Giving Rye: Meet STEER for Student Athletes
Giving Rye is a new occasional feature highlighting non-profits and community groups in and around the City of Rye. Today meet Dr. Joseph Durney of STEER for Student Athletes.
Your Name: Dr. Joseph Durney
Organization: STEER for Student Athletes, Inc.
Your role: CEO
MyRye.com: Tell us your organization’s mission.
Durney: STEER provides individualized mentorship, services, and financial support to ensure students thrive academically, develop socially and emotionally, and excel athletically. STEER removes obstacles that inhibit holistic student development and provides alternative positive support; this support allows program participants to develop college and career readiness skills and personal competencies that will empower them to become positive contributors in a global society while improving family and community outcomes.
How long have you operated in Rye?
Durney: We have operated in Rye and Port Chester for 12 years, founding our organization in Rye in 2012.
What programming or work in Rye is the organization best known for?
Durney: STEER provides support services that include social, academic, and athletic assistance to individual student athletes. This enables them to graduate high school, prepare for further education, and/or enter the workforce. The organization achieves these objectives by employing “STEER Advisors,” who are responsible for tracking and assessing the needs of the selected student athletes.
Looking forward to 2025, what will be your top initiatives?
Durney: As students transition from high school to college, we are with our students every step of the way through our college transition program. STEER empowers high school seniors for college success as our summer program offers immersive experiences, mentorship, and skill-building to seamlessly transition into higher education, ensuring academic readiness and personal development. Moreover, we help students secure internship opportunities that are aligned with their majors and interests. If the internship is unpaid, we provide scholarships to foster equity, as many of our students rely on seasonal income to make ends meet. We provide a variety of health and wellness programs, including the Peak Mental Game program, which measures, trains, and improves mental skills and provides elite-level mindsets.
Tell us about the population you serve and how they can get involved with your programming and services.
Durney: The population we serve are students in the Port Chester Schools, Yonkers City Schools, Schools of the Tarrytown, and New York City Schools.
Are you a 501(c)(3) non-profit with tax exempt status?
Durney: Yes
Looking back across 2024, what were your organization’s top achievements?
Durney: The STEER organization made significant strides in the last year, with a key highlight being the expansion of its support to 199 students, putting it ahead of its goal to impact 225 students by 2025. Other notable achievements include maintaining a 100% high school graduation and college acceptance rate, along with innovative program offerings that holistically supported students academically, socially, and emotionally.
- High School Program: Through individualized support plans, students set and achieved goals in various domains, supported by the Peak Mental Game program to build resilience and mindfulness.
- Project-Based Learning: A food insecurity project engaged students in real-world problem-solving, with participants earning Lead-4-Change Certification and community service scholarships.
- Work-Based Learning: Equipped students with employment skills through structured programs on resume building, financial planning, and career readiness.
- STEM Corp and Tech Literacy: Created pathways for STEM exposure and digital literacy, providing workshops and mentoring in fields that students might not typically access.
- Athletic Training and Camps: Through partnerships like Beastmode Athletics and LIFT, students received specialized training and attended various camps to hone their athletic skills.
- Community Engagement Events: Hosted events like Family Nights and the Graduation Banquet to foster community and celebrate student achievements.
- College and Alumni Support: Provided mentoring, wellness resources, and networking opportunities for college students and alumni, creating a strong support network for their ongoing personal and professional growth.
How can local residents support your organization?
Durney: Individuals can support STEER for Student Athletes in several meaningful ways:
Financial Contributions:
- Multi-Year Pledges: Commit to supporting multiple student-athletes over five years. Options include:
- One-Time Sponsorships: Provide targeted support for specific initiatives:
Ambassador Program:
Become a STEER Ambassador by directly sponsoring a student-athlete. This involves a $5,000 annual commitment per student, covering academic, athletic, health services, and mentorship costs. Ambassadors can engage with their sponsored students through updates and events, fostering a personal connection.
Volunteer Opportunities:
STEER collaborates with various organizations to support student success. Individuals interested in volunteering can contact STEER directly to explore potential opportunities.
