Goshen, N.Y. – Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus announced on Monday that NASA astronaut Jeffrey Williams, a retired U.S. Army Colonel, will headline this year’s Orange County Leadership Prayer Breakfast on Nov. 13th at Anthony’s Pier 9 in New Windsor.
“We are looking forward to hosting Jeffrey Williams and the opportunity to listen to some of his amazing experiences,” Neuhaus said. “We are honored to have him as a guest and I’m sure that he will connect with our audience in a powerful way. The Prayer Breakfast has been a terrific event these past four years, bringing County leaders from a variety of industries together in community and prayer. I’m excited to host the fifth annual Orange County Leadership Prayer Breakfast.”
Williams was selected for the NASA Astronaut Class of 1996. In addition to his space flights, he has performed various technical duties in both the space shuttle and International Space Station Programs. In July 2002, Williams commanded a nine-day coral reef expedition operating from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Aquarius undersea habitat off the coast of Florida.
Williams has also served on the space station backup flight crews for Expeditions 12, 19, 20, as well as the backup for astronaut Scott Kelly’s one-year flight spanning Expeditions 43 through 46. Williams has logged more than 534 days in space, including nearly 32 hours in five spacewalks, and a total of more than 3,100 hours in more than 50 different aircraft. During his six months aboard the International Space Station in 2006, Williams orbited the earth more than 2,800 times and took more photographs of earth than any astronaut in history. He has had two books published with his work.
A native of Wisconsin, Williams is a 1980 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He and his wife, Ann-Marie, a native of Newburgh, have two sons and four grandchildren.
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.
###