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Don has been a resident of Waterville, NY for the past 33 years.
A native of Kingston, PA, he and his wife, Ann, moved to Central
New York in 1967. He has a Bachelor's Degree from Wilkes College,
Wilkes-Barre, PA and a Master of Science Degree from Drexel University
in Philadelphia. He has earned additional graduate credits from
Drexel University, SUNY at Cortland, Colgate University and the
College of the Pacific.
Currently, Don is the Executive Director
of the Center for Community and Economic Development at Mohawk
Valley Community College. He has earned the academic rank of full
professor. Over the pat 22 years, Don has served the college in
a variety of roles, including 11 years as head of the Business
and Computer Systems Department. Prior to Mohawk Valley Community
College, he was a Social Studies teacher at Madison Central School,
Madison, NY. In addition to his teaching responsibilities at Madison,
he served as the head football coach and head wrestling coach.
From 1980-82, while working at MVCC, Don served as the head wrestling
coach at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY.
Don has earned several awards at MVCC,
including the Mohawk Valley Community College Excellence-In-Service
Award and the State University of New York Chancellor's Award
for Excellence in Professional Service. A licensed New York State
Insurance Broker, Don is certified by New York State as an instructor
for all aspects of property and casualty insurance education.
In his community life outside of Rotary, Don is the immediate
past president of Catholic Charities, Eastern Region of the Syracuse
Diocese. He is a member of the executive board for the Eastern
Region and a member of the Corporate Board for the overall Syracuse
Diocese Catholic Charities. He is also the current president of
the Northeastern Association of Two-Year Colleges, an organization
which stretches over thirteen states and advocates for two-year
institutions of higher education. He is also the recipient of
the Outstanding Member Award for the New York State Association
of Two-year Colleges, Inc.
Don and his wife, Ann, have one son,
Don Jr. Both Ann and Don Jr. are graduates of Mohawk Valley Community
College. Don and Ann have been married for 32 years. Since moving
to Central New York, they have always lived in Waterville.
Since joining Rotary in 1989, Don has
been active in a number of roles. He is the immediate past president
of the Utica Rotary Club and has served on the club's board of
governors. For the past four years he has been on the District
Rotary Foundation Committee and has served as the chair of the
Group Study Exchange Committee. A Paul Harris Fellow, he is also
a Rotary Benefactor.
Don is very interested in the Community
Service and International Avenues of Rotary service. He believes
strongly that "Rotary makes it possible, and Rotarians make
it happen"!
