People of the Year Archives - Riverhead News Review

01.07.2025 People of the Year

2024 Sportspeople of the Year: Mike Heigh and Rasheen Moore

Being a PAL coach is selfless. It takes time out of your life. Results are earned only through hard work and dedication. It brings the sport to its very...

01.06.2025 People of the Year

2024 Businessperson of the Year: Gabriella Volpe

Now in its 50th year, Caruso’s is still going strong and is still in its original location, thanks in large part to Gabriella Volpe, the second generation of Carusos...

01.03.2025 People of the Year

2024 Public Servants of the Year: Mike Zaleski and the Riverhead Highway Department

When Town Councilman Ken Rothwell heard that Riverhead Highway Department Superintendent Mike Zaleski and his staff are being honored with Riverhead News-Review’s Person/People of the year award for 2024,...

01.03.2025 News

Mark McLaughlin: 2024 Community Leader of the Year

Mark “MK” McLaughlin is a Swiss army knife of community engagement: chairman of the Riverhead Anti-Bias Task Force, chief of staff to state Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio, media point man...

01.02.2025 People of the Year

2024 Educator of the Year: Dr. Patrick McKinney

In addition to prepping its students for success in the classroom and the post-grad world, Riverhead Charter School educators have taught them how to handle adversity. Aside from making...

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01.02.2025 People of the Year

2024 People of the Year: Kevin Davis and Tom Najdzion

In August, a grand and cherished tradition returned to Polish Town after a five-year hiatus. For decades, the Polish Town Street Fair and Festival has celebrated a community whose...

01.29.2024 News

Celebrating the News-Review’s 2023 People of the Year

The Times Review Media Group celebrated several exceptional members of the North Fork community at its annual People of the Year Awards reception Thursday night. Honorees and their guests...

01.04.2024 Education

2023 Educators of the Year: Shoreham-Wading River Central School District’s Special Education Department

Although he is wheelchair-bound, Shoreham Wading-River High School sophomore Andrew Brennan always wanted to join the school’s basketball team and achieve his dream of scoring a basket. His peers and special...

01.04.2024 Business

2023 Businessperson of the Year: Luis Siguencia

Golden Jalapeños Café in Calverton gave away so many free Thanksgiving dinners to veterans and community members in need this year that Geidi Lezama, wife of business owner Luis...

01.04.2024 Community

2023 Community Leader of the Year: Kate Fullam

Since taking the helm as executive director at the East End Food Institute, now known as East End Food, in 2018, Kate Fullam has worked tirelessly to realize the...

01.04.2024 Community

2023 Public Servant of the Year: Diane Wilhelm

More than a quarter-century of distinguished service to the Town of Riverhead came to a close last month at a spirited, jam-packed retirement party for Diane Wilhelm, Riverhead’s beloved...

01.04.2024 People of the Year

2023 Person of the Year: John McAuliff

For years, whenever there was a community or government meeting about the future of the Enterprise Park at Calverton, EPCAL Watch coordinator John McAuliff was there — to question...

01.04.2024 People of the Year

2023 Sports people of the Year: Caryn and Troy Albert

The Riverhead News-Review’s 2023 Sports People of the Year weren’t playing the sport themselves, but rather were making it possible for many others to play a sport they might...

08.09.2020 Multimedia

2019 Public Servant of the Year: Allen Smith

Editor’s Note: The video below was prepared for our 2019 Times Review Media Group People of the Year event in March. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we were forced to...

08.02.2020 Education

2019 Educator of the Year: Sal Loverde