Senator Jim Wright

June 5, 2007

LOCAL COMMUNITY LEADER, SUPERINTENDENT RECOGNIZED AS WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

Mary McDonald Mascott of Clayton and Suzanne Tingley of Watertown have been nominated by Senator Jim Wright as 2007 Women of Distinction.

Ms. McDonald Mascott was nominated by Senator Wright because of her community leadership and avid volunteerism.

"Mary is a tireless advocate for the Thousand Islands and Jefferson County region, devoting much of her time spearheading organizations and projects for the betterment of local communities," said Senator Wright. "I am pleased that she has been selected for this honor."

Mrs. Mascott currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Northern New York Community Foundation, an organization that raises and awards millions of dollars annually in college scholarships for area residents and grants to non-profit organizations.

In addition, Ms. McDonald Mascott is a child advocate in Jefferson County Family Court, and a member the Sacred Heart Foundation and the Mater Dei Foundation. She also volunteers at the Clayton Handweaving Museum and Arts Center, where she assists with art and handcraft classes and helps pass on the tradition of handcraft arts to people of all ages--from children to adults. As President of the Thousand Islands Performing Arts Council, she currently leads the effort to revive and renovate the Clayton Opera House as the performing arts center of the Thousand Islands region.

Ms. Mascott's wideranging civic participation and leadership also manifiested itself during her professional career. Prior to retirement, Ms. McDonald Mascott was a member of the Board of Trustees of Fordham University, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Legal Services of New Jersey, and Rand’s Institute for Civil Justice. She was also a member of the Advisory Boards of the University of Pennsylvania Law and Economics Center and the Seton Hall University Health Law Center.

Ms. McDonald Mascott retired in 2000 as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Merck & Co., Inc. She joined Merck in 1974 after practicing public service law in New York City for five years with the Legal Aid Society and the Committee on Grievances of the City Bar Association.

Ms. McDonald Mascott is a graduate of Immaculate Heart Academy (Watertown), D’Youville College (Buffalo) and Fordham University School of Law (New York City). She is a member of the New York Bar and resides with her husband, Ted Mascott, in Clayton, New York.

Suzanne Tingley, superintendent of Sackets Harbor Central School, was also nominated by Senator Wright as a Woman of Distinction because of her dedication to education.

"Whether she is working with kindergarten students or college graduate students, Suzanne is dedicated educator who sets a high standard for the schools and classrooms she guides," said Senator Wright. "I am pleased that she has also been selected for this well-deserved honor."

At Sackets Harbor, Mrs. Tingley is responsible for overseeing the education of 500 students, kindergarten through 12th grade, and the operation of a school district that covers 45 square miles.

In addition to her responsibilities as superintendent, Mrs. Tingley is also involved with several community and higher education organizations. She is chairwoman of the Jefferson Community College Board of Trustees and Chair of Personnel on the Family YMCA Board of Trustees. In the Sackets Harbor community, she was a charter trustee of the Battlefield Alliance. Mrs. Tingley is also involved with several professional organizations, including the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the New York State Association for Women in Administration (charter trustee), the American Association of School Administrators, the New York State Council of School Superintendents, and the Black River Council of School Superintendents.

Mrs. Tingley began her tenure as the Sackets Harbor Superintendent in 1993. Prior to coming to Sackets Harbor, she was the principal at Carthage Elementary School and served as the Dean of Faculty at Manlius-Pebble Hill School in the Syracuse area. She was also a teacher in both the Fayetteville- Manlius and Phoenix school districts. And at one time, Mrs. Tingley was a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay.

As a longtime educator with a wealth of knowledge to share with colleagues and aspiring educators, Mrs. Tingley is the author of forty professional articles, and she recently had a book published. Mrs. Tingley is also an adjunct professor at SUNY Oswego, where she has taught in the Education Administration Department for the last 14 years.

In recognition of her contributions to education as a school administrator, Mrs. Tingley was selected as the Outstanding School Administrator by the New York School Library Media Specialists Association in 2002. She also received the Outstanding Contribution Award from the SUNY Oswego Education Administration Department in 1998.

Mrs. Tingley attended Maple Heights High School in Maple Heights, Ohio. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ohio State University and a Master of Science degree from SUNY Oswego. She has done doctoral work at Syracuse University and SUNY Albany/Oswego.

Suzanne Tingley is married to Larry D. Tingley and has two grown children.

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