SUNY New Paltz Foundation Board welcomes two new directors

The University is proud to announce the election of SUNY New Paltz Foundation Board directors Stephanie Raymond and Joseph Garay ’78 (Economics).  

Raymond is a leader in the Hudson Valley business community who was appointed President of Central Hudson in April 2024 and will assume the role of President and CEO on Sept. 30. She previously served as president of PPL Electric Utilities Corporation, where she held operational oversight of the electric delivery company. Before PPL, Raymond spent a decade in the telecommunications industry, holding several senior leadership positions. 

Raymond is a first-generation college student who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business-administration/strategic management from California State University in Sacramento. She completed the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Education Program. 

A committed philanthropist, Raymond has spent nine years on the board of Valley Youth House, which supports the rights of individuals experiencing homelessness, and also sat on the Innovation Advisory Board for the Dyer Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In late September, Raymond joins the Business Council of New York State. 

Garay is a SUNY New Paltz alumnus and the former CEO of Long Island-based Ocean Financial Credit Union. He served for 30 years, growing the financial institution established by his father from $16 million to $320 million in managed assets. Prior to this, he owned a wholesale dessert business for 10 years.  

He is an active member of the Knights of Columbus in Oceanside, Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, and director of the New York State Credit Union League. Garay served as a Trustee at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rockville Center Inc. Today, he is retired and resides in Gardiner with his wife, Kath. 

About the SUNY New Paltz Foundation 

The SUNY New Paltz Foundation is a 501(c)3 with a mission to seek, secure and manage gifts and grants to fund scholarships and programs that enrich and support the academic, cultural and community life of SUNY New Paltz, while also building a lasting endowment for the University’s future. Gifts to the Foundation enhance the teaching, learning and discovery that take place on campus, and allow New Paltz to enrich the cultural, economic and social fabric of the Mid-Hudson region. Foundation Board Directors serve three-year terms. 

Visit the SUNY New Paltz Foundation Board online for more information.