Ellis Medicine Foundation’s Marcy Steiner set to be honored for decades of service

SCHENECTADY — Marcy Steiner will be honored for a lifetime of service during a farewell reception Thursday as she departs her role as vice president and executive director of the Foundation for Ellis Medicine.

The event, hosted by the foundation’s board of trustees, will be from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Desmond Hotel in Colonie as Steiner is honored by her peers and community members.

Steiner served as director of major gifts at Ellis Medicine from 2011 to 2016 before leaving for a position as vice president of development and external affairs at SUNY Schenectady County Community College.

She returned to Ellis for a second stint beginning in August 2017 and said she’s proud of the accomplishments she racked up during her second tenure with the organization.

“It’s been a real privilege and an honor to be here at Ellis at this time in this role,” Steiner said on Wednesday. “I had the pleasure of working with an extraordinary group of senior leaders under [Ellis CEO] Paul Milton. I’ve been in health care for more than 30 years and I can say that the group of leaders here at Ellis are absolutely excellent and some of the best I’ve ever worked with.”

Steiner added that her most treasured memory from her second stint at Ellis is the way the community rallied during the COVID-19 pandemic to take care of those less fortunate in the community.

“I think it was an extraordinary opportunity for all of us to come together and to help each other during a very difficult time,” she said.

Steiner also pointed to the launch of the foundation’s capital campaign to raise funds for the group’s Roswell Park Care Network site as a major accomplishment during her tenure. The Ellis Medicine and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, opened in 2021, provides a wide array of cancer-treatment options.

Steiner, 68, is retiring at the end of the year and plans to move from Niskayuna back to her hometown of Buffalo to be closer to her family, including her 98-year-old mother.

“I have a large extended family there,” she said. “I have a mother I’ll get to see more and I have grandchildren and many siblings. So I’m going to be moving west back to the snowbelt. So I dusted off my shovel and my window scraper and I’m heading west.”

Steiner and her late husband Chuck moved to Schenectady in 2001, with Chuck serving as president of the Schenectady County Chamber of Commerce before his passing in April 2017.

Steiner said, with her retirement in sight, Chuck has frequently been in her thoughts.

“We came here together and we fell in love with Schenectady together,” she said. “He was such a big believer in this community and we really tried to support people and the community in any way we could. So I think about Chuck a lot these days.”

Capital Region Chamber President Mark Eagan worked with Chuck Steiner for nearly a decade at the chamber and praised Marcy for her impact on the community.

“To me, I think what makes Marcy stand out is her zest for life,” Eagan said. “Marcy is somebody who really connects with people. She’s quick with a smile and she’s very relatable. So there’s so many organizations in the community that have benefited from that. Part of Marcy’s DNA, I think even growing up, is to be civically engaged.”

Steiner said that the Dec. 1 event will be a casual gathering as she bids an early farewell to her colleagues and neighbors.

“I’m going to miss the staff and the amazing Schenectady community,” she said. “They’re absolutely extraordinary.”

Foundation of Ellis Medicine Board Member Neil Golub said Steiner will be missed when she retires at the end of 2022.

“She’s a special lady,” Golub said. “She has led the development office with skill and precision. I worked with her through two major Ellis fundraising campaigns and we got things done. I recommended her for the position and I knew she would do a very good job and she has.”

Steiner said that Karen Mantas has been named as her successor. Mantas has served as director of advancement for the Ellis foundation since 2007 and will now ascend to Steiner’s previous post starting on Jan. 1.

“Karen and I have worked together for a long time and I’m delighted she’s taking on this new role and I know she’ll do an extraordinary job,” Steiner said. “I’m looking forward to seeing all the wonderful things and great achievements that will be made under her leadership.”

Steiner, who has been a member of The Daily Gazette board of directors since 2018, began her career as a journalist, writing for the Niagara Gazette and The Buffalo News.

Milton, president and CEO of Ellis Medicine, said that Steiner had an outsized impact during her time with the foundation.

“Marcy has expertly driven Ellis Medicine’s philanthropic efforts as our foundation’s Executive Director,” he noted in a statement. “In all her time here, she has never lost her focus on improving patient care and expanding access to health care in the community. Under Marcy’s leadership, the foundation launched the $25 million Generations of Health Campaign in 2020 to generate support for cancer care, mental health services and surgical technologies—a monumental fundraising effort that’s nearing the finish line. She and the foundation team have also been instrumental in rallying the community’s support behind projects such as our child and adolescent mental health expansion at 1023 State Street, and the development of the Roswell Park Care Network site on the Ellis Hospital campus. Marcy’s vision and positive outlook have long set an example for all who worked alongside her. She will be dearly missed.”

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