Award Recipient: Judith C. Mower, Ph.D.

Syracuse University Board Member & Trustee

Onondaga Citizens League announced the recipient of the 2009 Levi L. Smith Civic Education Award at its annual meeting on June 2. Judith C. Mower, Ph.D., a board member and trustee of Syracuse University received the award, which recognizes commitment to citizen education and involvement in public affairs. Mower has been an organizational development consultant for twenty-five years, helping more than ninety organizations develop leadership, improve quality, and plan for the future. Currently, she contributes her time and talents as a volunteer in national, state-wide, and Syracuse area civic projects and organizations. In addition to serving on the board at Syracuse University, she is a board member for Parks and Trails New York, FOCUS Greater Syracuse, Journey 2 Jobs, and Syracuse 20/20.  Mower also serves on the national advisory committee for the Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities.

OCL Board Member Mary Thompson, executive officer at Home Builders & Remodelers of Central New York, nominated Mower for the award. “Judy has been a true advocate for our community and for the education of our citizens for a number of years,” said Thompson. “I am one Central New Yorker who has been both inspired and touched by Judy and her commitment to our community. I think she is another excellent example of an engaged citizen.”

“I was deeply honored to be chosen for this year’s civic education award by the organization that sets the highest standard for that kind of work,” said Mower. “Many of OCL’s volunteers have contributed to numerous studies and reports over the years, and any one of them has done more than I have to help people in this community better understand complicated and important subjects.”

Mower said that when she thinks about the meaning of “civic education” in a place like Syracuse, we are fortunate to live in a community small enough so that a group of volunteers can help all of us who live here learn something important that will let us be better citizens.

Mower received her undergraduate degree and two master’s degrees from Syracuse University as well as a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from SU in 1984. She has served as a trustee or director of more than twenty nonprofit boards, chaired fundraising campaigns, and helped launch several community programs and initiatives.

The Onondaga Citizens League, administered and supported by University College of Syracuse University, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization designed to promote citizen education and involvement in public affairs. OCL was created in 1978 by a group of concerned citizens to study problems and propose solutions to issues facing Central New York. The League does not promote specific legislation nor function as a lobbying group. For more information, visit the web site, http://onondagacitzensleague.org or call 315-443-4846.