Archive: Around Town

The Rotary Club of Ithaca introduced six individuals who recently joined the service club. These community members volunteer in Tompkins County and bring professional experience from the business and not-for-profit sectors. Ithaca Rotary's motto is 'Service Above Self' Membership is open to all who share in this belief; new members are accepted year-round.

"The Ithaca Rotary Club is delighted to welcome these individuals," said Rotary Membership Chair Ron Provus. "Our members come from all walks of life and have a wide variety of interests to match those of Rotary. As members of Ithaca Rotary, individuals give of their time and skills to positively impact the needs of our community."

Ithaca Rotary welcomed:

Christian Averrill is the senior district executive for the Boy Scouts of Cortland, Chenango, and Tompkins Counties. Originally from Clifton Park, NY, Christian now lives in Binghamton. He earned a master's in non-profit administration from Lindenwood University in Missouri. Christian sits on the Ithaca Youth Bureau board.

John Dennis hails from Leesburg, Virginia and Nantucket, Mass. He first came to Ithaca as a Cornell undergraduate and then earned his Ph.D. He returned in the 1990s to raise a family. John is the president of the Chris Dennis Environment Foundation. He is a long-time member of the Tompkins County Environmental Management Committee, and is currently chairing the Environmental Review Committee.

Michael Katz is a transfer from the Ithaca Sunrise Rotary Club. Originally from Long Island, Mike received a B.A. in English Literature from Princeton University and lived in Cincinnati for 20 years before returning to New York. Most recently, he was the development officer at Ithaca Hospicare before opening his own Edible Arrangements franchise last fall. Mike sits on the boards of Leadership Tompkins, Alternatives Impact, and the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce.

Gail Lyman was born in Ithaca and received her undergraduate degree from Cornell. She went on to earn a master's in counseling from Syracuse and a master's in computer science from Binghamton. Gail is the wife of Ithaca Rotary member Nathan. Gail recently retired after 27 years as real estate closing coordinator for Lyman & Lyman LLP. She is a Paul Harris Fellow of the Albion (NY) Rotary Club.

A Cortland native, Matthew Pitcher earned a B.S. in kinesiology from SUNY Cortland before coming to Ithaca in January 2017. He is now an account executive with Bailey Insurance Company. Matt is involved with Porchfest Cortland, which celebrates local music and art to benefit the Cortland Youth Bureau's music program.

Dominick Recckio came to Ithaca in 2012 from Port Byron as a Park Scholar at Ithaca College. As a student, he received a B.S. in communication management and design. He was the student body president in 2015/16, and spent four years teaching social entrepreneurship for the United Way of Tompkins County. Dom is now the membership relationship manager for the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce.

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