Assemblies, Organizations, Recognitions and Awards
In the Assembly, Christensen serves on the following standing committees: Housing, Insurance, Labor, Real Property Taxation and Small Business. She is an honorary member of the New York State Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force and serves on the Assembly Task Force on Workers' Compensation Reform. As such, Christensen continues to play a key role in the widely acclaimed workers' compensation reforms.
As well as those, Christensen belongs to a number of business and civic organizations including Women in Government; the National Order of Women Legislators; Delta Kappa Gamma; the Metropolitan Business and Professional Women's Club of Syracuse; the League of Women Voters; the National Council of Negro Women; the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy; the Greater Jamesville Chamber of Commerce; the South Side Business Association and the VFW Post 1955 Ladies Auxiliary in LaFayette. In addition, she serves as an ex-officio member of the Everson Museum of Art Board of Trustees and serves as an Honorary Member of Vietnam Veterans of America, Central New York Chapter 103 and the Korean War Veterans of America.
Christensen is the recipient of numerous awards including the Women Working Wonders from the YWCA of Binghamton/Broome County, Feminist Legislator of Honor from the Central New York Chapter of the National Organization of Women, the Children's Champion Award from the Coalition for Child Care of Nassau County and the 1998 Friend of Children Award from the Child Care Council of Onondaga County and the Syracuse Association for the Education of Young Children. She was honored once again in 2004 by the Child Care Council of Onondaga County for her continued efforts to promote and further quality child care services.
Recent local awards include a Certificate of Recognition from the Upstate Medical University and its United University Professions; the Vietnam Veterans of America, Central New York Chapter 103 Veterans' Advocacy Award; The Outstanding Service Award presented by the East Syracuse-Minoa High School Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA); the Syracuse Chapter of the Society for Clinical Social Work, the Central Chapter of the New York Association for Marriage and Family Therapists, the New York State Society for Clinical Social Work Certificate of Appreciation; the Child Care Council of Onondaga County's Child Care Champion 2000 Award; the Central New York Council on Adolescent Pregnancy Service Award, and the American Lung Association of Central New York Asthma Award, in recognition of her championship against this debilitating and deadly disease; the Jewish Family Service 2003 “Friend of Family Award; and the CSEA Local 834 Excellence in Elected Leadership Award.
Other notable awards include: Onondaga County’s Distinguished Honorary Veteran of the Year; the Central New York Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists Community Leader in Pharmaceutical Care award; the Nurse Practitioner Association, New York State Chapter’s Certificate of Appreciation; and the Town of DeWitt’s Certificate of Recognition for Volunteer Service on the 9/11 Committee.
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