Mary Berens Inducted as New President
She leads the Rotary Club of Ithaca, July 2018 through June 2019
Currently the Director of Alumni Affairs, emeritus, at Cornell University, Mary Berens graduated from Cornell and returned to her hometown near Rochester, N.Y., where she worked as a travel agent for 2 years before joining the Public Affairs staff at Cornell. Her 32-year career at Cornell included a variety of fundraising, alumni relations, and volunteer and staff management assignments. An Ithaca resident since 1982, Mary is married to Paul Feeny and they have 2 children, Richard and Sarah, ages 47 and 46.
Over the past 35 years, Mary has been a volunteer on several local boards including the Hangar Theatre and Alpha House Foundation, and has served as an officer on the boards of Catholic Charities Tompkins Tioga, Chi Chapter Delta Gamma, The Community Foundation of Tompkins County, and the Rotary Club of Ithaca.
“In addition to getting to know and building a network of a diverse group of community members, being a Rotarian offers many opportunities to develop and implement solutions for a myriad of programs and projects that make a difference in the lives of individuals as well as entire communities,” Mary said. “Collaboration with local partners — both domestic and international, some longstanding, some recently inaugurated — is the hallmark of how Rotarians get things done. I am energized by the opportunities on the agenda for our Rotary Club this year, and in the years to come.”
Elected club officers assisting President Mary in 2018-19 are:
• President-Elect: Frank Towner
• Vice President: Geoff Dunn
• Treasurer: Jay O’Leary
• Secretary: Joanne Lamoureaux
The Rotary Club of Ithaca, chartered in 1915, has 170 members. It is a member of Rotary International, and shares the motto Service Above Self. There are 1.2 million Rotarians and 35,000+ clubs, in more than 190 countries around the world.
The Dozen Dinner Draw, initiated by the Ithaca Rotary Club’s International Service Committee, is modeled on a similar raffle organized by a Rotary Club in the Toronto area. When Dennis Gray, a former member of that club, relocated to the Ithaca area, he was impressed with the variety of fine dining establishments in Tompkins County and thought the raffle would be a great fit for the community.
“Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation do such tremendous work around the world and our Club wants to raise the profile of these initiatives in our community,” added Nancy Potter, co-chair of the Rotary Club of Ithaca’s International Service Committee, which is organizing the fundraiser. “Ticket buyers have a 1 in 40 chance of winning a fabulous prize and your generous contribution supports long-term recovery for Puerto Rico.”