CURRAN HONORS WOMEN OF DISTINCTION FROM MALVERNE & WEST HEMPSTEAD

In photo: Maureen Chiofalo (fourth in from right), Assemblyman Brian Curran (third from the right), Supervisor Kate Murray (far left), and Maureen’s family pose for a shot during the event.

Assemblyman Brian Curran (Lynbrook-21st AD) recently hosted his annual Women of Distinction event to recognize women from the community who have gone above and beyond the call of civic engagement and outreach to make Nassau County and the 21st Assembly District a better place to live, work and raise a family. This year’s honorees include Malverne’s Maureen Chiofalo and West Hempstead’s Lauren Bristol Lee. They both received and were recognized with an official New York State Assembly Proclamation from Curran and were given kind words from local elected officials including Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray and Town of Hempstead Senior Councilman Anthony J. Santino. Honorees and their families attended the ceremony.

“The selflessness Maureen and Lauren have shown Malverne and West Hempstead are an uplifting example of devotion to our area and residents. It is my honor to show them this small token of recognition for the hard work and dedication they have shown to our community,” said Curran. “We are very lucky to have them as our friends and neighbors. My special thanks go to their families, who have allowed their loved ones to spend so much time caring for others.”

Maureen Chiofalo has been a resident of Malverne Park for 38 years. In the 1980s, she was very active in the Malverne Park Civic Association. In 1986, she returned to school at night to pursue a Master of Library Science at Queens College. At the same time, she took a part-time job as a clerk at the Rockville Centre Public Library where her commitment to library advocacy began. During her career at the library, Maureen worked in various positions of increasing responsibility, and in 2006, was named Director of the Library. Membership in such organizations as the Nassau County Library Association, New York Library Association, American Library Association, Long Island Library Resources Council (LILRC) and New Yorkers for Better Libraries has given her the opportunity to work with elected officials to ensure the future of libraries in New York State. After retiring in 2013, she maintained her membership in the professional organizations and currently chairs the LILRC Legislative Committee. Maureen is also active in the Nassau Library Director’s Chapter of New Yorkers for Better Libraries.

Lauren Bristol Lee is married to Terry Lee and has four children, Jennifer, Sean, Thomas and Jessica. With her passion to help children with special needs, Lauren has represented parents at the Committee on Special Education and 504 meetings as an attorney advocate. She served as Co-President of the West Hempstead Special Education PTA for nine years. There, she established a parent-to-parent forum for parents of special education students. Lauren also brought in speakers at the SEPTA meetings to educate parents and teachers on issues involving education, medication, social and home life. She served several years on the SEPTA Board as Corresponding Secretary and Chair of the membership committee. She is still active on the SEPTA board in her role as Past President. Lauren is currently on the West Hempstead PTSA board as Vice President of Programming serving the students of the middle school and high school. Over the years, she chaired a number of committees for the PTA and PTSA. She was a member of the Shared Decision Making Team for George Washington Elementary School. She received the West Hempstead Education Association Friend of Education Award in 2012. Lauren also enjoys serving and volunteering her time in many ways, on a variety of different community boards and committees. (In photo: Assemblyman Brian Curran and Lauren Lee)

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