Back in Person: The 2022 OTTY Awards
Honoring remarkable East Siders for their contributions to the community
| 13 May 2022 | 10:57
Left to right: Contributor Michael Oreskes, Honoree Dr. Dave Chokshi, Editor in Chief Alexis Gelber, President and Publisher Jeanne Straus, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, Honoree Laurie M. Tisch, Honoree Julie Menin. Photo: Steven Strasser
Honoree Craig Trotta (second from right) with his son Craig Trotta, Jr. (left), Jeanne Straus, Rob Byrnes of East Midtown Partnership. Photo: Steven Strasser
Emcee Edric Robinson, Honoree Sharon Pope-Marshall, Jeanne Straus. Photo: Steven Strasser
Honoree Dr. Judith Salerno, Officer Roswell Ramos, Honoree Officer Vincent Ching, Jeanne Straus, Honoree Laurie M. Tisch. Photo: Steven Strasser
Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright, Jeanne Straus, Honoree William Villanova. Photo: Steven Strasser
Straus News Vice President Tania Cade, Honoree Ava Lehrer, Jeanne Straus, Edric Robinson. Photo: Steven Strasser
Emcee Edric Robinson, Honoree Rebecca Rosenfield, Jeanne Straus. Photo: Steven Strasser
Edric Robinson, Honoree Cristina Garcia, Jeanne Straus. Photo: Steven Strasser
The Rev. John Beddingfield of The Church of the Holy Trinity, accepting on behalf of Honoree Erlinda Brent, who was unable to attend the OTTY event after testing positive for COVID that day. Photo: Steven Strasser
For more than 20 years Our Town has proudly hosted the OTTYS – the Our Town Thanks You Awards – as a way to honor remarkable New Yorkers who make the Upper East Side, and our city as a whole, a better place to live and work.
On Wednesday, May 11, at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, Our Town was thrilled to be back in person and able to continue the tradition of saying thank you to notable East Siders for their contributions to the community.
As Jeanne Straus, President & Publisher of Straus News, said in her opening remarks, “A common theme that cropped up among so many of tonight’s honorees – is how much these amazing men and women stepped up during the pandemic to do more, adding to their already outsized contributions to our city. Tonight’s honorees are from varied sectors, yet they all share a commitment to making the city a better place to live. Our Town proudly focuses on covering what matters most to those New Yorkers who call the East Side home.”
Congratulations to this year’s OTTY winners: Erlinda Brent, The Church of the Holy Trinity; Officer Vincent Ching, NYPD; Dr. Dave Chokshi, formerly NYC Dept. of Health; Cristina Garcia, Building Electrification Institute; Ava Lehrer, 92nd Street Y; Sharon Pope-Marshall, CIVITAS, Julie Menin, New York City Council Member; Rebecca Rosenfield, Bonner David Art Boutique; Dr. Judith Salerno, New York Academy of Medicine, Laurie M. Tisch, The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund; Craig Trotta, The Doe Fund; and William Villanova, Frank E. Campbell The Funeral Chapel.
Edric Robinson of Spectrum News NY1 was the emcee.