What local Rye residents and area businesses have been the longest, steadiest supporters of your organization?
Durney: The Abate, O’Callaghan, Tucci, LeGaye, Scully, Keough, Eck, Harrington, Samberg, Keenan, Heffernan, Davis, and other families have been generous donors for years, continuing their support to this day. Their contributions have been instrumental in helping us expand and enhance our programming, enabling us to serve hundreds of students over the past decade. With their unwavering support, STEER has provided critical mentorship, educational resources, and athletic opportunities that empower students to succeed in school and life.
Tell us about you:
How long have you been in your current role?
Durney: I am a Founder and I have been CEO for 5 years and a Board member for 12.
Is the role full time or part time? Paid or volunteer?
Durney: It is now full time, but I spent the first seven years building the organization as a volunteer.
How would your friends and family describe you in one word?
Durney: Dedicated
Where did you grow up?
Durney: New Jersey, student athlete in the Toms River Schools. Captain of my football team, baseball team and played on multiple HS state championship teams.
What is your favorite unimportant thing about you?
Durney: I love jazz because it requires teamwork and improvisation. It is a lot like athletics in that a team must collaborate to ensure they perform at a high level.
If the next five years is a chapter in your life, what is this chapter about?
Durney: Capacity building!
Capacity building is essential for developing the skills, systems, and structures needed to ensure a nonprofit’s sustainability and impact. By investing in capacity building, nonprofits can equip the next generation of leaders with the strategic, operational, and financial skills required to navigate challenges and drive meaningful change. This commitment to developing leadership capabilities helps secure the organization’s mission for the future, empowering emerging leaders to sustain and expand the nonprofit’s reach and effectiveness.
What would you do if you were not afraid?
Durney: I am not afraid of trying anything. I have been supporting the success of young people for forty years and have learned you can’t be afraid. Being a social change agent requires the willingness to take risks and I do so knowing the outcome will always be to learn.
Where do you live in Rye and how many years have you lived in the City?
Durney: I live in Port Chester, where I served as an educator for 35 years, from the classroom to the Board room. After experiences as a teacher, coach, and administrator, I rewired from educational leadership to nonprofit leadership.
Thanks Joe!
Learn more:
Dourney bio:
Joe Durney is a co-Founder of STEER for Student Athletes. He holds a B.S. and a M.S. in Education, a post-Masters Professional Diploma in School District Administration, a Certificate of Executive Leadership from Cornell University, a Certificate of Advanced Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Innovation at New York University. Joe has over thirty-five years of experience in education, recently retiring as a school district leader for the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District in New York. Joe is a New York Education Department certified teacher, coach, school supervisor, and school district administrator. Joe is an Adjunct Professor at Manhattanville College in the Graduate School of Education, teaching in the Educational Leadership Program.
Joe has served as a teacher, coach, educational leader, and administrator for children and young adults at the elementary, intermediate, high school, and collegiate levels. Joe served as Conference President in New York State Section One Interscholastic High School Athletics. He’s been a member of the Section One High School Athletics Executive Committee, the Section One Executive Committee for the NYS Athletic Administrators Association, and the Executive Committee for the NYSAPHERD Council of Administrators.
Joe was the 2009 Recipient of the NYSAPHERD Council of Administrator’s State Service Award, the 2011 ODFMC Community Health Service Award, and is Past Co-Chair of the Port Chester Cares Community Coalition. He’s been honored by the Port Chester/Rye Brook NAACP, Port Chester Youth Bureau, Foundation for Educational Excellence, and Tamarack Tower Foundation for his contributions to the regional community. Joe is a member of the Lower Hudson Council of Personnel and Human Resource Administrators. Also, Joe served on the Executive Committee of the SWBOCES Section One Professional Development Committee. He has taught NYS Education Department coaching coursework for high school teachers and coaches under the auspices of the Sound Shore Superintendent’s Consortium (8 Regional High Schools).
Joe has four children and lives with his wife Mary in Port Chester, NY.
