Woody Levitan Receives Community Builder’s Award
First CPA to Hold Honor Named for Former NYS Tax Commissioner

By Lois Whitehead, Public Relations Manager

Middletown CPA Sherwood H. (Woody) Levitan last month received the 2004 Michael H. Urbach, CPA, Community Builder’s Award, in recognition of his exemplary achievements as an accountant involved in board volunteerism and charitable work.   

The award, given for the first time and named after the former New York state tax commissioner who died earlier this year, is sponsored by the Council of Community Services of New York State, Inc. (CCSNYS), and the Society. A partner with Urbach Kahn and Werlin, P.C., and the first CPA to hold the state tax commissioner office, Urbach served as president of CCSNYS of Northeastern New York, the Albany Jewish Community Center, and St. Peter’s Hospital Associates and as a board member of the United Way of Northeastern New York and the Albany Boys and Girls Club, among many other organizations.

“Michael Urbach was unique in his leadership as a CPA…We intended this award to be presented to a CPA who placed a high bar on community service,” CCSNYS Executive Director Doug Sauer said. “Woody Levitan exemplifies the spirit of this award in the scope of community service he has contributed.”

A partner with Levitan Yegidis and Goldstein LLP, Levitan has throughout his career embodied many of the same qualities of care and valuable guidance that set Urbach apart from his professional peers.

“Woody’s total volunteer efforts for his community are remarkable. In particular, I appreciate his work with the volunteer fire department over such a long period of time,” said former NYSSCPA President Jo Ann Golden, who is a member of the award’s selection committee and who also presented the award to Levitan. “This is something that contributes directly to every member of his community and is especially commendable for someone with the schedule of a CPA.”

Levitan is a long-time member of the volunteer fire department in Mountaindale, having held a number of different ranks in the department, including that of chief. A former chairman of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce, Levitan also led the merger of the Horton Medical Center in Middletown with the Arden Hill Hospital in Goshen, thus creating the Orange Medical Center, where he sat as chairman of the board and member of the executive committee. 
Among his other charitable efforts, Levitan chaired the board of directors for the Orange County Partnership, a not-for-profit

economic development agency that works to enhance the quality of life in Orange County and seeks to increase the standard of living by expanding the county’s tax base and creating new and better-paying jobs. 

“For Woody, every challenge presents an opportunity. Today, due in large part to his leadership, the Partnership is a solid, well-respected organization that continues to expand and search for new opportunities,” said Maureen Halahan, president and CEO of the Partnership. “He made an indelible mark on the future of the Partnership and, in effect, the future economic strength and viability of Orange County.”

In addition to his many civic offices, Levitan has served as president of the NYSSCPA’s Mid-Hudson Chapter and as a member of the chapter’s Finance Committee and cochair of its Government Relations Committee.

The Baruch College graduate received the award during CCSNYS’s Camp Finance, a two-day retreat held in New Paltz for executive directors, key financial staff, development directors and board members of nonprofit organizations. John A. D’Ambrosio, president of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce, and Michael R. Yegidis, partner at Levitan Yegidis and Goldstein LLP, jointly nominated him.

CCSNYS is a 501(C)(3) membership-based, mission-driven, statewide association of diverse charitable nonprofit organizations. The Council is the information and advocacy clearinghouse for the New York state nonprofit sector, providing members a strong collective voice.