Mercy College’s Alumni Achievement Awards Reception to Honor Five Exemplary Alumni

Tomorrow, Thursday, February 6, 2020, Mercy College will be hosting its Alumni Achievement Awards Reception at Marina Del Rey in Bronx, New York. Mercy looks forward to hosting over 100 guests at the reception in celebration of their alumni’s staunch accomplishments and to raise support for the newly established Alumni Legacy Scholarship Fund. During the event several accomplished Mercy alumni will be honored for their numerous contributions to the community and their dedication to strengthening Mercy’s programs. The evening will begin with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m., followed by the awards presentation at 7:30 p.m.

The honorees include Judge Christie Magno D’Alessio ’98, Damion Fray ’98, George Longworth ’93, Lori Oliva Smittle ’89 and Luis Torres, M.S. ’00. Mercy recognizes these alumni as inspiring leaders in their fields working diligently to deepen and strengthen the College’s connection in the community.

Judge Christie D'Alessio of Irvington ’98, who earned her bachelor’s in business from Mercy College, was elected to the Greenburgh Town Court in 2018. Prior to being elected judge, D'Alessio worked with the Westchester County Attorney's office for 13 years as a litigator handling cases in local, state and federal court. In 2014, D’Alessio was appointed as the principal law clerk to the honorable Anne E. Minihan serving the Supreme and County Court of Westchester County. D’Alessio continues to work as a part-time law clerk on the days she is not on the bench.

Damion Fray ’98, who received his bachelor’s in political science from Mercy, is the founder of AlphaLogix, an Amazon Delivery Service Partner (DSP). In 2018, He co-founded Home Care IPA, a population health and home healthcare aggregator company. Fray is also Principal at Taktikus, a private healthcare strategy consulting firm, and brings years of experience in tech, health insurance, talent development, and business development. Damion previously served as National Sales Director at Mobile Health, a healthcare technology company focusing on occupational health and pre-employment screening. He also co-founded OTC Mobile Stores where he was COO.

Prior to OTC Mobile Stores, Damion spent over 10 years at Healthfirst, New York’s largest HMO. His most recent position was as Director of Health Exchange Sales, where he oversaw the development and implementation of sales strategy for the Affordable Care Act. Fray is also a member of Mercy’s Alumni Advisory Council.

George Longworth ’93, who earned a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Mercy College, is co-founder of Grant & Longworth, LLP and has practiced law in Westchester County since 2002 with a concentration in personal injury and criminal law.

Longworth began his law enforcement career in 1982 with the Dobbs Ferry Police Department. Ten years later, he was appointed to the department’s top post and at 32-years-old was the youngest person ever to be named chief of a Westchester County police department. In 2000, Longworth was elected president of the Westchester County Chiefs of Police Association and was also appointed to the board of directors of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police.

Upon his retirement from the Dobbs Ferry Police Department, Longworth co-founded Grant & Longworth, where he represented a wide variety of clients including public safety personnel injured during the atrocities of September 11, 2001.

In January 2010, Longworth was appointed as commissioner of the Westchester County Police Department by County Executive Robert Astorino. In January 2018, Longworth retired from public service and returned to Grant & Longworth. He successfully represents a broad range of clients in all aspects of personal injury and criminal defense law.

Dr. Lori Smittle ’89, who received her bachelor’s in nursing from Mercy College, is the nursing supervisor of clinic operations at the Westchester County Department of Health. Smittle’s nursing career spans 38 years and includes the positions of emergency nursing, author, adjunct professor and public health nurse. In 2018, Smittle was a presenter at the National Public Health Nursing Conference in Arkansas on one of Westchester’s successful initiatives, “Improving Provider Reporting of Lyme Disease, a Local Health Department Perspective.” In 2019 she presented, “Successful Hepatitis A Vaccination Response through Education and Collaboration,” at the 12th Annual Doctors of Nursing Practice Conference in Washington, DC. In addition to reviewing current practice guidelines, policies and procedures, Smittle is responsible for the successful management of Westchester’s mass vaccination response including Flu, Hepatitis A and Measles at various on site and off site locations.

Luis Torres ’00, who earned his master’s in teaching from Mercy College, is the principal of Community School 55. Torres is responsible for turning the low-performing school, located in District 9 in the center of the Morrisania housing projects in the Bronx, into a model institution. He is responsible for the addition of new computers funded by the Department of Education, as well as a new indoor aeroponic garden funded through a grant from the Bronx Green Machine, an organization that builds gardens around the world.

Torres has been named Outstanding Young Education 2011 ASCD for the USA, 2013 Daily News Hometown Hero, 2014 NAACP Outstanding Educator, 2017 New York League of Puerto Rican Women, Inc. Educator of the Year and 2018 Hostos Community College Trailblazer.

“Every one of these distinguished alumni leaders have worked diligently to deepen and strengthen Mercy’s connection to their communities,” said Mercy President Tim Hall. “The Alumni Legacy Scholarship Fund ensures a bright future for Mercy College, and for the many talented and ambitious alumni legacy students who will now have the opportunity to pursue their academic and career dreams.”

Mercy is fortunate to honor such an outstanding group of alumni and looks forward to raising awareness about the importance of giving back to the college community through the new Alumni Legacy Scholarship Fund. Created by the Mercy College Alumni Advisory Council to support the children, stepchildren and/or legal dependents of Mercy College alumni, the new scholarship program is currently the only fund specifically designated to provide educational support to second generation Mercy students.