Colleen Carlson Named As Recipient Of 2025 Joseph Dalton Community Service Award

This recognition, created by unanimous vote of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors in 2017, is a community service-focused award to honor an individual who has been faithful and loyal to the Saratoga County community for more than 25 years.

Carlson is the Director of Sales for the Saratoga Casino Hotel and has been with this organization for more than 40 years. She is a founding member of the Board of Directors at Jake’s Help from Heaven and is currently the organization’s Treasurer. The organization’s main goal is to create opportunities for individuals with complex medical needs and disabilities to thrive. 

“When we started in 2011, I cried over each grant. Now I find joy in the support and quality of life opportunities Jake’s Help from Heaven gives to so many families,” she said.

Carlson volunteered as the General Manager, in 2009, and Host Family Coordinator, from 2005-2009, for the Saratoga Phillies Baseball Organization. Her involvement with the Saratoga Phillies led to her appointment by Mayor Scott Johnson to the Saratoga Springs Recreation Committee where she became the Vice Chair. “Hiring John Hirliman as recreation director after Linda Terricol retired as well as the construction and opening of the City’s Recreation Center were significant accomplishments for the City and the Commission during those years,” added Carlson.

For the past ten years, she has served on the Adirondack Trust Fund Advisory Committee. Committee members routinely read 80 grant applications each year to determine which applicants will receive grant funds. From 2013 to 2022, she served on the Board of Directors of the Saratoga Hospital Foundation. In her role with the Saratoga Casino Hotel, Carlson has worked with numerous local charitable organizations to organize successful fundraisers from the Wesley Community, to Saratoga Hospital, to Sponsor-A-Scholar, and more.

“We are thrilled to present Colleen Carlson with the 2025 Joseph Dalton Community Service Award to acknowledge her longstanding commitment to our amazing Saratoga community,” said Todd Shimkus, President of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. “We are incredibly fortunate to have Colleen as a volunteer leader quietly and effectively serving organizations that do so much good for so many people within our community, and we are inspired by the work she has done and the impact she has made.”  

In addition to its annual recipient, the award recognizes Joseph Dalton, who served as the President of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce from 1970 to 2010. During his tenure, the Chamber’s membership, influence, and impact grew significantly as a direct result of Joe’s leadership, passion, and commitment to establishing Saratoga County as a great place to live, work and play.

Past recipients of the Joseph Dalton Community Service Award include: Steve Sullivan (2018); Tom Roohan (2019); John Munter, Sr. (2020); and Julie Stokes (2021), L. Clifford Van Wagner (2022), Dr. William Long (2023), and Cindy Hollowood (2024). Carlson will be presented with the 2025 award at the Annual Chamber Celebration at the 1863 Club, on Thursday, May 8 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs.

For serving as 2024 Chair of the Board for the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, Chad Kiesow, the COO of Stewart’s Shops, will be honored at the Annual Chamber Celebration as well with a special presentation from the Chamber’s current Chair of the Board Randy Metevier, Randy Metevier, Director, Global Sales, Marketing and Business Development, for Vishay Precision Group. 

Registration for the Annual Chamber Celebration is now available online at saratoga.org. 

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Companies or organizations interested in sponsoring the event are encouraged to contact Andrea Cole at acole@saratoga.org. 

More information about the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and its events is available online at saratoga.org.