Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus Provost,
Gale Stevens Haynes, Receives the National Action Network’s
Women of Distinction Award

Brooklyn, N.Y. – Celebrating women who are setting exemplary standards in business, education and communications, the National Action Network (NAN), headed by the Rev. Al Sharpton, this year chose Gale Steven Haynes, provost of Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus, to be one of five recipients of its Women of Distinction Award.

Provost Haynes, an educational administrator and an attorney, joined Michelle Ebanks, president, Essence Communications, Inc.; Terrie Williams, president, The Terrie Williams Agency; Suzanne Shank, president & CEO, Siebert Brandford Shank & Company; Lisa Pickrum, executive vice president and COO, The RLJ Companies; and Lillian Rodriguez Lopez, president, Hispanic Federation, in receiving the Award. She was honored on Tuesday, October 6, at an event attended by Rev. Sharpton, Governor David Paterson, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and celebrities that included filmmaker Spike Lee.

Founded in 1991, NAN is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the nation, and “works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for social justice and one standard of justice and decency for all people regardless of race, religion, national origin and gender.”

Provost Haynes, who holds a B.A. and an M.S. from Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus and a J.D. from St. John’s University, has served as head of the Brooklyn Campus since 1989. During her tenure as provost, she doubled student enrollment, which now stands at more than 11,000; developed the Campus physical plant; worked to bring a greater level of diversity to the faculty; and forged strong links with the community, thereby transforming the Campus into a vibrant academic center.

Under her leadership, the state-of-the-art Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts was built in 2005, and the $45-million Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center was constructed in 2006. The latter features a 2,500-seat venue for athletic and civic events, as well as the Harriet Rothkopf Heilbrunn B’32 Academic Nursing Center and the Health & Wellness Institute, both of which provide an extensive array of free preventive health services and wellness outreach for members of the the Campus community and residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Provost Haynes also provides leadership and guidance for major New York metropolitan area-based education and health care institutions. Since January 2007, she has served as the chairwoman of the board of education for the Roosevelt Union Free School District in Nassau County and in November 2008, she was named to the board of directors for The Brooklyn Hospital Center.

A firm believer in the limitless possibilities that education has to offer, Provost Haynes grew up with a love of books and the spoken word, which she attributes to her West Indian heritage. “I am a big dreamer,” she said. “If you don’t dream, nothing ever changes.”

Posted: October 21, 2009