The following appeared in the Times of Northport Online. Dr. Kay Sato is Director of The Hutton House Lectures at C.W. Post.

She's a team player for community
Woman of the Year in Civics: Kay Hutchins Sato

By Kelly Campbell
January 02, 2005 | 11:37 AM

When Kay Hutchins Sato's name comes up, it is often accompanied by the words "service" and "dependability."

Hutchins Sato volunteers countless hours to help guide the Northport-East Northport Schools Board of Education, on which she is a trustee, and the Northport Historical Society Board of Trustees, of which she is president.

She juggles those responsibilities with her role as a wife to Masaki, who works for the United Nations, and daughter Saki, a senior at Northport High School. Hutchins Sato also directs the Hutton House Lecture Series at Long Island University's C.W. Post campus.

"My life is education and I'm very interested in what happens in education," she said. "I chose education as my profession, and I do enjoy working for the schools and the students and helping to make sure that things run well. We have a fabulous system and I'd like to see it thrive and continue." She added that, because her husband works for the United Nations, the couple's daughter could attend any number of private schools and her education would be paid for. "But I believe that Northport offers more than she could get from any of the schools she could go to."

Her involvement with the district began well before she won a seat on the board, according to Superintendent William Brosnan. "Dr. Hutchins Sato is a long-time supporter of our community's public schools," he said.

In 1993, Hutchins Sato — who holds a doctoral degree in English Education from the University of Georgia — was one of the community residents who helped write the district's original Shared Decision-Making Plan. Mandated by the state for all districts, shared decision-making is the "process by which groups responsible for implementing decisions become involved in making those decisions," states the district website, and includes each building principal, parents, teachers and support staff.

Over the years, the BOE has reaffirmed that plan and it still guides the district's process today, Brosnan said. "Dr. Hutchins Sato cares deeply about education, about good instruction, and about providing kids with opportunities to grow and learn," said Brosnan. "We are fortunate to have such caring people in our community step up to leadership positions."

At the historical society, Hutchins Sato is "one of those people who jumps in and gets things done," said Director Linda Furey. "Whenever we have a fundraiser or an event at the society, she is always one of the people there working all hours to get things done, to get things organized and running the meetings," Furey said.

She described Hutchins Sato as a "team player" in that she embraces the ideals of the organization she's involved in and then works very hard to promote them.

"The thing I think about when I think about Kay is that she's always thinking about how she can do things for other people and the group," Furey said. "It is important for her to find ways to promote the missions of the organization that she works for, [because] she wants to continue the work of those who came before her but also wants to move forward."

Her dedication and her sensitivity in striking a balance between personal ambition and the group's goals make Kay Hutchins Sato Times Beacon Record Newspapers' pick as Woman of the Year in Civics.