Events

Recently, Amanda had been named Hudson Valley Magazine’s 2022 Women in Business Award Winner. In 2020, Amanda Dana was selected by the Board of Directors of Hudson Valley Tourism Inc to be the President of the 10- County regional destination marketing organization. In 2018, she became an integral part of the County of Orange’s Leadership team as she enthusiastically assumed the role of Tourism & Film Director. According to County Executive Stephen Neuhaus, “Amanda brings a strong and diverse background to this important position…” “The tourism industry is growing in Orange County and I know that she will work hard to continue that growth. Amanda has developed working relationships with key stakeholders throughout the Hudson Valley which will serve her well as she steers the County’s tourism department forward” claimed Neuhaus. In this leadership role, Amanda is responsible for overseeing over a Billion-dollar visitor economy and managing a marketing and advertising budget of over $2.5 million. Amanda has over 25 years sales and marketing experience in the Hudson Valley region with 18 years in executive recruiting/talent management and 10 years focused on real estate and economic development.  During that time, she has grown and cultivated many working relationships with individuals and organizations and has immersed herself with being tremendously involved with her community. In 2019, the Orange County Tourism department expanded and acquired the Orange County Film Office, Amanda then assumed the role as Executive Director. Amanda joined the team of the highly recognized Orange County Partnership in 2013, heading up their Business Retention & Expansion division where she was responsible for fostering the growth of Orange County companies. Prior to joining the Partnership team, Amanda ran a successful real estate practice in Orange County, New York.

Personal

• Resident of Goshen since 2007
• Over two decades as an educator in the Goshen Central School District (Social Studies teacher 2005-2019 and Technology Coordinator 2013-Present)
• Bachelors of Arts in Social Studies Education from Ithaca College 
• Masters of Science in Instructional Technology from New York State Institute of Technology
• Masters of Education in Educational Leadership from American College of Education
• Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration from SUNY New Paltz 

Business/Government Experience

• Former, Social Media Manager for the New York State Computers and Technology in Education (NYSCATE)
• Action Research Coach in Instructional Technology guiding research teams in the best practices in instructional technology with SUNY New Paltz and the Mid Hudson Teachers Center Virtual Trainer with Sullivan County BOCES teaching courses on education, technology, and innovative classroom experiences  
• Guest Speaker on topics such as "Building Empathy in the Age of Acceleration," "Using 'Fake News" to Build Empathy," & "Technology and Leadership" at conferences across New York , New Jersey and Canada   

Community Involvement (Civic Boards, Veterans Associations)

• Local Advocate to Town of Goshen for best practices in local policy
• Co-Founder, TEDxGoshen

Political Affiliation

• Democratic Party
• Working Families Party Endorsed 2025

Important Issues

• Clean, protect, and ensure clean municipal drinking water 
• Future-proof Orange County against over-development and guide appropriate growth
• Update the County to be an agile, active body with increased accountably and transparency 
• Invest in programs and support for our diverse seniors

County Roles (Chairs, Committees, Subcommittees, County Boards, Agencies)

• Chairman, Rules, Enactments and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, 2026
• Health and Mental Health Committee, 2026
• Human Services Committee, 2026
• Education and Economic Development Committee, 2026

I am a documentary filmmaker with a B.A. in History. I have been fascinated with history my entire life; reading books, attending lectures, viewing films, and visiting preserved sites like Gettysburg, Saratoga, Antietam, and Forts Montgomery and Clinton since I was a young boy. My mother enjoys telling people I “learned to walk” on the Gettysburg Battlefield during one of my first trips with the family.

For years, friends and family have graciously enjoyed my recounting of stories I learned from books, films, and online research. I would even do extensive research on the events portrayed in video games such as Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed and share their significance with friends as we played the games together. I’ll always appreciate their indulgence in allowing me to be a pseudo-history teacher outside the classroom.

I have a passion for film and storytelling; having started making home movies when I was young with Nerf guns and G.I. Joe’s. Over time, my skills in writing, filming, and editing sharpened to allow for the content presented here.

It is my hope that the mixture of education and entertainment offered by our films will allow for information that may otherwise fall flat, or not be discussed in the classroom, to resonate with our audience and provide a fresh and balanced perspective of history and our everyday life.

Walter Hughes is a White House Champion of Change. He earned Rotary’s Vocational Service Leadership Award and Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service. Walter’s team provides clean water and sanitation to 917,277 people in Africa. Walter is a member of the Salem, Virginia Rotary Club in District 7570. Our team’s goal is to reach 1 million lives changed by 2024. Our team partners with 321 Rotary Clubs in 78 Rotary Districts in 32 U.S. states, 5 Canadian Provinces and 14 countries including Ghana, Mexico, India, Australia, Switzerland, Taiwan, England, South Sudan, Pakistan and South Africa. He also partners with Fondation Coup de Couer and many non-profit organizations. His personal items are in Smithsonian Museum collections and highlighted at Rotary International Conventions. His team built ten schools in Ghana. Lives are impacted by clean water improved sanitation with Microflush toilets, new medical equipment and stronger schools. We are empowering communities to dream and lead. Micro-credit loans for wells, toilets, farms and businesses are increasing the long-term impact of communities in Ghana. Walter has 20 years’ experience working in Africa. Our early Rotary projects located wells in communities with the highest incidence of Guinea worm disease in Ghana and South Sudan partnering with the Carter Center. The World Health Organization certified Ghana as free of Guinea worm disease in 2014. He traveled to South Sudan in 2013 and again during the civil war in November 2015 to inspect Rotary’s clean water project there. Rotary is close to eradicating both Guinea worm disease and polio from the world.
He worked as the Director of Strategic Technology at America Online. He served as a New Hope Methodist Church pastor. He’s a long-term missionary. His mission team built 18 churches in Ghana and Uganda. They’ve baptized over 1,100 people. Walter and his wife, Lisa, live in Callaway, Virginia. They have six children and three grandchildren together. Walter and Lisa are members of Franklin Heights Church in
Rocky Mount, Virginia. He enjoys tennis, gardening, hiking and changing lives.

Walter’s Cell: 540-493-4715 Email Address: walterkhughes@gmail.com
Recent Videos of Water, Sanitation, Disease Prevention & Economic Development
Keeping Promises 2023:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTC_pBBnsfg
Rotary Grant 23-38088:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdK64ynpRFw
Rotary Grant 22-29944: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxeHJz7HrAQ
Rotary Grant 21-18484:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK6MqaGQvzg
Rotary Grant 20-11510: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yQrfn3NSEI Done.
RI Video on our Clean Water: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8U3_PgtuV4
Tenis Ses Promesses 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQpNxo8ohoA (French)
Région est du Ghana du projet 21-18484: https://youtu.be/S3rNJ5ayj3U (French)