14 Mar ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO HOSTS ANNUAL ESSEX COUNTY IRISH HERITAGE CELEBRATION Seton Hall University Executive Vice President Patrick Lyons Named Irishman of the Year Essex County Deputy Parks Director Kate Hartwyk Named Irishwoman of the Year
Published on March 14, 2022
Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. hosted the Annual Essex County Irish Heritage Celebration on Monday, March 14th. During the afternoon ceremony, the County Executive recognized Seton Hall University Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff Patrick G. Lyons from Montclair as the 2022 Essex County Irishman of the Year and Essex County Deputy Parks and Recreation Director Kate Hartwyk from Verona as the 2022 Essex County Irishwoman of the Year. The Irish Heritage event recognizes the impact Irish men and women have had on the cultural, civic, political, law enforcement and economic history of the County.
“I have always said that the strength of Essex County lies in the diversity of the people living and working within our borders. This diversity stems throughout every corner of the county and highlighting the contributions that each ethnicity has had on our economy, culture and history are part of what creates our sense of community,” DiVincenzo said. “Pat Lyons and Kate Hartwyk have helped shape the quality of life in our County through their leadership and civic involvement. We are proud to recognize their accomplishments and the positive impact they have had,” he added.
Patrick G. Lyons was named Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff of Seton Hall University on June 10, 2019. He oversees Athletics, Facilities and Operations, Human Resources, strategy and the Office of the President.
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Lyons served for eight years as the University’s Vice President for Athletics and Recreational Services. In that role, he led the university through a period of remarkable success in competition, academics, infrastructure growth and conference realignment, thereby enhancing the college experience for Seton Hall’s 14 NCAA Division I athletics programs and the student body as a whole.
Lyons transformed Seton Hall’s athletic facilities through the Pride & Excellence Campaign, a fundraising initiative of the Pirate Blue Athletic Fund that directly led to new state-of-the-art spaces, including an academic center, fitness center, sports medicine center, varsity weight room, film room, golf lab, locker rooms for all varsity sports and a new lobby in the Richie Regan Athletic and Recreation Center that features the interactive Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame. In addition, Seton Hall student-athletes’ collective grade-point average reached an all-time high, and they enjoyed renewed success on the field while competing in the Big East, one of the most historic and successful conferences in the nation.
Mr. Lyons arrived at Seton Hall after spending seven years as Iona College’s Director of Athletics, establishing its department as one of the top programs in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. He was the chief administrator for the Gaels’ 21 NCAA Division I athletics programs.
Mr. Lyons is married to the former Rachel Cintolo, who is a member of the faculty at Rutgers University.
“It is such an honor to receive this award from Essex County. Joe, you are an incredible leader and have done so much for Essex County, especially during the pandemic. I am proud to be a part of Essex County,” Lyons said.
Kate Hartwyk, Deputy Director of the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs. In this role, she oversees Essex County Turtle Back Zoo and the South Mountain Recreation Complex. Both attractions welcome millions of visitors each year and have become destinations for families and individuals.
Ms. Hartwyk previously served as the Director of the Essex County Division of Cultural Affairs. In that role, she expanded its local grant program to award nearly 50 micro-grants annually to support arts organizations and programs throughout Essex and initiated a history grant program with support from the New Jersey Historical Commission. Mrs. Hartwyk founded the Arts & History liaison program, pairing members of the Arts & History Advisory Board with grant recipients, creating a mentor-mentee program. In recognition of its continued presentation of high-quality programs and services, the Division was recognized by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts as a Major Presenting and Service Organization.
Community engagement and accessibility to arts and history programming has been an on-going mission for Ms. Hartwyk. The Division expanded its accessibility offerings by adding assisted listening devices to its popular SummerMusic concert series and creating the Essex County Branch Brook Park historic cell phone tour. A Spanish language version also was added to the tour. This award-winning program puts the history of our nation’s oldest county park in the hands of every park visitor.
In 2012, Ms. Hartwyk was elected President of the Association of New Jersey’s County Cultural and Historic Agencies. In this role, she represented the needs and concerns of the County Cultural and Historical Agencies throughout the state of New Jersey. She was most recently elected to serve as a Trustee with the New Jersey History Advocates. With a certificate in non-profit management, Ms. Hartwyk has been called to serve as county liaison to numerous boards including the Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, Kip’s Castle Conservancy, Riker Hill Artists’ Association, and the Essex County Arts & History Advisory Board. Ms. Hartwyk graduated cum laude from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in Art History and holds a master’s degree in art history and museum studies from Case Western Reserve University.
“I want to thank the County Executive and our Parks Director Dan Salvante for giving me this great opportunity. It is said that if you love your job you will never work a day in your life, and that’s true with me. To our County Executive, I have learned so much from someone who has vision for our Parks System,” Hartwyk said.
The entertainment was provided by the trio Marty, Terry and Don. Bagpiper John Cusick started the ceremony with a performance. The invocation was presented by Father Ed Leahy, Headmaster at St. Benedict’s Prep and President of the Essex County Schools of Technology Board of Education. Recordings of the late James Mooney singing the National Anthem and the Irish national anthem were played.
Essex County’s Annual Irish Heritage Celebration is one of several cultural observances hosted by the Essex County Executive and the Essex County Office of Cultural Diversity and Affirmative Action. The events are held to raise awareness about the rich ethnic diversity and backgrounds of County employees.