Candidate Greenburgh Town Board

By Sonja M. Brown

A 40-year resident of Greenburgh, New York, Ms. Brown is the founder and Executive Director of Miss Westchester's Teen Scholarship Pageant and Westchester RISE. She supervises all aspects of program development and planning. As the District Family Coordinator for Greenburgh Central School District No. 7, Ms. Brown provides families and youth with information, referrals and advocacy support. Ms. Brown served as the Director of Educational Projects for FIRST, Inc., where she supervised the not-for-profit organization's youth development programs and provided information and communication skills training for professionals and volunteers in Westchester. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from Virginia State University. Ms. Brown completed the School Administration and Supervision Master's program at Mercy College in December 2006 and will receive her diploma in May 2007. Prior to serving with FIRST, Ms. Brown was Director of Patient and Family Services for the American Cancer Society of Westchester and Case Management Support Specialist at the Urban League of Westchester.

Sonja Brown has extensive practical experience and formal education in advocacy, community needs assessment, social and public health services, counseling, education, and interaction with federal, state and local government and community agencies. Furthermore, a strong interpersonal, management, organizational, leadership skills and commitment, complements these qualifications. She is a professional individual who is capable of working independently but whom also values and practices teamwork at every opportunity.

Additional Professional Positions: St. Christopher's Jennie Clarkson Childcare + Director of Group Home Lois Bronz Children Center + Assistant Teacher

Activities: Westchester County Youth Bureau Task Force Westchester Girl Scout Leader Lois Bronz Children Center

Board of Directors
Policy Committee
Social Service Committee
Education Committee
Parents Association Vice President
Parents Association Member

Social Service Committee
Chemical Dependence Committee

About Westchester RISE

Westchester Referral and Information Services and Education is a organization which acknowledges the importance and pledges to continue the mission of the Family Information and Referral Service Teams (formally Known as FIRST) an award winning program which began in 1990. As its predecessor, Westchester RISE is dedicated to developing innovative and effective ways to link people with the health and human services they need. Westchester RISE helps people learn about community resources and how to access them. While technology offers us new ways to provide information, we remain committed to the power of the personal connection. And we're committed to providing people many ways to access the information they're seeking, whether it's on the phone or online, at our professional workshops or our public education programs, or via print or electronic directories. We believe that information helps people fully understand their options. Information helps people make enlightened and timely decisions. And information helps people find the solutions they need to help themselves. Sonja Brown, Director of Educational Projects, has more than twenty years experience working with youth and families. Ms. Brown has worked with teens since 1985, helping students discuss, and design ways to meet youth information and referral needs. Ms. Brown has conducted several focus groups with incarcerated youth to pinpoint service needs and to help shape this project, and forged alliances with the Departments of Probation and Corrections about post-incarceration service methods. Ms. Brown continues to work with 80 high school students performing on the non-passing level and their families at Woodlands High School (Greenburgh School District).