FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 7, 2019
Contact: MACNY – Tiffany Latino-Gerlock (315) 474-4201 ext. 13

The Manufacturers Association (MACNY) and Central New York School Boards Association (CNYSBA) Announce Formal Affiliation
The agreement marks a first of a kind partnership in the State of New York

The Manufacturers Association (MACNY) and the Central New York School Boards Association (CNYSBA) today announced that they have formally entered into an affiliation agreement to leverage the strengths of both associations.

The process of forming the affiliation began two years ago. In December 2017, talks between MACNY and CNYSBA led to an important first step when the CNYSBA co-located at MACNY’s headquarters on Widewaters Parkway in Syracuse. Then in 2018, MACNY and CNYSBA began leading workshops together for area public school Boards of Education with a focus on professional development, team building and leadership. CNYSBA’s collaboration with MACNY on these workshops is just one example of how these associations can together increase opportunities for students, educators, parents, and community leaders in our region.

The two associations are also exploring service delivery opportunities to support a key MACNY priority — increasing the number of young people working in MACNY member companies and other organizations throughout Central New York. An initial step in this process is the Pathways to Jobs program, which builds awareness about local workforce development opportunities.

MACNY President & CEO Randy Wolken said, “This affiliation will only strengthen the current vision and strategic goals MACNY and CNYSBA share for increasing educational and career opportunities in the Central New York Community. The MACNY team and our membership look forward to working with the CNYSBA on many exciting new initiatives.”

CNYSBA Executive Director Charles Borgognoni said, “For CNYSBA, the primary driver in pursuing this partnership was to establish a more direct and strategic linkage between Boards of Education, who are the policy-making bodies of our public schools. The manufacturing sector has a critical need to identify, hire, develop and reward motivated and skilled students. Our shared objective is to develop ways to make this happen.”

The affiliation was made possible with the support of funding secured through the Central New York Community Foundation. The funder’s goal is to support the development of innovative partnership solutions that maximize community services while making efficient use of staff time and financial resources.

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