The Sachem Alumni Association inducted the 2023 Sachem Hall of Honor Class on Saturday, May 18, 2023.
- Matt DiStefano, Class of ’96: Teacher, Coach, and Founder of Dezy Strong Foundation
- Walter C. Dunham: Founding Superintendent of Sachem Schools
- Maria Grasso, Class of ’82: Senior Executive Vice President & COO, Flushing Bank
- Stephanie Lydecker, Class of ’90: Television Executive
- Charles Matranga, Class of ’87: Senior Chief, U.S. Navy, and Security Executive
- Danielle Moodie, Class of ’97: Democratic Strategist and Political Podcaster
- Cheryl Pedisich, Class of ’78: Superintendent at Three Village Schools
- Richard Prunty, Class of ’61: FDNY Battalion Chief lost on 9/11
- Maureen Reidy, Class of ’87: CEO of Paley Center for Media
- Sean Rosario, Class of ’91: U.S. Navy Seal
- Richard Scriven, MD, Class of ’82: Pediatric Surgeon and Volunteer Firefighter
Matthew “Dezy” DiStefano was an alum, student-athlete, teacher, and coach in Sachem. One of the best two-sport athletes in Sachem history in both volleyball and basketball, he was a two-time Suffolk County MVP in volleyball and helped the basketball team to its one county championship in school history in 1996. Dezy was a Sachem coach for the last 17 years in various capacities for both volleyball and basketball at the varsity and junior varsity levels. He and fellow Sachem North boys volleyball coach and alum Matt Rivera reached the pinnacle, guiding the Flaming Arrows to a New York State title and No. 1 ranking in the state in 2014. Matt passed away in January 2020 after fighting his battle with kidney cancer. During the final year of his life, he started the Dezy Strong Foundation, which has impacted thousands since he left us. Even in his passing, he is still teaching many lessons through his foundation and his family. Dezy’s “We Get To” mantra has become a common term among foundation supporters. The DezyStrong Foundation is proud to carry on Dezy’s legacy. Their mission is to allow individuals fighting cancer to access support that affects a positive mental-well being. He is now one of the few alumni to earn induction into both the Sachem Athletic Hall of Fame and Sachem Hall of Honor. In addition, he is also an inductee of the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame and Mount Saint Vincent Athletic Hall of Fame and the basketball court at Sache North is named in his honor.
Walter C. Dunham is the first time a non-alumni is being honored. Sachem would not be what is today without Mr. Dunham, our first superintendent. He attended New Paltz for undergrad and graduated from New York University in 1938. Originally from upstate, Dunham began teaching in 1935 in Port Jefferson-Terryville and then, in 1937, in the Lake Ronkonkoma School District, which consisted of a four-room elementary school. After serving three years in the Army in World War II, he returned to the district in 1946 and became the school’s principal. But in 1955, Lake Ronkonkoma merged with two other small districts to create Sachem — covering not only Lake Ronkonkoma but Farmingville, Lake Grove, Holbrook, and Holtsville. Dunham headed the consolidated district from the outset, first as supervising principal and later as superintendent. As superintendent, Dunham oversaw the educational program and the hiring of hundreds of teachers and orchestrated more than 30 construction projects to build new schools and expand existing ones to keep up with student enrollment. He died in 2007 at the age of 94. In 1969, Mr. Dunham wrote a letter to the community with his educational philosophy for Sachem. Part of the letter read, “Our schools should set an intellectual tone from which our townspeople can profit; they should operate with order, imagination, and dignity, thereby setting an example for the daily affairs of the community; and they should reflect a love and understanding among people that will carry over into local public life. We hold that a school cannot be separated from its community. Rather it should be a part of and a model for that community.” I think he’d be proud of this moment and what some of us are trying to keep alive in this district.
