Biography

Born and raised in Rockland County, C. Scott Vanderhoef is an environmental attorney who was elected in 2009 to a fifth, unprecedented term as its County Executive.  He was first elected in 1993 after successfully campaigning on a platform of County government reform and fiscal responsibility.

A graduate of Tappan Zee High School, Vanderhoef earned a B.A. in History from Alfred University, an M.A. from Columbia University Teachers College and a law degree from Pace University Law School in White Plains. He taught environmental law at St. Thomas Aquinas College and has been a guest lecturer at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Vanderhoef received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Dominican College of Blauvelt and a Doctor of Humane Letters from St. Thomas Aquinas College. He has written and published articles on environmental and land use issues. 

Vanderhoef’s career in public service began in 1972, when he served on staff of Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller as program liaison to the Departments of Environmental Conservation, Health, Parks and Recreation, Arts Council, Veteran Affairs and Human Rights.  He continued his work under Governor Malcolm Wilson and briefly under Governor Hugh Carey. Vanderhoef continued his career in public service as the State Project Coordinator of the Child Medicaid Program in New York City. 

Vanderhoef returned to Rockland and was employed by the Ramapo Land Co. for 15 years, rising from general manager to serve as both its president and chief executive officer. He also served as the Acting Village Justice of Hillburn, on the Board of Trustees of St. Thomas Aquinas College and the Board of Education for the Ramapo Central School District, where he was elected president.

Remaining true to his original philosophy, Vanderhoef has created a streamlined, efficient and cost-effective county government during his tenure as county executive.  One-third of all county departments were consolidated or eliminated under his leadership, and Rockland’s county property tax rate remains one of the lowest in New York State.   

Under Vanderhoef’s direction, the Office of Community Development has built and rehabilitated more than 2,000 units of affordable housing and has been instrumental in the continued revitalization of Rockland’s downtowns and hamlet centers.  He also commissioned the county’s first comprehensive master plan in more than 25 years.

Vanderhoef has expanded health care and services for Rockland residents and created enhanced programs for women and children.  More than 6,000 veterans per year now receive health benefits from the county’s newly expanded VA clinic in New City.  The Rockland County Health Department has increased housing inspections and public education outreach programs combating cancer, West Nile virus and Lyme disease, and the county now has one of the lowest adult smoking rates in the state. Under Vanderhoef’s leadership, the number of day care slots for families has increased and the wait list has been eliminated. The county has also established the first countywide “School of the 21st Century” in the nation.

Vanderhoef’s efforts to protect Rockland’s precious natural environment prompted him to create the county’s first Open Space Preservation Program in 2000.  This successful initiative has led to the creation of five new parks, the preservation of three farms and the addition of 1,120 acres of open space.  Vanderhoef established the county’s first waterfront park, the popular Haverstraw Bay County Park along the Hudson River, which he chose as a permanent home for the County’s September 11th memorial.  

Vanderhoef has served as president of the New York State Association of County Executives in 2003.  He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the NY State Association of Counties and is a member of the National Association of Counties’ Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Steering Committee.

In 2006, the New York State Republican Party tapped Vanderhoef to run for Lieutenant Governor with then-gubernatorial candidate John Faso. 

Prior to public service, Vanderhoef was committed to the Rockland County community and has served on the boards of numerous charitable organizations, including president of the United Way of Rockland and member of the Rockland Business Association, the Historical Society of Rockland County and as a trustee on the Board of the Suffern Free Library.  He currently sits on the boards of Rockland Economic Development Corporation, the Fantasy Fountain Fund, The 21^st Century Collaborative for Children and Youth and Leadership Rockland, which he helped found. He is also affiliated with the Blauvelt Lions Club, the Free and Accepted Masons Athelstane Lodge No. 839 in Pearl River and the Haverstraw Elks Club and is past president of the Suffern Rotary Club.