Irene Elizabeth Hylton, Ph.D.
Honoree Profile
Dr. Irene “Betty” Hylton is a longtime educator, having taught in the Westbury School District for 22 years. She is most proud of going back to school in her mid-fifties to earn her Ph.D. in Educational Communication and Technology at New York University.
Dr. Hylton has taught at many local universities and was the Associate Dean of Teacher Education at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. She believes that we must make a difference in the lives of our youth and the community. As such, she has committed herself to volunteering her services to the Westbury-New Cassel community and has worked tirelessly as an advocate and activist within it.
Dr. Hylton is very active with the North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center and was a member of its board of directors. She serves as Chair of the Advisory Council of The Leeds Place, the Guidance Center’s Westbury site. She has been instrumental in establishing services and partnerships at The Leeds Place that provide mental health and substance abuse services to children and families of Westbury and surrounding communities.
Dr. Hylton is a charter member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Pi Pi Omega Chapter (PPO), which has serviced the greater Westbury community since 1987. She fostered a partnership between PPO and The Leeds Place that provided supportive services to the community, and is part of the team that has directed the over 20-year collaboration between the Town of North Hempstead, The Leeds Place and PPO for the annual National Night Out Against Crime in August.
The NAACP Westbury-New Cassel Chapter was resurrected in 2006 under Dr. Hylton’s leadership, and she has been an active member of the executive board. This chapter quickly grew to more than 100 members, with community members crossing many cultural groups, collaborating with several local organizations. Dr. Hylton has received recognition and many honors for her community service from numerous organizations. Dr. Hylton is a 50-year resident of Westbury, where she and her husband, Dr. Robert Hylton, raised their three children.
