LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending Phillip A. Saperia upon the occasion
of his retirement after over 21 years of distinguished service to The
Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies on March 15, 2016

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize and
honor those distinguished citizens of this great Empire State who have
devoted themselves to faithfully serving the best interests of their
community and the needs of its residents; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend
Phillip A. Saperia upon the occasion of his retirement after over 21
years of distinguished service to The Coalition of Behavioral Health
Agencies to be celebrated at a Retirement Reception held in his honor on
Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in the Grand Hall at the NYU Kimmel Center, New
York City; and
WHEREAS, Phillip A. Saperia graduated with a Bachelor's degree in
Politics from Brandeis University; he furthered his education by obtain-
ing his Master's degree in Teaching from Harvard University's Graduate
School of Education where he was elected to Phi Delta Kappa, the
National Honorary Education Society; and
WHEREAS, For over three decades, Phillip A. Saperia has worked in the
fields of community and government relations, many of those served in
the Jewish organizational world; and
WHEREAS, Phillip A. Saperia began his illustrious career as both a
public and private school teacher; he also held the role of administra-
tor, and government and community relations specialist for several agen-
cies, including the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish
Congress, where he directed its Metropolitan New York Region and HIAS,
and the international refugee and migration agency, where he held the
title of Associate Executive Vice President; and
WHEREAS, Phillip A. Saperia then went on to serve as a consultant to
several not-for-profit agencies on matters related to community siting
of special care housing and on the development of local community advi-
sory boards; in addition, he held the position of Director of the
Mayor's Office of Jewish Community Affairs; and
WHEREAS, On October 3, 1994, Phillip A. Saperia began serving as the
Executive Director of The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies, a
position from which he will officially retire on March 15, 2016; in this
capacity, he has overseen The Coalition's program of education, advocacy
and technical assistance to the diverse community-based behavioral
health providers of New York City; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, Phillip A. Saperia has served on The Medicaid
Redesign's Workgroup on Behavioral Health as well as the Subcommittee on
Children and Families; he has been enthusiastically involved in the
impending transformation of the health and behavioral health sector that
he has served, including policy, advocacy and organizational reengineer-
ing; and
WHEREAS, Since taking a position at The Coalition of Behavioral Health
Agencies, Phillip A. Saperia has worked hard to support mental health
and addictions public policy and community based programs, government
support of community behavioral health, the evolution of managed care
programs for people living with mental illness and substance use disor-
ders, the intersection of behavioral health and criminal justice and the
emerging area of rehabilitation and recovery for people with behavioral
health disabilities; and
WHEREAS, Dedicated to his community, Phillip A. Saperia has been
active in numerous organizations within the brownstone neighborhoods of

Brooklyn; he was a long time member of the local Community Board and
served as President of The Carlton-Willoughby Block Association; and
WHEREAS, Phillip A. Saperia is an active member and past President of
Congregation Kolot Chayeinu, a progressive and inclusive Jewish congre-
gation in Brooklyn; he was also a member of the Executive Committee and
Board of Directors of the former Brooklyn AIDS Task Force (Bridging
Access to Care) in Brooklyn, and a participant of the Board of Directors
of SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders); and
WHEREAS, Currently, Phillip A. Saperia serves on the Board of Direc-
tors of the Human Services Council of New York City and the Community
Mental Health Advisory Committee of Visiting Nurse Service of New York;
and
WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Phillip A. Saperia served The Coali-
tion of Behavioral Health Agencies with intelligence and caring dedi-
cation, continuously striving to effectively fulfill the duties of his
position; and
WHEREAS, Sincerely loved and greatly respected by all those with whom
he worked, Phillip A. Saperia will be remembered for his honesty, integ-
rity, keen sense of duty and ability to show a unique grasp of human
problems in his official acts; and
WHEREAS, With him throughout has been his life partner of 42 years,
James R. Golden, who feels privileged to be a part of his life and
rejoices in his accomplishments; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Phillip A. Saperia upon the occasion of his retirement after
over 21 years of distinguished service to The Coalition of Behavioral
Health Agencies, and to wish him continued success in all his future
endeavors; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Phillip A. Saperia.