Pat Snyder has been working on behalf of the Town of Riverhead since 1995 when she began to focus on community development through the arts at East End Arts Council. She led the growth of East End Arts with major program expansion and $1.2 million in capital improvements to multi-award winning status over her tenure. As Executive Director through 2018, she garnered national attention via the National Arts Destination Marketing Award for the collaborative creation of Winterfest Jazz on the Vine, a cultural tourism initiative bringing an annual $1 million in economic impact for the North Fork during the slow winter months.
Pat initiated the Annual Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival attracting a diverse audience of thousands to downtown and designed JumpstART, providing professional development for artists and introducing “creative placemaking” to Riverhead. She introduced The Teeny Awards in 2003, a beloved East End program recognizing the value of the high school theater experience and life skills for students.
Pat is currently the chair of the Suffolk County Arts Advisory Committee and a past member of Riverhead Rotary, Riverhead Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and the First Congressional District Education Advisory Committee. Pat has a Masters in Art Education from SUNY New Paltz and a Bachelors in Elementary Education from SUNY Cortland.
Pat has lived in the Riverhead area for thirty years. Her two children Kristen and Dan are Riverhead School District graduates. Kristen is a teacher in Riverhead Schools. Along with her grandchildren Summer and Dillon, her family provides on-going bragging rights.