‘Selfless and tremendous’ women honored

Several western Queens women, including the mother of a missing soldier and the recently-appointed Landmarks commissioner, were honored by their representative in the state legislature recently. State Senator John Sabini presented the women with awards during his third annual Women’s History Month Awards Breakfast for their “selfless and tremendous” work on behalf of residents in his district.
Among this year’s honorees were Yvette L. Watts, the executive director of the New York Association of Emerging & Multicultural Providers; Lillian Kowalsky, President of the 115th Precinct Community Council; Maria Duran, mother of missing Army Specialist Alex Jimenez; Martha Clark, mother of slain soldier Specialist Jonathan Rivandeneira; Priscilla Carrow, a member of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer; and Diana Chapin, Executive Director of the Queens Library Foundation and new Commissioner of the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC).
Many of the women also serve in other capacities in their communities. Watts is the co-chair of the Queens Council on Developmental Disabilities and president of Quality Services for Autistic Citizens, and Kowalsky is active in several other civic organizations. In addition, last year Clark and Duran founded the Council of Family and Friends of War Soldiers, a group dedicated to providing support services to the families of soldiers.
Carrow works at the Elmhurst Hospital Center and serves as chief shop steward for the Communications Workers of America Local 1180 and as the executive secretary of Community Board 4.
Before becoming the Landmarks Commissioner, Chapin worked in the city’s Parks Department and served as the Queens Parks Commissioner.