Gov. Kathy Hochul has appointed Lucile Mallard, longtime president of the Geneva branch of the NAACP, to the Finger Lakes Community College Board of Trustees.
Mallard was sworn in on Wednesday at FLCC’s main campus.
“I feel very honored to be asked to serve on the Board of Trustees of Finger Lakes Community College,” Mallard said. “It’s something I never expected in my life. I am very glad.”
Board Chair Donald Cass welcomed her appointment, saying, “We look forward to Dr. Mallard joining our board and sharing the insight and wisdom from her decades of experience with social justice issues.”
Mallard has led the Geneva NAACP for decades and spent 30 years as an addiction therapist at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center before becoming coordinator of the Finger Lakes Misdemeanor Drug Treatment Court. The court program offers treatment and supervision as an alternative to jail for people struggling with addiction.
In 2019, FLCC students created a mosaic honoring Mallard’s work with the court system. The mural, produced with a traveling community art troupe, now hangs in the college’s Student Center. She also served seven years on the FLCC Geneva Campus Center Advisory Board.
Throughout her career, Mallard has been recognized by numerous organizations for her advocacy on behalf of racial equality and people facing addiction and mental health challenges. Her honors include Catholic Charities’ Finger Lakes Sharing the Light Award (1995), the Geneva Boys & Girls Club Outstanding Role Model Award (2002), the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee Community Service Heritage Award (2005), the Geneva ATHENA Award (2007), and a state merit performance award for community service (2013).
Hobart and William Smith Colleges awarded Mallard an honorary doctorate in 2015. More than 100 people gathered in August 2024 to celebrate her retirement from the county court system. A licensed evangelist with the Church of God in Christ, Mallard has also devoted many years to ministry work.
The FLCC Board of Trustees includes 10 members: five appointed by the Ontario County Board of Supervisors, four by the governor, and one student representative elected annually. All appointed members serve seven-year terms.
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