Sullivan County Welcomes New Leader of the Care Center at Sunset Lake
Sullivan County Welcomes New Leader
of the Care Center at Sunset Lake
Kayshawn Macharie Brings Wealth of Experiences to Role
Liberty, NY – Sullivan County Manager Joshua Potosek is pleased to announce his appointment of Kayshawn Macharie as the new Licensed Administrator of the Sullivan County Adult Care Center, better known as the Care Center at Sunset Lake.
“Kayshawn exemplifies commitment, trust and compassion – and he’s already providing that to Care Center employees, residents and their families,” Potosek related. “I’m excited to see how he and the staff will make the Care Center the first choice of people needing both short- and long-term services.”
“The Legislature was thrilled to meet Mr. Macharie at our recent Health & Human Services Committee meeting, and we came away very impressed with not only his approach to resident care but also his steadfast support of the hardworking staff,” acknowledged Committee Chair Cat Scott, who serves as District 5 Legislator. “He faces many challenges in his quest to raise the bar at the Care Center, but I look forward to working with him to make it the premier facility of its kind in the County.”
“I’m grateful the County Manager and Deputy County Manager have placed their trust and confidence in me, and I hope to be as welcoming to our residents and employees as they have made me feel,” Macharie shared. “I will not simply be sitting behind a desk. I have already been – and will continue to be – a consistently present and supportive force in all aspects of the Care Center’s operations, including resident care.”
A native of Rockland County, Macharie grew up under the care and guidance of his Aunt Ruth, who served as his adoptive mother and set an example he still strives to emulate, two years after her passing.
“She was always a caring person, a woman of God, highly respected in our church,” Macharie recalled. “She included me in a weekly food drive for those in need in our community, and she was there for people like me, whose biological parents weren’t really ready to have me.”
Macharie’s aunt turned his ambitions towards a career of helping others, encouraging him to go to nursing school. First however, he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University at Buffalo in 2016, followed two years later by a master’s in social work from Daemen University. During that period, he served as a clinical therapist at a treatment facility near Buffalo.
“I had previously spent nearly 12 years working in a restaurant as a waiter,” Macharie told legislators. “That experience gave me something invaluable: the ability to listen deeply, read people’s emotions, de-escalate conflict, and serve with care. That foundation in customer service and human connection prepared me more than anything else for this work. Because ultimately, this work is about people.”
After gaining his MSW, Macharie served as the director of social services at a nursing home in Buffalo and as a social worker at Rochester’s Strong Memorial Hospital. Filling in for a friend at a nursing home – and the encouragement of a supervisor who believed he’d make a great administrator – spurred Macharie to pursue his long-term care administration licensure, which he achieved in 2023. Just a year later, he finished a bachelor’s degree in nursing from D’Youville University.
His leadership experience continued to grow at various nursing homes and rehab centers in the Buffalo region. A personal tragedy led to his return to Rockland County, where he became the director of social services for a care facility in the Bronx. That’s when he heard that Sullivan County was seeking a new administrator for its Care Center in Liberty.
“I stepped into this role not just as a career move, but as a calling – a mission to support and uplift one of the most vulnerable populations in our community,” he stated. “Every resident deserves to feel at home, to be treated with dignity, and to live in safety and compassion.”
“Just as importantly, every staff member deserves to work in an environment where they feel respected, supported and valued – by leadership, by the community and by one another,” he added.
“Kayshawn has already made an impact with both County and Infinite Care employees at the Care Center,” affirmed Sullivan County Health & Human Services Commissioner John Liddle, “and I have every expectation that he will continue to be a transformative presence both there and throughout the County.”
Indeed, every mortarboard Macharie has worn at his graduations has had these words inscribed: “One man can change the world.”
But that philosophy is focused on others as much as himself.
“I hope to bring happiness to both staff and residents,” Macharie explained. “The work won’t always be easy, but I want people to be happy being here.”
That’s a focus he’ll have 24/7, coinciding with the on-call demands of the job. But he will make as much time as possible for his Labrador, Grizzly, his professional fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha, his passion for cooking (especially Caribbean cuisine), and especially his faith.
“I’m a worship leader at my church in Spring Valley,” Macharie said, acknowledging he loves to sing. “I also am a man of God. Without his grace and mercy, I would not be where I am now.”
