New York State Assemblyman Michael Durso and Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino honored Debra Ragusa as a 2024 New York State Assembly Woman of Distinction during a surprise visit to her classroom at the Town of Oyster Bay Pre-School in Massapequa. 

The New York State Assembly Woman of Distinction program recognizes extraordinary women for their professional accomplishments, personal achievements, and significant contributions to their communities. The honorees are leaders, entrepreneurs, mothers, wives and role models from diverse backgrounds and fields, who have broken barriers and paved the way for future generations.

Debra Ragusa was selected for her decades long service as an early childhood educator in the Massapequa community, where she is affectionately known as Miss Debbie. Since the inception of the Town of Oyster Bay Pre-School in 2008, she has been instrumental in developing a nurturing philosophy combined with an academically driven curriculum, which has had an incredible impact on the education of countless children.

Debbie has volunteered her time and talents to various community organizations, including Cub Scouts, Massapequa Soccer Club, Massapequa Mustangs, and the PTA. She loves her community, constantly searching to enrich those around her.

Debbie Ragusa and her husband, Michael, both graduates of Massapequa High School, have proudly raised their children, TJ and Monica, in Massapequa.

This award is especially meaningful as Debbie’s mother was a 2001 Women of Distinction and she is proud to continue her mother’s legacy.