Maria Grasso is Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary of Flushing Financial Corporation and Flushing Bank. Maria is responsible for several of the company’s strategic initiatives, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate-wide change management, process reengineering, expense management, and the Customer Experience. At Sachem, she was captain of the varsity field hockey and softball teams, manager of the varsity basketball team and a Gold Key recipient. She was also President of the Girls Athletic Association. Maria attended Hofstra University on a field hockey and academic scholarship. She was captain of the Hofstra field hockey team in her junior and senior years. She has been in the banking business for more than 36 years, beginning her career with Chase Manhattan. Prior to joining Flushing Financial, she held the title of Senior Vice President and Division Head of The Bank of New York for Long Island and Queens, where she oversaw an organization of 102 branches. Maria is currently a member of the National Board of the American Kidney Fund and President of the Hofstra University Zarb Business School Alumni Association. She is currently the Secretary and a former Chair of United Way of Long Island’s Board of Directors. Recently, Maria was named to the LIBN Business Influencers list in Banking and Finance. She was also inducted into the Long Island Business Hall of Fame and recognized by Crains as a 2021 Notable Woman on Wall Street and as a 2019 Notable Woman in Banking and Finance. Maria has also been honored by Hofstra University as Alumna of the Year and by the United Way of Long Island with the Anthony J. Stupore Memorial Live United Champion Award. As an advocate of volunteerism, she has volunteered for the March of Dimes, Long Island Care, Bias Help of Long Island, Women’s Fund of Long Island, the American Cancer Society, and the American Heart Association. Maria has a BBA in Finance from Hofstra and an MBA in Marketing from Adelphi.
Stephanie Lydecker graduated from Sachem with her sights set on making it to Hollywood. She was the lead in Sachem’s musical “Mame” and loved reading the morning announcements. She is the founder and CEO of KT STUDIOS, a full-service development and production company specializing in creating, developing, and producing for all platforms – including unscripted television, podcast, documentary film, and other digital media. Most recently, Lydecker created and executive produced The Piketon Massacre with iHeartMedia. The podcast became the #1 in the country – in all categories – just weeks after its premiere, with over 40 million listeners. Since its release, it’s been lauded as one of the year’s best podcasts. KT Studio’s latest podcast, Death Island, is also #1 in true crime. The studio’s current projects include: Murdered and Missing in Montana – a two-hour documentary centering around missing and murdered Indigenous women on Peacock and completed the documentary series Injustice with Nancy Grace. Notably in 2019, Lydecker, along with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, executive produced Finding Justice for BET, which was nominated for Best Episodic Documentary Series at the 2019 International Documentary Association Awards. Additionally, Lydecker penned a deal with iHeartMedia for a total of 120 episodes. Current podcast series include The Masked Singer Podcast (Fox), True Crimes (coming soon), The Moscow Massacre (premiering July), The Dougherty Gang (iHeartMedia), and Crazy In Love, which quickly became one of the new and noteworthy podcasts across all categories. Over her career, Stephanie has developed, and executive produced a wide variety of series, including Jersey Shore for MTV, Nate & Jeremiah by Design for TLC, The Real for A&E, Big Fish Texas for Nat Geo, 50 States for History Channel, Design Star for HGTV, J-Wow & Snookie for MTV and Party Down South for CMT, to name a few. Lydecker also produced series such as American Idol (FOX), The Bachelor (ABC), Nashville Star (NBC), The Bachelorette (ABC), and Temptation Island (FOX).
Charlie Matranga retired from the U.S. Navy with over 25 years of active service, serving from December 1989 to January 2016. Charlie served as a Navy SEAL his whole career and is just one of three Sachem alums to serve our country in this elite group of trained military personnel. During his career, he served on multiple SEAL Teams including SEAL Teams One and SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two. He also served at different points in time as a SEAL Instructor. Charlie has made numerous deployments around the world including Europe, South America, and The Middle East. When he retired from active service in January 2016, he started a security and leadership consulting company. He now works for one of the largest private security companies in the world. Charlie is also deeply involved with several Military Veteran groups focused on helping Veterans better prepare as they leave active service. Charlie has always had strong ties to Sachem, where he played football for Fred Fusaro and wrestled for Jack Mahoney. He credits their tough coaching principles and discipline to his success in the Navy. Charlie now lives in San Diego, where he has been happily Married for over 20 years and has one son.
