Karmen Smallwood

Assistant Commissioner for Youth Services and Director of the Youth Bureau for Community and Family Services, Dutchess County

Karmen is charged with leading the Path To Promise initiative. She has more than 15 years of experience working in the non-profit sector as a program director, grant manager and youth advocate. In her current position, she works to enhance community assets by bridging research with practice and aligning efforts to provide the best array of resources, services and support for children, youth, and families.

Prior to assuming her current position, she served as a law enforcement officer initiating programs to increase justice-impacted individual’s access to resources and opportunities. Her Interactive Journaling program and research study developed in partnership with Marist College was featured at the New York State Pretrial Services Conference and Siena Colleges’ Engage for Change Conference. She is currently spearheading local initiatives to address violence in schools and communities through her involvement in the Dutchess County Youth and Police Initiative.

As a pragmatic leader with experience in program and leadership development, she is committed to making positive sustainable contributions in her community. She is an active volunteer, serving as a trustee at Beulah Baptist Church and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Iota Alpha Omega Chapter, and the Mid-Hudson Ivy Foundation.

She is an accomplished individual who has been recognized for her exceptional community contributions. In 2023, she received the Real Skills Network Inc.’s Community Icon Award. The following year, in 2024, she was honored with the Northern Dutchess NAACP Judge Jane Bolin Justice Award and named The Art Effect’s Community Honoree.

Ms. Smallwood holds a B.A. from Howard University and a M.A. in Counseling and Community Psychology from Marist College.

She is a parent, visionary and changemaker who strives to inspire and empower others with kindness, compassion, and humility.