June 5, 2025 — The Statewide Women’s Committee is proud to announce its newly elected officers. The election was held on April 30. Eighty (80) PEF members registered to attend and participate, and approximately 31 showed up to nominate members and vote. I would like to thank Region 8 Coordinator Danielle Bridger for her help and support that evening. 

It is my honor and pleasure to introduce to you the new officers of the PEF Statewide Women’s Committee. 

Alison Rissing
Downstate Assistant Chairperson, Region 9 

Alison works as a Parole Officer. She is excited to foster relationships with women and organizations across the state. Alison looks forward to developing and executing programs within the committee. She brings leadership experience from her graduate chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.; board work as Vice President of the Present Future Foundation; and as a delegate in the Westchester/Putnam Central Labor Body. Alison is also a graduate of both Aspiring Leaders (PSWP) and the PEF Emerging Leaders programs.  

Monica Moore
Upstate Assistant Chairperson, Region 4 

Monica Moore is the Region 4 coordinator and has held multiple positions within PEF Division 304 (OPWDD Central New York DDSO), serving as council leader, treasurer and secretary. She has also served on the PEF Executive Board, and sits on a number of committees, including OPWDD Labor Management, local Labor Management, Health and Safety, Safe Patient Handling, Workplace Violence and is the co-chair of the EAP Committee. 

Monica has attended every PEF Convention since 2010 as a delegate. She is also an active member of the Greater Syracuse Labor Council and the Region 4 Women’s Committee. Monica works for OPWDD as a Social Worker Assistant 2, having started her career with the agency in 1987. 

Monica continues to foster positive relationships with families, individuals, voluntary agencies, care managers and leadership. Her dedication to serving others has always been a priority and has been demonstrated throughout her career. Monica is a leader with proven performance, integrity, and dedication. She is excited to meet and engage with all members in Region 4 and focused on making sure they have a strong and active voice in their union. 

Stephanie Champagne
Secretary, Region 7 

Stephanie Champagne is a PEF Executive Board member representing Sunmount and St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center. She currently sits on the PEF Convention Committee, is the former Chairperson of the Ethics Committee, and has served on the Justice Center Committee. Her attention to detail and consistent follow-up will be an asset to the documentation of upcoming meetings and future notifications of Committee events. 

Maureen Kozakiewicz
Treasurer, Region 8         

Maureen Kozakiewicz proudly serves PEF members as Chair of the Ethics Committee; Chair of the Delegates Committee; Contract Team Member; DMV Executive Board Member; Region 8 PAC Secretary; Trustee for PEF Membership Benefits Program; and now, Treasurer of the Statewide Women’s Committee.  

She is a public servant working for the NYS Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee assigned to DMV, and a leader in her agency who manages a multimillion-dollar federal grant program for local, state and nonprofit agencies to improve highway safety.  Her duties include program and fiscal oversight of our grant partners.  As the current treasurer of PEF Division 211 and of the Statewide Women’s Committee, Maureen will uphold the fiduciary responsibility of the union while managing the Committee’s finances and providing accountability to the members. 

Again, I would like to take a moment to thank all who made the time to attend and participate in the vote and congratulate the new officers. I am excited to work with you all! 

Women’s History Month 

March was an eventful month in celebration of Women’s History Month. I attended a Women’s Impact Brunch in Queens, sponsored by Queensboro President Donovan Richards. Several committee members were approved as Delegates for Public Services International and participated in the UN Conference for Women. Additionally, a new member from Region 5 joined me and other committee members from Regions 10 and 11 at the reception hosted for the PSI Delegation at the New York City PEF office. 

On March 15, committee members attended the Stop the Cuts rally at Foley Square in New York City and then marched down Wall Street. I also attended the Women of Parks Celebration at the Heritage Club in Farmingdale, N.Y., and recruited 12 new members from Region 12. 

To close Women’s History Month, the Women’s Committee collaborated with the Emerging Leaders Committee for a Leadership Vision Board hybrid program. Members created their own vision boards using materials provided via email and in person. Below is a completed Leadership Vision Board by Syeda Hasan (Minnie). Thank you for sharing! 

The Committee, in collaboration with the PEF Black Caucus, sponsored a screening of the film The Six Triple Eight on the first evening of the Executive Board meeting in March.  

This film highlights the strength and resilience of women who played a significant role in raising awareness of the contributions of underrepresented Black women in military history. Audience members enjoyed popcorn and sliders, while learning about the story of the 6888th Battalion. 

Other news 

Earlier this month, I attended the Region 8 Leadership Conference in Cooperstown. During the conference, I met and recruited new committee members and conducted the AVERT Training with member trainer Alison Rissing. 

The Statewide Women’s Committee continues to work on creating a proposal to submit to the PEF Executive Council about creating a Statewide Women’s Committee Podcast that will be produced internally for the PEF membership. The newly elected officers are scheduled to meet before the end of the month to plan and discuss upcoming events and activities. Committee members will be notified of the next general committee membership meeting. 

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