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A LONG AND WINDING ROAD
The Cabinet's Story

The Poughkeepsie Children's Cabinet is a collective impact organization that was formed in February 2020 to develop a citywide cradle-to-career agenda for children, youth and families in the City of Poughkeepsie, New York.

The Cabinet emerged as an outcome of the first-ever Poughkeepsie Summit at Harvard University in August of 2019. This first of its kind summit convened more than 20 local officials and nonprofit leaders to discuss community development opportunities related to the City of Poughkeepsie’s future, with a focus on improving opportunities and shifting conditions for children, youth, and families in Poughkeepsie. The summit was organized by a group of young professionals with deep ties to the City of Poughkeepsie including Rob Watson Jr., James Watson, Kylynn Grier, and Kelsey Donohue.

The Cabinet also houses working groups that convene subject matter experts to develop programmatic and policy solutions for the consideration of the Cabinet Leadership Council and the City of Poughkeepsie community at large. Each Working Group is supported by our Cabinet team that is dedicated to robust community engagement and outreach.

The Cabinet was established to create and catalyze citywide systems of support that ensure all children, youth, and families thrive across all aspects of their lives. By bringing together an entire community of leaders and institutions across sectors, we strive to address Poughkeepsie's pervasive intergenerational challenges of poverty and educational inequities. Together, we will reimagine how decisions that impact children, youth, and families are made.

The Poughkeepsie Children's Cabinet is co-chaired by City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers and Mr. Greg Mott, Superintendent of Schools for the Poughkeepsie City School District. The cabinet is composed of a Leadership Council with leaders from faith-based organizations, philanthropy and business, city and county government, nonprofits and community-based organizations, hospitals and health networks, elected office, and other key stakeholders in the City of Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County area.