Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger today announced the appointment of Joe McDonald as the new Director of Human Rights, and the County Executive and Legislative Leaders have also announced a total of four new appointments to vacant positions on the Human Rights Commission that diversify the Commission’s representation and expertise. Two of the Commission appointments were made by the County Executive, and one each was made by Chairperson of the County Legislature Tracey Bartels and Minority Leader Ken Ronk.
McDonald, a Kingston native, has over 20 years of management experience working with under-resourced populations, most recently serving in a supervisory position with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, where he investigated complaints relating to childcare and oversaw enforcement actions. In this role, McDonald has been a member of the statewide Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee. Earlier in his career as a Youth Case Manager, he provided LGBTQ+ resource training to staff at multiple facilities across the Hudson Valley. McDonald, a former Kingston High School track star and Olympic bobsled competitor, has also been serving as a mentor to youth in the Ulster County Brighter Futures Initiative. McDonald has Bachelors and Masters degrees in Organizational Management, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Psychology.
Last month, County Executive Metzger appointed existing Commission member Reverend Gary Fuller to serve as Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission. Reverend Fuller has spent a lifetime as an advocate for justice and human rights, particularly in the fields of housing and healthcare. He has previously advocated on behalf of claimants in housing court, represented claimants at administrative hearings before agencies such as the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, and represented disabled children at Superintendent suspension hearings. He currently serves as pastor of the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church in Ellenville, as Co-Chair of the Ellenville Police Advisory Commission, and is an active member of the Ellenville branch of the NAACP. He previously worked with under-resourced children and families as a psychiatric case manager and parole officer. He has served two full terms as a member and Chair of the City of Mount Vernon Board of Ethics where he drove organizational change and the promulgation of concrete policies and procedures. Reverend Fuller was appointed to the Commission in 2022 by then-County Executive Pat Ryan.
Filling four vacancies on the Commission, County Executive Metzger has appointed Nilsary Lewis-Rivera from the Town of Wawarsing and Sage Jobsis from the Town of Rosendale, Chairperson Bartels has appointed Des Salomone, Esq. from the City of Kingston, and Minority Leader Ronk has appointed Candice Van Dyke from the Town of Ulster.
The four appointments to the volunteer Human Rights Commission do not require any confirmation votes from the County Legislature and are effective immediately. County Executive Metzger’s appointment of Joe McDonald as Human Rights Commissioner is subject to confirmation by the County Legislature and is expected to be voted on at the body’s August regular meeting.
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