Christine Sergent envisions promising future for NECC

MILLERTON— Already a few weeks into her new career at the North East Community Center (NECC) in Millerton, Executive Director Christine Sergent is thinking about strengthening the organization from the inside out and making sure NECC staff are supported and empowered to put forth their best for the community.

With 30 years of working in community organizations, Sergent discerned the challenges small communities face in meeting their basic needs from an early age. Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, she learned the value of working hard to fulfill a need from her parents and decided to devote her career to working with those in need and finding ways to maintain their strength, health and happiness.

Over time, the majority of Sergent’s work involved interacting with Dutchess County communities and individuals to improve access to vital resources and maintain the well-being of all members. Such labors include helping to reduce hunger and food insecurity in communities by increasing access to fresh local food; working with the county’s farmers and institutions to support local agriculture and bring fresh food into local institutions; and linking individuals to valuable services. 

In addition to her 17 years with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Dutchess County, she worked with the county’s Women, Infants & Children’s Supplemental Food Program for several years. She has also worked with several nonprofits in the county and was one of the co-creators of Hudson Valley Fresh, a nonprofit organization founded to link local dairy producers to other food industries and deliver the products to homes and markets.

When it comes to the NECC, Sergent’s admiration has spanned decades with her praises directed at the organization’s efficiency in serving the larger community.

“This is really an amazing place that has been working for decades to really try to meet the needs of the rural part of our county,” Sergent said. “I thought it would be an honor to come here and work with them as the executive director, and that’s why I applied.”

By late July, Sergent was offered the role of executive director, and after attending a board meeting in August, she officially began on Monday, Sept. 10.

Describing her first few days as “absolutely wonderful,” Sergent attributed her seamless transition to the warmth and support offered by the NECC staff, board members and Interim Executive Director Jennifer Dowley. She was officially welcomed as the new executive director at the Millerton Business Alliance meeting on Thursday, Sept. 13, where she met several members of the local business community.

As she becomes more familiar with the many staff, donors, clients and volunteers who support NECC’s work, Sergent is looking forward to the joys of developing new relationships and learning how she can best serve the community in the years to come. She said she understands that its progress will require a lot of input from the board, stakeholders and volunteers, and she hopes to make sure the staff are comfortable and can share their thoughts about programs. Above all, she wants to ensure that the community will continue to recognize NECC as an important part of the community and to know that the organization will always be there.

“I think it’s important in good times for people to know what they can count on so that if difficulties come, they know right where to go,” Sergent said.

Sergent aspires to continue her commitment to serving the community and bringing people together through NECC programs and services. In terms of any challenges Sergent and the NECC might meet on the path to success, she said they’ll remain solution-oriented and handle challenges as one.

“Nothing is ever done by one person,” she said. “It’s done by a group of committed people and we have so many here. When we put our minds together on a problem, we’ll be able to deal with any challenges as they come along.”