City of Oneonta Recognizes Four ‘Trailblazers’

By MONICA CALZOLARI
ONEONTA

Four local women received Trailblazer Awards from the City of Oneonta’s Commission on Community Relations and Human Rights on March 27 at the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center.

Edyn Aiyemo, Dr. Carolyn Wolf-Gould, Tina Winstead and Michelle Eastman were named and honored as the recipients of the city’s Trailblazer Award for 2025. Ryan Selzner, chair of the commission, coordinated the event attended by nearly 100 people. She introduced Mayor Mark Drnek, who served as master of ceremonies.

“This evening, I am proud to acknowledge four more outstanding women—trailblazers each—to join the ranks of those previously honored by the commission,” Drnek said. He read a detailed proclamation personalized to each award winner.

Since 2007, the commission has recognized women in the Oneonta area as part of Women’s History Month, which is celebrated every March. A trailblazer is defined as one who has opened the pathways for others to follow; a pioneer, a forerunner, a trail breaker, a mover and shaker.

Trailblazers are nominated by their peers and must fit into one of four categories: Woman in Business; Arts and/or Athletics; Community Impact; and Young Leader (age 21 and under).

Edyn Aiyemo is an honors student at Oneonta Middle School. She is an eighth-grader and the youngest of the four 2025 recipients. Aiyemo is the epitome of a young leader. She has already published a book, “The Tale of the World in Four Colors.” She used proceeds from her book to create and publish a community calendar.

Her poem “What I See in the Land of Green” was printed in “The Daily Star.” She received honors in the “2023 LEAF Arts and Poetry Contest.” Aiyemo also plays ukelele, guitar and piano.

“She gave a speech about her mother being an inspiration to her,” said Paul Conway, the former interim chair of the Commission on Community Relations and Human Rights.

Her mother is the Honorable Ari Tobi-Aiyemo, a retired magistrate-judge from Nigeria, West Africa and head of Oneonta’s Police Review Board, Conway said.

Six individuals were nominated for this year’s award. The number of winners varies. For 2025, the commission chose four recipients. Conway said there were several years of award inactivity due to COVID-19.

Mayor Drnek called Dr. Carolyn Wolf-Gould “the epitome of a trailblazer.” She is a physician with Bassett Healthcare Network in Oneonta. Her work as the director of the Gender Wellness Center is considered ground-breaking, as her healthcare practice began working with transgender patients back in 2007.

According to the proclamation read by Drnek, Dr. Wolf-Gould has provided more than 1,000 patients with the medical care and support, where none had been available.

“Carolyn has been a pioneer in the field of transgender health and is highly regarded in the United States and internationally for her work, bringing quality, evidence-based care to a rural outpatient setting,” he said.

The Gender Wellness Center has served as a training ground for dozens of healthcare practitioners and a collaborative partner to numerous support agencies.

Every nominee must be nominated by one individual who writes a 500-word essay about why they deserve a Trailblazer Award. Two other individuals must also recommend that individual for the award.

Another recipient of the 2025 Trailblazer Award is Tina Winstead, director of the Huntington Memorial Library since 2013. She was nominated by Ann Adamo, past president of the Huntington Memorial Library Board of Trustees. Dolores Noonan, vice president of Friends of HML, and Carolyn Austin, also a past president of the library board, recommended Winstead for this honor.

“Through Tina’s leadership, HML is accessible, inclusive and bustling with activity….Tina is the driving force behind the Huntington Park development project, which is enhancing this lovely green space in our city for all residents and visitors to enjoy, whether they use the library or not,” Adamo said.

“[Winstead] has transformed the library and reimagined its connection to the community,” Drnek said.

In July 2021, then-Mayor Gary Herzig awarded Lucy Bernier the city’s Trailblazer Award. She blazed trails as Oneonta’s first female city prosecutor and city court judge. Before her untimely death this year on February 5, Bernier nominated Michelle Eastman for the same award she received.

Eastman was recognized for many outstanding contributions to the Oneonta community. Drnek called her a role model and a forerunner in a formerly “man’s world” of construction. She was a founding member, president, chief executive officer and treasurer of Eastman Associates Inc.

Eastman has been an active supporter of the community as a board member of the Fox Hospital Foundation, the SUNY Oneonta Foundation and Helios Care, as well as a trustee for St. Mary’s Church. She has also served on the boards of the Center Street School Parent Teacher Organization, Oneonta Middle School PTO, the SUNY Oneonta Children’s Center, Dollars for Scholars, the City of Oneonta Planning Commission, the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Main Street Oneonta Committee, and as board president of the Oneonta YMCA.

“Oneonta is so lucky to have the talents of these four incredible women. I am really proud of the work the commission did in selecting these awardees,” said Elayne Mosher Campoli, the city’s liaison to the commission and a member of Oneonta’s Common Council representing the First Ward.