It Takes A Village to Empower a Chapter
By Shari E. Berk
President Rockland Chapter
My name is Shari Berk, president of the NYCPA Rockland Chapter. When I first became active as a board member of the Rockland Chapter back in 2007, I was almost immediately asked to be secretary and at that time the presidency seemed a long way off. My children were then 13 and 15 (they are now 33 and 31).
They were getting to the age where I felt getting involved in the local chapter was feasible. I figured out that by the time I would be president, my oldest would be a senior in high school and driving so I would have the time to be president of the chapter. Now for 2025/2026, my sixth term is upon me and I ask myself, where did the time go?
These past 18 years on the board have gone by so quickly and have been rewarding, interesting, educational and very memorable. Through my participation in the Rockland Chapter, I have experienced both personal and business growth and have made many good friends and business contacts. All around a very positive experience. I look forward to enhancing these experiences further by being the president of our chapter again later in my career. I want to first thank the Rockland Board for their hard work and enthusiasm these past years, it really does take a village. We all have full time jobs and families, yet we all seem to find the time to put forth the effort to make this chapter what it is. I look forward to working with all of them again this year. Thanks for stepping up, yet again.
Thank you to Denise Collins for continuing as secretary and to Michael Milisits for continuing as treasurer, I want to welcome Tonya Love as our president-elect. Without the cooperation and professionalism of all involved we could not have a successful chapter. We are in the process of planning our summer and fall technical sessions and social events, so be sure to keep an eye on the calendar for up-to-date information on upcoming events.
On Jun. 18, we had our annual organizational meeting at La Terrazza where we will be visited by Calvin Harris Jr., CEO, Patricia Johnson, chapter representative, and other NYCPA staff. We discussed upcoming programming for the year ahead.
Please reach out and join us at future board meetings and events as our new year begins. The chapter needs your support and participation.
If you have any feedback or suggestions for future seminars or events, please contact me shari@seberkcpapc.com.
I look forward to seeing you all at future events.
Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River. The county's population, as of the 2010 census, was 311,687, increasing by 4.6% to a 2015 Census estimate of 326,037, making it the third most densely populated county outside of New York City within New York State (after Nassau and neighboring Westchester counties, respectively). The county seatis New City. Although Rockland County does not directly border any New York City boroughs, it lies only 9 miles northwest of the city at their closest points, and is accessible through 10 exits on the New York State Thruway. The name derives from "rocky land", as the area was described by early Dutch and English settlers.
Rockland County is the smallest county by area in New York State outside ofNew York City. It comprises five towns and nineteen incorporated villages, with numerous unincorporated villages (sixteen) and hamlets.
The county's elevations range from 1,283 feet (391 m) atop Rockhouse Mountain to sea level along the Hudson River. Approximately 30% of Rockland County is devoted to parkland, belonging to either the five towns, incorporated villages, the state, or the county. These parks provide walking and hiking trails, ball fields, dog runs, historic sites, ponds, streams, salt marshes, and equestrian trails. Some popular state parks include Bear Mountain State Park on the northernmost tip of the county, Harriman State Park also along the county's northern boundary, and Nyack Beach State Park along the Hudson River, with trails connecting to Rockland Lake State Park.