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OPINION: What Does It Take to Be Important in America?
Maybe it’s the perspective a long life brings, but I find myself eyeing with some skepticism the glut of “personal brands” that assault us every day on television, in print, and through social media. Entertainers, celebrities, politicians striving for acclaim, artists and writers who have mastered the public-relations game, journalists and media stars who are building their […]
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Maybe it’s the perspective a long life brings, but I find myself eyeing with some skepticism the glut of “personal brands” that assault us every day on television, in print, and through social media.
Entertainers, celebrities, politicians striving for acclaim, artists and writers who have mastered the public-relations game, journalists and media stars who are building their national profiles — all are “important” in terms of the attention they garner. But are they actually important?
In some ways, of course, the question is impossible to answer. Each of us has our own definition of what matters and our own approach to what makes a public figure significant. In the end, it’s a subjective question — the sort of exercise that makes for a fascinating family discussion or friendly debate: Who is really important, and why?
My own list would start with some obvious choices. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison — these men (and others, of course) created the United States, not just as a political entity but as a set of ideals and political values that, over time, reshaped the history of the world. Our representative democracy, our rights, and the systems and procedures that make it possible to function spring from their contributions.
I’d put some other former presidents on the list, too: Abraham Lincoln, for obvious reasons; Teddy Roosevelt, for the legacy he left behind in our national-park system; Franklin Roosevelt for turning the U.S. into an international force for democratic values during WWII. From the Congress, there’s Henry Clay and his system of internal improvements, Sen. Justin S. Morrill and his land-grant universities; and from the judiciary, John Marshall, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and many others.
Still, politicians are hardly the only people who have been important to this country’s course as a nation. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, John Lewis, and other civil-rights activists and leaders confronted head on the inequities that were present at our founding and were allowed to linger. Though they hardly ended them, by virtue of their courage and political skill they produced not only legal change but lasting social change. The same could be said for the countless Americans — women, Latinos, gays and lesbians, and others — who over the last half-century have pushed the notion that this needs to be a land of opportunity for all, not just a few.
At the same time, there’s more to U.S. history than politics and social movements. We’ve produced more than our share of inventors who transformed the world, often (though not always) for the better: Thomas Edison (from the lightbulb to motion pictures to batteries); George Washington Carver (plastics, laundry soap, dyes, a wide variety of foods); Nikola Tesla (alternating current, among many other things); and a wide variety of tech pioneers, from Grace Hopper and Shirley Jackson to David Packard and Steve Jobs. And that’s not even taking into account the medical researchers and pioneers — people like Jonas Salk, whose work measurably improved the well-being of humanity, or corporate leaders like Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford.
You can play this game for hours if you wish. In the end, it all comes down to what you think matters. If “importance” is purely a matter of impact — for good or ill — then the list will be quite long.
But I tend to take a narrower view. In the end, our country, its democracy, and the welfare of its citizens need constant tending. The long arc of our history has pointed toward justice, the rule of law, freedom of conscience, opportunity for all, and advancement of the greater good, but it requires never-ending work to get there. To my mind, it’s the people who pursue those ideals — prominent and ordinary alike — who are most important. They are the ones who strive to ensure that we live up to our promise and who belong on a list of important Americans.
Lee Hamilton, 90, is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years (1965-1999), representing a district in south-central Indiana.
Pinckney Hugo Group has promoted BELLA KNAPP, of Syracuse, to senior account manager, and hired MAKENNA REILLY, of New York Mills, as an assistant account manager. Knapp was previously an account manager and has been with the agency for three years. She has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from St. John Fisher College. Prior to
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Pinckney Hugo Group has promoted BELLA KNAPP, of Syracuse, to senior account manager, and hired MAKENNA REILLY, of New York Mills, as an assistant account manager. Knapp was previously an account manager and has been with the agency for three years. She has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from St. John Fisher College. Prior to joining Pinckney Hugo Group, Knapp worked as an assistant brand manager and digital-marketing coordinator at Aspen Dental Management, Inc. She also gained experience in account services at Martino Flynn in Rochester. Reilly previously worked as a marketing specialist at New Media Retailer, a digital-marketing agency in Norwich. Reilly also served as an intern at Pinckney Hugo Group, while she was completing her bachelor’s degree in management from Cazenovia College.
NBT Bank has announced promotions and expanded responsibilities for members of its Mohawk Valley leadership team. TRICIA BUSHEE has been promoted to senior regional territory manager. She has played an expanding role in leading NBT’s retail-banking efforts in the Mohawk Valley since joining the bank in 2017. In 2019, Bushee advanced to the role of
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NBT Bank has announced promotions and expanded responsibilities for members of its Mohawk Valley leadership team. TRICIA BUSHEE has been promoted to senior regional territory manager. She has played an expanding role in leading NBT’s retail-banking efforts in the Mohawk Valley since joining the bank in 2017. In 2019, Bushee advanced to the role of territory manager. She oversees all NBT Bank branch locations across the Mohawk Valley. Bushee studied business at SUNY Morrisville and is a 2015 graduate of the Leadership Mohawk Valley civic-leadership training program. She serves as the president of the Maria A. Russo Neighborhood Center Institute board.
