Deborah Mohlenhoff

For more than a decade, Deb Mohlenhoff has been a tireless and effective community volunteer and leader. Deb is committed to improving the lives of the residents of Ithaca and making the city a safer, greener, and more enjoyable place to live, work, and play.

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

View Deb's current resume.

Deb has lived in Ithaca for over 15 years and has spent the last 10 in the 5th Ward. She is currently employed by Ithaca College as the Assistant Director for Community Service and Leadership Development in the Office of Student Engagement.  She was responsible for the development of a formal community service program for the college.  She works as a liaison between non-profit agencies and the college to provide experiential service opportunities for students, faculty, and staff. 

Deb relocated to Ithaca when she began her undergraduate tenure at Ithaca College where she received a Bachelor's of Science in Communications. Deb also completed a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Binghamton University with a concentration in Non Profit Management.  She was inducted into Phi Alpha Alpha, the national Public Administrator’s Honor Society, and completed her degree with a 4.0 GPA.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

View slide show of Deb's Community Involvements.

Deb serves with several local organizations including the Human Services Coalition and the United Way.  She is an '03 graduate of the Leadership Tompkins Program and generously gives her time to many other local agencies.

Deb was a founding member and organizer of a local young professionals movement that led to the development of [ithaca Forward] as a committee of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce.  She created “Jump on Board” – an innovative event designed to introduce local young professionals to non-profit organizations seeking board members.  With over 100 people in attendance each year, it has been reported that over 50 matches have been made between local YP’s and NPO’s.  She also writes and manages a weekly column for The Ithaca Journal on issues for young professionals.

ADVOCACY WORK FIGHTING BACK AGAINST CANCER

View slide show of Deb's involvement with the American Cancer Society.

One of Deb's personal missions is to contribute to the fight against cancer. She has been an active volunteer locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally with the American Cancer Society.

Deb’s volunteer service began when she served as a Relay For Life Team Captain.She has also represented New York State at Celebration on the Hill as an ACS CAN Legislative Ambassador – serving as an advocate for access to health care and funding for cancer research.  She served on the National Relay For Life Advisory Team and helped to develop the nationwide campaign to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of Relay For Life.  In October of 2007, she traveled across the globe to Penang, Malaysia to teach a workshop on Relay For Life to volunteers establishing Relay in that country.  You can view her travel blog at http://debiano.livejournal.com. She is also an avid supporter of the Cancer Resource Network of the Finger Lakes.

AWARDS AND KEY LEADERSHIP ROLES

View slide show of Deb's Awards and Key Leadership Roles.

In 2008, Deb was selected as one of Tompkins County’s “20 Outstanding Women You Should Know” and was a recipient of the inaugural Chamber of Commerce “40 Under 40” award.