Jo Galante
Jo Galante is a highly respected communications professional who has contributed countless hours to her community for the betterment of its citizens. As Communications and Government Affairs Director for Ulster-Greene ARC, she is known for her dedication to expanding the rights to community inclusion for people with disabilities. She is most dedicated to expanding early intervention services for children with disabilities. She has successfully lobbied against the implementation of fees for early intervention services and for the passage of the Health Care Decisions Act that protects the rights of people with developmental disabilities when receiving medical care.
Jo is well known for her community activism spanning nearly three decades. She is a founder of Woodstock Nuclear Opponents, the Mid Hudson Valley Schizophrenia Association, the Saugerties Concerned Citizens and Vietnam Veterans Association, Chapter 60.
Currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce and the Mental Health Association, Jo is a former member of the YWCA Board of Directors, a member of Planned Parenthood of the Hudson Valley and the Mid-Hudson Women's Network. She is a past member of Seedling Day Care, in Saugerties, and the Ulster County Girl Scouts.
She is a past volunteer at Family's Darmstadt Shelter and Midway, Family's teen residence in Kingston, where she regularly cooked Thanksgiving dinner for the teens living there. She also served as an "unofficial" surrogate for two Saugerties teens who became orphaned and homeless.
Galante is a former news reporter and is a free lance writer focusing her writing on social and cultural issues. She frequently offers her public relations services on a pro bono basis to area organizations and to young entrepreneurs.
She holds an M.A. in Social and Policy Studies from SUNY Empire State College. She lives in Saugerties where she is co-owner of The Woodworker with her husband Alex Cicale. They have two children, Alexis, a high school teacher, and Nick, who is an artist attending Pratt Institute.
Ulster County Community College is proud to count Jo among its honored alumni as both a consummate professional and dedicated community member.
