Pictured is Senator Joseph Griffo with Joanne Donaruma Wade as she was honored in Albany.
(New Hartford, NY – May 2015) State Senator Joseph A. Griffo (R-Rome) announced that Joanne Donaruma Wade of New Hartford was recently honored as a 2015 New York State Woman of Distinction.
Donaruma Wade has been a leader in the field of Human Services for more than 35 years in the state.
Following a career that began at the Arc in 1977, Donaruma Wade recently retired from the Oneida Lewis-Chapter with a legacy of innovative community-based programs and services throughout Utica and the Mohawk Valley. As Director of the Employment Service Division, she was instrumental in creating integrated employment opportunities and post-secondary options for all individuals with disabilities, particularly young adults. Under her leadership, an innovative college program for individuals unable to participate in a traditional college programs was developed, allowing all people the opportunity of a college learning experience and an independent living experience.
Donaruma Wade has also helped foster self esteem in young women by volunteering her time through the Good Old Summertime Festival Board of Directors and the Miss Greater Utica Pageant.
The State Senate’s ‘Women of Distinction’ program was created in 1998 to honor exceptional achievement, personal excellence and outstanding, courageous, and heroic actions on the part of individual women from across the state.
A Senator from each district annually names one woman representing attributes that serve as an example to all New Yorkers. Each honoree’s photograph and biography has become part of a special exhibit proclaiming the unique contributions of exemplary women in New York.