an 
adjunct instructor in the Human Services Department at New York College 
of Technology in Brooklyn, NY where she has taught courses in the 
management of human service organizations and gerontology. She is also 
a workshop facilitator and has conducted a series of trainings in 
effective communication and management skills for the Research 
Foundation of CUNY in New York City and upstate New York.
  Recently, Ms. Collier has combined her professional background in 
elder care with her personal experience as a care giver for her late 
mother, Ethel Collier, by developing and presenting trainings to 
professional and family care givers. She is passionate about the 
opportunity to share her caregiver story through helping others care 
for their loved ones.
  In 2009, Ms. Collier was elected Chair of the Board of Directors for 
Unique People Services a non-profit organization providing services to 
individuals and families affected by developmental disabilities, mental 
illness and AIDS. She has also volunteered with the Speakers Bureau of 
the Medicare Rights Center and the Home Care Council of NYC.
  Ms. Collier loves to travel and has been fortunate to visit Ghana, 
Nigeria, Jamaica, Argentina, Guyana, England and more. Her travel has 
mostly been for pleasure. In 1996, however she traveled to Argentina to 
deliver a presentation on hiring and training home care workers to 
health care professionals who were working to expand a similar program 
in their country. The trip was organized by the CUNY Consortium for the 
Study of Disabilities.
  Ms. Collier lives in St. Albans and is the mother of two adult 
children; her daughter, Maia Rosser, is a social worker, and her son, 
Akunna Rosser, is a guidance counselor.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing Beverly 
Collier.

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