ALICIA BROCKWAY has been promoted to business banking regional manager. In this role, she is responsible for management of the local business-banking team, including mentoring, coaching, and strategic insight to aid in growth. Brockway joined NBT in 2018 and has nearly 30 years of experience in the financial-services industry, including positions in commercial and business-banking leadership. Brockway received her bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Keuka College. She currently serves as a board member and executive committee member of the Herkimer College Foundation; a board member, treasurer, and executive-committee member of Arc Herkimer; and a board member, officer, and executive committee member of the Cedar Lake Golf Club.
In addition, Senior Commercial Banking Relationship Manager KAREN WILLIAMS and Senior Commercial Portfolio Manager MARY ANN HALLAK-SERWATKA recently took on expanded roles in commercial-banking management. Williams is now charged with leading the business-development activities of NBT’s Mohawk Valley commercial-banking team. She has more than 35 years of experience in banking in the Mohawk Valley. A graduate of Syracuse University, Williams resides in Rome and has remained active in the communities she serves throughout her tenure in banking. Hallak-Serwatka has worked at NBT Bank for 1
7 years and is now responsible for managing its Mohawk Valley commercial-loan portfolio, including coordinating all related administrative activities and special projects. A resident of Utica, Hallak-Serwatka holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Le Moyne College and an MBA in finance and accounting from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She was recognized as the 2016 Lender of the Year by Pursuit, formerly the New York Business Development Corporation.
JOHN CAMP has been promoted to VP at C&S Cos., managing its infrastructure, environmental, and site/civil practice. He has been with C&S for more than 20 years, managing a wide variety of municipal, environmental, water, wastewater, and other projects for both public and private clients. Camp is a licensed professional engineer in numerous states, a
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JOHN CAMP has been promoted to VP at C&S Cos., managing its infrastructure, environmental, and site/civil practice. He has been with C&S for more than 20 years, managing a wide variety of municipal, environmental, water, wastewater, and other projects for both public and private clients. Camp is a licensed professional engineer in numerous states, a certified floodplain manager, a certified professional in stormwater quality, and a certified professional in erosion and sediment control. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse.
AILEEN MAGUIRE MEYER has also been elevated to VP at C&S. She provides project leadership on strategic projects to deliver a range of architecture, engineering, and planning services. Her responsibilities include corporate initiatives to optimize operational efficiency, promote standards and best practices, and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Meyer has technical expertise in traffic engineering and facility, transportation, and sustainability planning. She is a graduate of Boston University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is a licensed professional engineer, a certified planner, and an Envision Sustainability Professional.
NICHOLAS CERRO has been promoted to VP, overseeing marketing and business development at the company. In this role, he leads teams engaged in market research and analysis, strategic planning and development, market position and promotion, new business development, customer relationship management, and related activities across diverse market and service sectors. Cerro has been with C&S for more than 25 years and holds a master’s degree in corporate communication from Ithaca College and a bachelor’s in English from Le Moyne College.
Hancock Estabrook, LLP has added S. ALEXANDER BERLUCCHI as an associate in the firm’s health care practice area. He focuses on assisting clients with matters related to health-care law, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and labor-law issues. Berlucchi assists a variety of health-care clients with compliance issues, including providing regulatory compliance advice on the federal
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Hancock Estabrook, LLP has added S. ALEXANDER BERLUCCHI as an associate in the firm’s health care practice area. He focuses on assisting clients with matters related to health-care law, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and labor-law issues. Berlucchi assists a variety of health-care clients with compliance issues, including providing regulatory compliance advice on the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law, the Civil Monetary Penalties Law, and HIPAA. Berlucchi prepares formation and operating-structure agreements for health-care organizations and physicians. He also provides guidance on fiduciary duties, health-care compliance, and corporate-governance matters. Berlucchi is a graduate of the University of Scranton and Syracuse University College of Law, where he served as editor-in-chief for the Syracuse Law Review. He also received a master’s degree in health administration from Penn State University, Harrisburg Campus. He is admitted to practice in New York state.
SARAH ALLIS and KILEY JOLICOEUR recently joined Syracuse University Libraries’ new Department of Digital Stewardship. Allis accepted the newly created role of content coordinator, where she will maintain digital content in the libraries’ various digital repositories, including SURFACE and Digital Collections. She transitioned to her new role after working for more than 10 years in
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SARAH ALLIS and KILEY JOLICOEUR recently joined Syracuse University Libraries’ new Department of Digital Stewardship.
Allis accepted the newly created role of content coordinator, where she will maintain digital content in the libraries’ various digital repositories, including SURFACE and Digital Collections. She transitioned to her new role after working for more than 10 years in the Department of Learning and Academic Engagement. Prior to that, Allis spent six years working on the digital library at Penn State University Libraries. She has a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the Rhode Island School of Design.
Jolicoeur accepted the position of metadata-strategies librarian, where she will steward the metadata for digital collections, including the creation of new metadata, remediation of legacy metadata, and the designing of application profiles across collections and platforms. Prior to this role, she worked as a graduate assistant for Syracuse University Libraries’ Department of Digital Stewardship, building skills and a deep understanding of the metadata used with its existing digital collections. As a graduate assistant, Jolicoeur was instrumental in the early phase of the libraries’ migration to a new digital-object management system and has experience with SURFACE, the Libraries’ institutional repository. Jolicoeur received her master’s degree in library and information science degree from Syracuse University and her dual bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and classics from Sweet Briar College in Virginia.
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Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.