Syracuse University staff members/alumni lead ranks of Syracuse’s 10th-anniversary 40 Under 40 class

Syracuse University staff members/alumni lead ranks of Syracuse’s 10th-anniversary 40 Under 40 classDecember 04, 2007Matthew R. Snydermrsnyder@syr.edu

Three Syracuse University employees–each an SU alumna–recently joined peers from around Central New York as honorees of 40 Under 40 Syracuse. The 40 Under 40 honor, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in Syracuse this year, highlights individuals younger than 40 who have made significant contributions as leaders in the workplace and community.

SU’s Sue Cornelius Edson ’90, assistant athletics director for communications; Rachael Gazdick ’93, director of community engagement and integrative learning for Hendricks Chapel and assistant professor of communication and rhetorical studies; and Laura M. Madelone ’95, G’99, director of the Office of Orientation and Off-Campus Programs (OOCP), were among those honored at a gala luncheon at the Oncenter attended by more than 600 people. With three honorees, SU placed more members in the 40 Under 40 class of 2007 than any other local employer.

“Very little gets done without leadership. These three people–through their work–are leading the way,” says Neil Strodel, associate vice president for human resources. “Their work impacts all of us and the future of the Central New York community, and sets a prime example of Scholarship in Action.”

Edson joined SU in 1990. She has been the chief communications officer for the Department of Athletics since 1997, first as director of athletic communications and since 2006 as assistant athletics director. She is responsible for the University’s athletic communications operation and acts as a liaison between student-athletes and coaches and the media. She is the 2006 winner of the Irving T. Marsh Award for excellence in the field of sports information and has won several College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) publication awards, including CoSIDA’s “Best in the Nation” awards in 1993 and 1994. She has served as media coordinator for NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship events held in Syracuse. She teaches classes in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, coaches youth basketball and baseball, serves on the Jamesville Elementary School Parent-Teacher Group (PTG), and sits on the KIDS Win! Advisory Board.

Gazdick, in her role on Hendricks Chapel’s administrative staff, helps create, coordinate and implement initiatives that address hunger and homelessness, educational inequality and global issues. Previously the assistant director of Hendricks Chapel’s Students Offering Service, Gazdick became director of the Chapel’s community engagement efforts in 2007. Gazdick has taught social work classes; served as a corps member and alumni recruiter for Teach for America, and is the chair of SU’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. She has testified before Congress on the importance of Teach for America and other programs, and chaired or served on the boards of numerous community organizations and nonprofits groups.

Madelone, whose office oversees SU students’ orientation to the University and broader Syracuse communities, has been part of the Division of Student Affairs for 12 years as a staff member in the offices of Residence Life and Judicial Affairs, as director of the Office of Orientation and Off-Campus Programs, and most recently as the founding director of OOCP. Along with colleagues from the Office of Government and Community Relations, Department of Public Safety and other units, Madelone is a key liaison between the University and its surrounding community. Her office’s program for commuter students won a 2006 Excellence Award from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, and she has served on the boards of local and state Girl Scout organizations, as chair of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Campus Security, co-chair of the Syracuse Area College Community Coalition Against Alcohol Abuse and chair of the Onondaga County Traffic Safety Board. She is a member of the Leadership Greater Syracuse Class of 2003.

The 40 Under 40 program is produced and managed by BizEventz.com, with lead sponsorship from M&T Bank. For more information and a complete list of winners, visit http://www.bizeventz.com/4040syr.cfm