COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Mary Gallagher is the Parent’s Association President of PS/MS 207Q in Howard Beach.
JOB: As the PA president, Gallagher works alongside a “wonderful” group of parents and school staff to encourage parent participation. She creates a forum for opinions, ideas and discussions along with raising funds to help supplement school needs. Gallagher organizes events to promote school spirit and allows an opportunity for the school’s families to get to know one another.
PERSONAL: Gallagher is a married mother of three; her oldest son is a sophomore at Townsend Harris High School and her younger children attend P.S./M.S. 207, her son is in seventh grade and her daughter is in fourth grade. She is a senior accountant at a private investment firm in Manhattan where she’s been employed for over 20 years. Gallagher believes herself to be the product of the city public school system. “I grew up in Richmond Hill where I attended P.S. 100, J.H.S. 226 and John Adams High School.” After a few semesters in college, Gallagher decided to go into the work force where she began as a receptionist of her current company. “I believe fate sent me there because my boss and mentor, John Fletcher, encouraged me to go back to school. My company offered to pay for it and I attended Hofstra University in the evenings. It took me many years to finally obtain my degree, but it was well worth it.” Her husband and mother are her main support system.
FAVORITE MEMORY: Gallagher’s favorite memory is when she toured Italy in the summer of 2008 with her family and attended her cousin’s mountain top wedding while they stayed there.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Her biggest challenge is to make sure her children get the best education possible and grow up to be happy, respectable adults who contribute positively to society.
INSPIRATION: “My inspiration will always be my parents, who emigrated from Italy in the 60’s to give my siblings and myself more opportunity for a better life. I’ll always admire how brave they were to leave everything they knew behind. They always put their faith in God to protect them and lead them in the right direction. They instilled that same faith in their children.” – Laura Ciminera
