PORT JEFFERSON, NY – Sylvia A. Diaz, PhD, executive director of the Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) Foundation, and Marvin L. Colson, a clinical associate professor in the School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook University, have been appointed to Mather Hospital’s Board of Directors.
Dr. Diaz, a licensed master social worker (LMSW), oversees all operations of the SCCC Foundation including major, corporate and private donor gift acquisition and alumni relations. In her role, she works closely with the SCCC president and all executive leadership to develop, build and manage relationships with both internal and external partners to achieve Foundation mission goals and objectives.
She was previously director of development for the Foundation and, earlier, regional vice president for the American Cancer Society, Suffolk County. She also is an adjunct professor in the Master of Science Program in Human Services Leadership at St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue.
Dr. Diaz received her doctorate in Social Welfare and her Master of Social Work degree from Stony Brook University. She has a certificate in Parish Social Ministry from Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service. She was named Social Worker of the Year for 2016 by the National Association of Puerto Rican Hispanic Social Workers and in 2015 received the Unidad Latina Leadership Award from the New York State Senate. Dr. Diaz resides in Smithtown with her wife, Erma.
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Mr. Colson is also director of the Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities Programs at Stony Brook School of Social Welfare. He serves as co-chair of the university’s Diversity Plan Advisory Council and is a member of Stony Brook Medicine’s Cultural Competency DSRIP (Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment) Committee. He also has served as chairman of the Brookhaven Town Zoning Board of Appeals.
Prior to joining Stony Brook, he was regional director of the New York State Office for People with Disabilities and, earlier, deputy director of the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.
Mr. Colson is a decorated Navy war veteran who served as a combat medic with the U.S. Marines. He received a community service award from the NAACP, of which he has been a member since 1985, and was honored with Marvin L. Colson Day in Brookhaven in 2013. He earned his Master of Science degree in Health Administration at Stony Brook and his Master of Arts degree in Sociology at Adelphi University.
A native Long Islander and Coram resident, he and his wife, Beverly, have two children and four grandchildren.
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About Mather Hospital
Mather Hospital is an accredited 248-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high-quality healthcare services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion and respect and treating each patient in the manner we would wish for our loved ones. Mather has earned the prestigious Magnet® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which recognizes healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Mather has received 13 “A” ratings for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group. No other hospital in New York State has received more top ratings. For further information about Mather Hospital, visit www.matherhospital.org or “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/matherhospital.
About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, about 750 outpatient facilities and more than 13,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 70,000 employees – 16,000-plus nurses and 4,000 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.