Honor Joseph Storch Award

Senate Resolution No. 31 BY: Senator BRESLIN HONORING Joseph Storch upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of the Nancy Burton Straight But Not Narrow Award by the Pride Center of the Capital Region WHEREAS, This Legislative Body recognizes the profound impact of those exemplary individuals within the great State of New York who proactively work for the enfranchisement of minority communities, and the importance of such work for the benefit of all citizens of this State, and indeed, all citizens of the Nation; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Joseph Storch upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of the Nancy Burton Straight But Not Narrow Award by the Pride Center of the Capital Region to be celebrated at its Annual Awards Gala on Friday, October 19,

2018, at the Albany Capital Center, Albany, New York; and WHEREAS, This auspicious event benefits the Pride Center of the Capital Region and celebrates the important contributions of individuals who work hard to empower the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) community; Joseph Storch is one such individual; and WHEREAS, Joseph Storch is receiving the Nancy Burton Straight But Not Narrow Award for his demonstrated leadership and support of the LGBTQ community; and WHEREAS, Joseph Storch is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of SUNY Oswego where he served as Vice President of the Student Association; he went on to obtain his Master's degree in Public Policy from the University at Albany; and WHEREAS, After graduating from Cornell University Law School where he served as Moot Court Board Chancellor, Joseph Storch was a clerk for the New York State Appellate Division, 3rd Department; and WHEREAS, Today, Joseph Storch serves as an Associate Counsel in the SUNY Office of General Counsel and Chair of the Student Affairs Practice Group; in this capacity, he represents the SUNY campuses at Cortland, Morrisville, and Oswego and concentrates his practice on student affairs, intellectual property, and campus safety; and WHEREAS, In addition, Joseph Storch serves as Principal Investigator on more than $8.5 million in grants to fund innovations in violence prevention and response on campuses and in the community; he has provided live training to tens of thousands of higher education professionals in over 25 U.S. states; manages a webinar series which reaches thousands of professionals annually; furnishes technical guidance to numerous education institutions, organizations, and associations; and provided expert testimony before the United States Senate; and WHEREAS, In 2015, Joseph Storch served as a technical adviser to the Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, helping to develop comprehensive legislation enacted in July 2015 as Article 129-B of the Education Law (also called "Enough is Enough"); and WHEREAS, Since 2016, Joseph Storch has coordinated SUNY's Got Your Back Program which has donated well over 28,500 comfort bags to victims and survivors of violence; recently, the Program received a nearly $5 million grant to expand and serve more New Yorkers; and WHEREAS, Joseph Storch's team also organized SPECTRUM, the nation's largest education conference dedicated to preventing and responding to violence against members of the LGBTQI+ community, with over 600 attendees from 25+ states; and WHEREAS, Joseph Storch is a member of the Appellate Division, Third Department Committee on Character and Fitness and on the Board of the Daughters of Sarah Nursing Home Foundation and Executive Editor of the Student Affairs Compliance Report and Analysis; this remarkable man is also the author of more than 60 articles and book chapters in various law reviews, practitioner journals, and popular media, most centering around campus safety or copyright law; and WHEREAS, For his many and valuable contributions to humanity, Joseph Storch was the recipient of numerous awards and accolades including the

2014 Commissioner's Award by the State University Police, the 2015 First Decade Award by the National Association of College and University Attorneys, and the 2017 Unsung Hero Award by the One Love Foundation; and WHEREAS, Our society is greatly benefited by the purposeful efforts of individuals who unite for the cause of improving the quality of life for others, and who proactively work toward the goal of dignity for all; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that those who enhance the well-being and vitality of their community and have shown a long and sustained commitment to excellence certainly have earned the recognition and applause of all the citizens of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to honor Joseph Storch upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of the Nancy Burton Straight But Not Narrow Award by the Pride Center of the Capital Region; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Joseph Storch.