FIRST LADY MICHELLE PAIGE PATERSON
Biography

First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson has a M.S. in Health Services Management from the Milano Graduate School in New York City and a B.A. from Syracuse University.  First Lady Paterson began a career that focused on people’s health by working with both hospitals and healthcare providers.

As the Director of External Affairs and Corporate Contributions for HIP (Health Plan of New York) she worked with community organizations, agencies, and corporations on issues such as healthcare and education. First Lady Paterson’s community service activities include assisting victims of domestic violence. She spent three years as an on-call volunteer at the St. Luke’s – Roosevelt Hospital where she counseled injured domestic violence victims in the emergency room about the services provided by hospitals and the state government. She is currently the Director of Integrative Wellness at Emblem Health, formerly HIP, where she focuses on evidence-based programs that promote healthy living, with a concentration on childhood obesity and stress-related ailments.

First Lady Paterson’s public service efforts include working to turn the fitness challenge that she created for her home community of Harlem into a statewide initiative called "Healthy Steps to Albany: First Lady’s Challenge”. The program challenges middle school students to lead healthy lifestyles through exercising more and eating healthy foods. Through the collaboration and cooperation of New York state schools, state agencies and community organizations this program aims to foster positive healthy changes in our children’s lives.

First lady Paterson met her husband David Paterson in 1982 and the two were married ten years later. The Governor and First Lady now live in Harlem, where they have raised their two children, Ashley, aged 21 years, and Alex, aged 15 years.