Goshen, N.Y. – Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus announced on Tuesday that the Honorable James D. Pagones will headline this year’s Orange County Leadership Prayer breakfast on Nov. 14th at Anthony’s Pier 9 in New Windsor.
“Our fourth annual breakfast promises to be a wonderful event with Judge Pagones as our keynote speaker,” Neuhaus said. “The past three breakfasts have been very successful, bringing together residents from a variety of backgrounds in the community to pray for those in leadership roles. We are honored to have Judge Pagones as our featured speaker this year. He and his wife Joan are well-known and well-loved by many in the Hudson Valley and I’m sure the audience will be inspired by what he has to share.”
Pagones, who will retire in December, has enjoyed a long, successful and well-respected law career, most recently serving admirably as Dutchess County’s Surrogate’s Court Judge, a position he has held since 1998. A life-long resident of Dutchess County, he began to practice law in New York in 1977 after receiving an undergraduate degree from Virginia Military Institute and a law degree from Western New England University in Massachusetts. Since then, he has served as an associate at Pagones and Cross and was law clerk to Acting Justice of the NY Supreme Court, Hon. James D. Benson for ten years. In 1992, he was elected Family Court Judge and was subsequently elected Dutchess County Surrogate’s Court Judge. Pagones has also served as an acting County Court Judge.
As Surrogate, Judge Pagones has presided over estate proceedings valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, trusts and guardianships of children and their property, as well as guardianships of intellectually and developmentally disable individuals. He has also presided over cases involving medical and dental malpractice, motor vehicle accidents, breach of contract, slip and fall, divorce, products liability and many other. He is assigned full-time as a trial level acting Justice of the Supreme Court and is also assigned to a specialty court in Supreme Court, presiding over adult guardianship cases.
Pagones previously served as a Dutchess County Legislator representing District 8 in the Town of Wappinger from 1978 through 1981 and was president of the Surrogates Association of New York from 2005 to 2007. Currently, Pagones serves as an Editorial Board Member of Warren’s Heaton on Surrogate’s Court Practice and was appointed a member of the NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics. Judge Pagones and his wife, Joan, have been married for 36 years
“I deeply appreciate the kind invitation extended by the Orange County Leadership Prayer Breakfast Committee to serve as the keynote speaker at this year's 4th annual breakfast hosted by County Executive Steven Neuhaus,” Pagones said. “I look forward to lifting up the leaders of Orange County in prayer and to share my faith with all in attendance.”
The event is wholly underwritten by sponsors and is not a fundraiser. Sponsors of the event will receive five (5) seats at the breakfast for a tax-deductible donation of $300.00. The Orange County Leadership Prayer Breakfast committee will use the remaining seats at the table to invite elected and appointed Orange County municipal officials, community and business leaders, and the public. All sponsors will be publicized at the door and at the tables.
If you would like to sponsor this event, send an e-mail requesting a registration form to prayerbreakfastoc@gmail.com or call 845-393-4805. Orange County Leadership Prayer Breakfast is a 501(c)(3). This event is being held at no cost to county taxpayers.
###