Equity & Housing Presenter Biographies

Amanda D. Damiano, Ph.D.
Amanda D. Damiano, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of communication at Marist College. She teaches in the Integrated Marketing Communication master’s program and the public relations undergraduate program. She serves as director of the Center for Social Media, one of Marist’s Centers of Excellence, which provides training in social media listening, engagement, influence, and analytics.

She holds a Ph.D. in communication from the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, a master’s in media studies from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and a bachelor’s in public relations-journalism from Utica College. 

Dr. Damiano has taught at colleges and universities in Central New York, Western New York, the New York State Capital Region, and Long Island. Her background is in mass communication, with an emphasis in public relations and advertising, and her research focuses on social media, health communication, and the social and psychological effects of emotional appeals in strategic messaging. 

She has also done marketing communications, public relations, and stakeholder engagement work for clients in the industries of healthcare, technology, and entertainment and leisure. 

Dr. Damiano volunteers with the United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region, and is honored to serve on the Community Impact Council and the Grants Review Committee. 

Inaudy Esposito, MS
Inaudy Esposito, MS, is an avid advocate and voice for targeted and oppressed communities. Born in Dominican Republic, Inaudy immigrated to the United States as a child, and has lived in the Hudson Valley since 2003. Her expertise is in social justice, diversity and inclusion, and gender violence issues, including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Inaudy was an English as a Second Language Instructor at SUNY Orange for over 10 years, and works tirelessly on eliminating oppression, racism, sexism, homophobia, and gender inequality in her community. She has sat on numerous boards and committees, including the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Leadership Orange, the Orange County Cultural Equity Task Force and the Newburgh Ministries. Inaudy has received multiple recognitions, including an Orange County Woman of Achievement award, and Rising Star recognitions in both Orange County and New York State. She is a sought-after speaker, and has presented at numerous conferences, including in the 2018 TEDxNewburgh, where she discussed diversity and privilege in her talk “Turning Differences into Strengths.”

Inaudy Esposito, is the Executive Director for the Orange County Human Rights Commission, whose primary purpose is to foster mutual respect and understanding among all groups in the County. The Commission coordinates and facilitates educational and awareness programs, in order to promote understanding of equity, acceptance, unity, and humanity. 

Melissa Gaeke, Ph.D
Melissa Gaeke, Ph.D is the Director of the Center for Civic Engagement and Leadership and Professional Lecturer in Political Science at Marist College.  In her work at Marist, she connects her students and faculty colleagues with opportunities for teaching and learning in the greater Poughkeepsie area.  Through these efforts, she works to develop and enhance relationships with local, community serving organizations. Melissa has a doctorate in Public Administration from the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy.  Her interests include engaging students in activities that teach them about civic engagement and working with nonprofit organizations to build their capacity to access resources and connect with stakeholders.  Prior to arriving at Marist in the Fall of 2014, Melissa was the Executive Director of Academic Partnerships from 2010 - 2014 at the University of Southern California.  In that role, she created and supported partnerships between USC’s civic engagement programs, the research of the University’s academic units, and community stakeholders.  From 2003-2010, Melissa served as the Director of the USC Volunteer Center, where she was responsible for implementing a variety of community service and community-based learning programs for undergraduate students. Melissa began her career in New York City where she held a variety of leadership positions at Jacob Riis Neighborhood Settlement, a mid-sized social service agency in Queens, NY from 1994-1999.

Freddimir Garcia
Freddimir Garcia is the Northern Regional Director for Diversity, Inclusion, & Community Engagement at WMC Health Network.  He is an active member of the community serving on various boards that include Catharine Street Community Center, Family Services, RUPCO, Pattern for Progress, and Rhinebeck Bank. He is a two-time Marist graduate and holds a Diversity & Inclusion Certificate from Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Javier Gomez
Javier Gomez is a Real Estate Development Coordinator with Hudson River Housing where he is a part of a team managing a pipeline of affordable housing new construction and renovation. He is also a member of HRH’s Race Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Leadership Committee which guides HRH’s ongoing commitment to center equity and inclusion in its programs and policies. Prior to his role at HRH, Javier served as an Americorps VISTA with the United Way sponsored Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative in the City of Newburgh. 

Patience Hughes
Patience Hughes is a Housing Staff Attorney at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley in the Poughkeepsie office.  She represents tenants who reside in Dutchess County. Patience’s work is focused on eviction prevention and assisting tenants to preserve their housing. She worked as a housing attorney in the Bronx, prior to joining the LSHV Poughkeepsie office. 

In 1979, Mr. Jarvis’s career began as a youth worker to bring family planning education to the remotest outposts of Antigua and Barbuda for the Pan American Health Organization. As a direct result of his success within the organization, Mr. Jarvis was awarded a scholarship to St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1988. Upon his return to Antigua, Mr. Jarvis ran a United Nations construction training program for high school dropouts funded by USAID, an experience he counts as one of the most rewarding of his career.

In 1992, Mr. Jarvis returned to the US to complete his masters degree in human services at Metropolitan College of New York and make the US home. His work ranged from projects servicing the homeless population to workforce development programs for disenfranchised youth and adults and has secured grant funding for his projects ranging from $10,000 to 2.5 million dollars, which has been pivotal for poor communities. 

Mr. Jarvis is the Executive Director at the Newburgh Ministry, a “grassroots, no-frills agency” that recently celebrated its 30-year anniversary fighting poverty in the City of Newburgh. He also serves on the Boards of Cornerstone Family Health Center and Independent Home Care.

Sabrina Marzouka
Sabrina Marzouka was born and raised in the Caribbean island of Haiti, where she attended law school and secured her judicial degree. She also holds a Bachelor in Political Science from Trinity College, and a Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. Sabrina’s career started in Haiti, working for a private Haitian not-for-profit community based agency, the Centers for Development and Health. As the Assistant Director she was responsible for the implementation of numerous programs aimed at improving the quality of life of the Haitian people. In 1992, Sabrina moved to Poughkeepsie, NY, where she joined the Catharine Street Community Center as the Executive Director. Under her leadership, the Center expanded its services through the development of innovative programs responding to the needs of the community. Her efforts awarded her with the Marist College President Award in 1994. In 1997, she joined the Dutchess County Department of Health and served as the Director of Health Planning and Education, and was promoted in 2009 as the Assistant Commissioner. In March 2015, she was appointed as the Commissioner for the Department of Community & Family Services. A mother of three, Sabrina is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Creole. Despite her busy schedule, she finds time to support ongoing efforts to help the vulnerable and underserved, both in her community and in the world, especially in Haiti.

Héctor Luis Morell, LMSW
Héctor Luis Morell, LMSW, serves as Director of Social and Human Services at Catholic Charities of Orange Sullivan and Ulster, a position he has held since he joined the agency in 2018.  He is responsible for administrative oversight of Catholic Charities’ social safety net programs in Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster Counties. Last year, these programs provided support, including emergency food and shelter assistance, to more than 15,000 individuals.

Héctor has more than 20 years of professional experience in the field of Human Services. He has been actively involved with program development and collaboration with regulatory bodies, including New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Administration for Children Services, local Departments of Social Services, Office of Mental Health, and New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, as well as many community-based agencies. Héctor is a graduate of SUNY New Paltz and received his Master’s degree from Fordham University.