Danielle Moodie has come a long way since her cross-country and winter and spring track days at Sachem. But her time as an officer in the student government and her voice as a co-host of the morning announcements might have been a glimpse into her life as an unapologetic commentator on America’s democracy for years. Danielle’s perspectives and insights are in high demand; as a former lobbyist turned media maven, her opinions and cultural commentary have been published in a variety of outlets, including The Daily Beast – where she is now a regular columnist, Medium’s Zora Magazine and GEN, Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Essence, The Atlantic, Ebony, Huffington Post, and more. Moodie is also a highly sought-after progressive strategist. She works with many movement organizations tackling issues such as abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, Civil Rights, campaign advocacy, and policy work, and amplifying the voice and presence of these critical issues in the media. Danielle frequently appears on MSNBC, CBC, PBS, and other networks. She has scripted, developed, produced, and/or co-hosted podcasts and miniseries for both radio and television. Danielle hosts #WokeAF Daily, a Monday-Friday political podcast in which she explores the many facets of what it means to be “woke” and socially conscious in our everyday lives. WokeAF breaks down the political climate for the everyday American, not only explaining why we need to be aware of what’s happening but also providing the tools for people to take action in their communities. Danielle works diligently to balance “rest and rage,” exploring how to live in authentic wokeness while maintaining sanity and self-care. Previous guests include Dr. Anthony Fauci, CNN host W. Kamau Bell, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, The Nation’s Elie Mystal, and many other influential people from several disciplines. She also co-hosts democracy-ish, a weekly political podcast with fellow Daily Beast columnist Wajahat Ali, and The Daily Beast’s The New Abnormal podcast with political commentator Andy Levy.
Cheryl Pedisich retired as the Superintendent of the Three Village Central School District in 2022. She spent 38 years as an educator in Three-Village. Cheryl is highly passionate about student and staff mental health and has dedicated her career to advocating for programs to support student and staff wellness. Most of her educational career was spent in guidance, pupil personnel services, and special education in an administrative capacity before assuming the roles of assistant superintendent, deputy superintendent, and superintendent. As you may know, Three-Village Schools have consistently built a reputation for solid academic standing on Long Island and in New York State thanks to the leadership of Cheryl. She completed her undergraduate work in psychology, and on the advice of her mother, who worked in human resources at Sachem, she chose the path of education. Her first job was as a guidance counselor at Ward Melville High School in 1984. Cheryl is currently a consultant in the pupil personnel services and special education department after serving as the Interim Director of Pupil Personnel Services and Education in the Riverhead Central School District. One educational leadership blog wrote this about Cheryl, “She has never lost sight of the bigger picture, helping students to achieve their goals, become compassionate and caring humans, and dream big. The staff and community respect and admire her professionalism and extraordinary leadership. Most of all, they admire the amazing human being that she is.”
After graduating from Alfred State Tech in 1963 with an associate’s degree in Applied Science‚ Chief Prunty performed electrical work for the New York Subway system. For nearly 2 years, from 1966-1967‚ he served in South Korea during the Vietnam War‚ maintaining the radars and radios within the demilitarized zone‚ or ‘Freedom’s Frontier’ as he would say in jest. In November 1968‚ he joined the New York City Fire Department, and he served nearly 33 years – first as a firefighter‚ then Lieutenant‚ then Captain‚ and finally as Battalion Chief. He gave his life selflessly protecting others during the attacks of September 11, 2001. While still in radio contact with fellow trapped firefighters‚ Rich managed to relay his final message: ‘Please tell my wife and children that I love them very much.’ Chief Prunty is a real hero; his legacy will live in our community and on this wall forever.
