The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) has announced that Nicole Hylton-Patterson is stepping down from her role as director of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative after nearly three years heading the program.
ANCA said it convene a hiring committee made up of members of the economic development organization’s board and staff, as well as ADI Core Team members, to conduct a search for a new director. Hylton-Patterson’s final day as ADI Director is Friday, October 14th, 2022.
Hylton-Patterson was hired as ADI’s first director in December 2019, after funding was received in the New York State budget to support leadership and program development for the Initiative, which was established in 2015 as a volunteer-run group of nonprofit and community leaders dedicated to advancing strategies to create a more welcoming and inclusive Adirondack Park.
Hylton-Patterson said her decision to leave ADI was driven by her wish to be closer to family and help in the care of her mother. She said that over the last three years, the Initiative has built a strong program structure and engaged collaborators across the North Country.
Under Hylton-Patterson’s leadership, ADI developed and implemented a number of initiatives including its Emerging Stewards Program, Community Policing Initiative, Cultural Consciousness Trainings and a Business Welcoming Microcredential pilot program. ADI built partnerships with organizations and community leaders to grow diversity, equity and inclusion awareness in North Country communities and build a sense of welcoming and belonging for all who wish to live, work or travel here.
During her time with ADI, Hylton-Patterson received Adirondack Wild’s 2020 Wild Stewardship Award for “initiating and elevating difficult conversations about race, shared power, and influence in the Adirondack region” and an award from Adirondack Council in 2021 for “making the Adirondack Park more welcoming, safe and inclusive for all.”
Hylton-Patterson has accepted a position in Brooklyn, NY as the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York — a human services nonprofit focused on improving the well-being of children, families, and individuals with developmental disabilities across New York City and Long Island. She will begin in her new position in late October.
The job description and application deadline for the ADI Director position will be posted on the ANCA website later this month.
Photo: Adirondack Diversity Initiative Director Nicole Hylton-Patterson accepts Adirondack Wild’s Wild Stewardship Award in December 2020 outside ANCA’s offices in Saranac Lake provided.
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