Stacey Hengsterman
President & CEO, Special Olympics New York
As President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Special Olympics New York, Stacey Hengsterman leads one of the largest Special Olympics chapters in the world. Prior to taking the role in July 2018, Hengsterman spent two decades shaping state higher education policy as a top advisor to the chancellor, Board of Trustees, and 64 campus presidents at the State University of New York (SUNY).
Drawing on what she’s learned throughout a distinguished career in public service, and as a mother to a son with Down syndrome, Hengsterman has a strategic plan for the future of Special Olympics New York that aims to double athlete participation and position New York to be the most inclusive state in the country.
Special Olympics New York serves more than 45,000 athletes – children, youth and adults with intellectual disabilities. It provides year-round sports training and competition in 22 sports; partners with more than 300 schools statewide to offer Unified Sports, where students with and without intellectual disabilities compete as teammates; and works to improve athlete health. Because all Special Olympics New York programming is provided free to athletes and their families, the statewide nonprofit also coordinates hundreds of fundraising events per year.
Hengsterman is a member of the Pioneer Bancorp Board of Directors and a SUNY Cortland Distinguished Alumni. In 2024, she was honored as a “Courageous Woman of Faith” by St. Ignatious Parish in NYC. In 2021, she was named to the Upstate Power 100 list by City & State, and she is one of just 30 recipients to have received the 2020 City & State Above & Beyond Award, which recognized women leaders in New York who have made notable contributions to society. Under her leadership, Special Olympics New York has earned the highest rankings from Charity Navigator and Guidestar.com, and was named a “Top Workplace” by the Albany Times Union.
A Rochester, NY, native and a graduate of the State University of New York at Cortland, Hengsterman lives in Clifton Park with her husband Rick, a high school history teacher, and their three children, Jackson, Alex, and Lauren.
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