Maureen J. Reidy is the President and CEO of The Paley Center for Media, the world’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving media’s history and showcasing its powerful shaping influence on culture and society. With over 25 years of experience in the C-suite, Ms. Reidy has a reputation as a thought leader known for her expertise in board governance, expanding businesses, and delivering bottom-line results. Previously, Ms. Reidy served as CEO of The Argus Group, a full-service strategic marketing agency, and as Chief Operating Officer of IMG Fashion, where she ran the day-to-day worldwide operations and expanded its portfolio of media assets. Before IMG, Ms. Reidy was selected by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to join his administration as CEO of NYC Big Events. She later assumed the additional role of New York City’s Chief Marketing Officer. During her tenure in the Bloomberg Administration, Ms. Reidy served on the Mayor’s Latin Media and Entertainment Commission and the New York City Economic Development Advisory Council. She was credited with bringing the 2005 Country Music Association Awards and the 2006 Latin Grammy Awards to New York City – marking the first and only time these events were held in New York. She also ran the related Host Committees and served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Host Committee for the 2004 Republican National Convention when it was held in New York City. Before joining the Bloomberg Administration, Ms. Reidy was the President & CEO of The Miss Universe Organization, a joint venture with CBS. Ms. Reidy began her career as a CPA at Price Waterhouse in the Entertainment and Media practice. Ms. Reidy has received multiple accolades for her leadership throughout her career, including the 2021 City & State’s annual Above and Beyond Award, which honors distinguished women in New York and was a 2021 recipient of the Cynopsis Top Women in Media Award. Crain’s New York Business named Ms. Reidy as one of the magazine’s top “40 under 40.” Her connection to Sachem runs deep. She grew up less than a mile from the school with one sister, a proud alum. Her mom – Barbara Reidy – was a math teacher at North for almost 30 years and retired in 2006, and her dad was a firefighter with FDNY. Many of her friends had her as a teacher, and her friends were Maureen’s teachers. She is still friends with so many of them, and Sachem remains a big part of her life. Maureen was very involved in school, first in volleyball and softball and then as an Arrowette dancer all four years. She was also captain of the dance team at the University of Maryland. Her favorite, most important, and most rewarding job is being a mom to her 12-year-old son, Christopher.
One of two Sachem alumni to serve in the U.S. Navy SEALs, Sean Rosario is the only one that served on the highly specialized SEAL Team SIX Unit. Rosario credits his Sachem upbringing for helping shape his perspective and development. Those traits helped him become a highly effective leader who reached peak physical and mental ability while serving his country. Sachem football had a little something to do with his development too. While serving our country, he was on a Prisoner Of War hostage rescue, the first successful American POW rescue since World War II. They rescued Jessica Lynch, and it was a highly publicized moment from the front. He served from 1991 through 2005 and went on several deployments in various countries. After being enlisted, he turned his energy to consulting for several U.S. government agencies domestically and abroad. He was the EVP of Vista Holdings for 11 years and served on the board of directors of the National Navy UDT Seal Museum. In recent years he used his knowledge of the impact of special operations on veterans and founded the Warrior Health Foundation, which he still runs today.
Dr. Scriven is the Chief of Pediatric Surgery at Stony Brook University Medical Center and an associate professor of surgery and pediatrics. At Sachem, he ran cross country and track before attending medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and did his residency training in general surgery and his fellowship training in pediatric surgery at SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn. His clinical interests and expertise are wide-ranging but include surgical management of congenital and acquired anomalies/diseases of the neck, chest, abdomen, and soft tissues in children, among several other areas. He’s received many honors for his teaching and medical reputation at Stony Brook and SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn, including Many of the Year in Medicine by the Three Village Herald and the Tom Pollack Award for Clinical Excellence, as selected by faculty. Newsday has also ranked him as one of Long Island’s top doctors for the last 12 years. Dr. Scriven has also been a volunteer with the Stony Brook volunteer fire department since 2002 and on the department’s board of directors since 2014.