MaryAnn Pfeiffer

MaryAnn Pfeiffer has been a force behind West Islip’s Youth Enrichment Services (YES), which has expanded from a small agency to one that mentors, tutors, serves and empowers youth and their families while creating a safe and healthy environment.

Born in Texas, Ms. Pfeiffer moved to New York State, graduated from Rutgers University, and taught public school in New York and Florida before beginning her tenure as Executive Director at YES.

In the early 1990s, YES had an annual budget of $48,000. Today, under Ms. Pfeiffer’s tireless leadership, YES serves all Town of Islip communities and school districts, and more than 7,000 youth and families annually – with a budget of $2 million and a staff of more than 100. In the past year, YES expanded to open a NYS OMH Outpatient Mental Health Clinic to serve children and youth up to age 21.

Over the years, Ms. Pfeiffer has developed close collaborations with many organizations and businesses, successfully procuring millions of dollars from competitive federal, state and local grants. These working relationships have enabled YES to provide programs that serve the needs of local families and communities, many of which are high needs and uniquely diverse.

A true leader in her community, Ms. Pfeiffer has held many key positions and maintained active memberships in local organizations, including Suffolk County Youth Services Project Directors’ Association, LIGALY, the Islip Children’s Commission, Bay Shore Summit Youth Committee, Islip Food For Hope, Islip Anti-Bias Task Force, ACLU, NAACP and Rutgers Alumni Association.

In recognition of her tireless efforts, Ms. Pfeiffer has been awarded the Islip Branch NAACP Malcolm X Award, the SCPADD Community Innovator Award, the Urban League of LI Point of Light Award, the Town of Islip Women’s History Award and the 2016 I AM CI Community Leader Award.