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• Tuesday, July 24, 2018

  Awards for employer of veterans and 2 top service officers

  An Employer of the Year and two top service officers were honored at the 100th Department Convention, held July 19-21 in Rochester.

  Employment Committee Chairman Thomas Rielly announced that the Center for Disability Services is the New York State American Legion Employer of the Year. Headquartered in Albany, the Center provides a variety of services and programs in 15 counties. It has a workforce of nearly 2,500 – and 25 percent of them are military veterans.

  Rielly also announced that Kimberly Haley is the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist of the Year, and that Kevin Melia is the Local Veterans Employment Representative of the Year.

  Kimberly Haley is assigned to the Working Solutions Career Center in Wampsville. She was cited for being “selflessly dedicated to all veterans” and for placing 43 disabled veterans in full-time employment in Oneida, Madison and Herkimer counties last year. A wartime veteran herself, Haley served in the U.S. Army, the National Guard and the Army Reserves as a medic. She is a member of Oneida American Legion Post 169.

  Kevin Melia is assigned to the Rochester Works office. He had 1,764 customers last year, assisting them with employment and training in the post-military careers, and secured employment for 81 veterans. Melia served in the U.S. Navy from 1983 to 1989 and is a member of Chili American Legion Post 1830.