Rotary Club of Ithaca Inducts New President
June Losurdo of Cornell is service club’s leader thru June 2018
The Rotary Club of Ithaca is pleased to welcome its new president for the 2017-2018 year. June Losurdo, director of development at Cornell Engineering, stepped into the leadership role on July 1. Losurdo observed her 15th year in Rotary this year.
Losurdo grew up in King Ferry, New York and graduated from Michigan State University. She is married to Frank Losurdo and they live in Ithaca, NY. Their son John is a junior at Michigan State University.
June has over 25 years of experience in alumni affairs and development with career highlights including Radcliffe College, The University of Chicago, and the American Cancer Society. She moved back to central New York in 2000 as the Community Executive for the American Cancer Society, and soon joined the Ithaca Rotary Club. Since then, she has been active in her community, serving for 13 years on the board of the Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO) for Lansing Central Schools; as a 7-year board member for the Corporate Development Committee for Lansing Central Schools; and as a 6-year board member of a national organization, Engineering Development Forum.
“It is an honor to be the leader of the Ithaca Rotary Club. The experiences of the members are vital to the club’s health, and networking with community leaders has always been a highlight of our club,” said June. “I look forward to the year and making my mark on this club as it celebrates its 103 year.”
Elected club officers assisting President June in 2017-18 are:
- President-Elect: Mary Berens
- Vice President: Frank Towner
- Treasurer: Bill Hawley
- Secretary: Joanne Lamoureux
The Rotary Club of Ithaca has more than 175 members. Throughout its history, the club has supported many community needs through hands-on projects, and raises funds for community grants, scholarships, youth programs, and the Rotary Student Exchange Program.
At its June 28 meeting, long-time Ithaca Rotary member Scott Russell was named Rotarian of the Year for 2016-17. The award is given every June in honor of an active club member who exemplifies the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self.”
Dennis Gray is a native of Canada, raised in Toronto, Ontario. He earned a degree in commerce from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto. He and his wife Maricelis, another new Ithaca Rotary Club member, moved to Spencer, NY in April 2016 when Maricelis took a position at Cornell University. Dennis is now founder and CEO of Backyard Brands, Inc. and has been a long-time Rotarian. He has spent significant time and effort working on Rotary International water and sanitation projects in Kenya and Uganda.
Ryan Harriott is a program manager at the Women’s Opportunity Center in Ithaca. She is interested in leadership and community development, and is involved in local youth events and food pantries, and has raised money for Haitian orphanages. Ryan holds an associate’s degree from TC-3, a B.S. in human and community services from SUNY Empire, and is currently enrolled in the MPA program at Capella University. Ryan lives in Groton with her family.
Rusdi Sumner is originally from Trumansburg, NY. Her alma mater is SUNY Cortland, where she studied business economics and communications. After a stint at A.G. Edwards in Syracuse, she returned to Ithaca in 2001 to sell real estate at Audrey Edelman & Associates. Subsequently, Rusdi owned and operated Avalon Homes for ten years, and is now an associate wealth advisor at Tompkins Financial Advisors. Rusdi has served as board treasurer for Better Housing of Tompkins County, and has been on the board of Habitat for Humanity.
You’ve Heard About Rotary Youth Exchange Scholarship, Now You Can 
The Saturday team — Dan Weed, Dale Johnson, Bez Thomas, Janet Steiner, Edward Kokkelenberg, collected 2,857 children's books.
The Wednesday Team — Gary Reinboldt, Mary Grainger, Brad Olson, Heidi Goldstein, Dave Flaccus, Rob McKenzie, Dale Flinn, Janet Steiner, Edward Kokkelenberg collected 1,979 general interest books on Wednesday May 25.
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Thank you to everyone who participated in the trash pickup along Route 13 on Saturday, March 19. It was sunny. The temperature was cooler than normal but pleasant. Our efforts working from the Stewart Park exit to Cayuga Heights Road produced some 55 bags for the DOT to pick up. George, Dale, Bez, Walt, Frank (June's husband), June, and Bill were Rotarian "doo-ers". Many stories to tell and memories for the ides of March highway pick-up. I think we did a side of the highway that has not been done for years due to its steepness. Everyone gave of themselves as true Rotarians!
The Newfield High School Interact Club collected and packed 1900 books as part of the Ithaca Rotary Club's Books for the World project. Book categories included children's books, adult books, textbooks, and reference books. The books will be sent to Rotarian operated warehouses in port cities along the African coast where they are distributed freely to schools and libraries. Brenda Barnstead, the Interact faculty advisor, is a Rotarian from the Horseheads Rotary Club.