Community Foundation of Orange & Sullivan to Honor R.J. Smith

R.J. Smith

R.J. Smith and Gerald & Rosemary Skoda, outstanding business and civic leaders, will be honored by the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan during its annual reception from 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at Anthony’s Pier 9, in New Windsor.

More than 400 community and key business leaders are expected to attend, where honorees will be presented with the 2016 David T. Cocks Award for Commitment to Community, an annual recognition bestowed upon those who make significant contributions to enrich the lives of people in Orange and Sullivan counties.

Smith is a dedicated and respected member of the Orange County business and civic community. A commercial Realtor with more than 40 years of experience, he is a respected leader in Hudson Valley commercial and industrial development. In addition to his keen business acumen, Smith helped establish a community health center in his hometown of Pine Bush and later served as a town councilman, county legislator, and on the Pine Bush School Board. He is founder, past president, and current board member for the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, where he helped establish numerous funds that distribute annual charitable grants and scholarships, in addition to two of his own scholarship funds. Smith also serves on the boards of both the Wallkill Valley Federal Savings and Loan and the Storm King Art Center. He is past President of the Orange County Citizens Foundation.