Contact: Ilene Greenfield Lumpkin
Director of Media Relations
201-291-1111, ext. 122
igl@BerkeleyCollege.edu

NEWS ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2006

(left to right) Recipient of the Berkeley College New York Alumna of the Year Award, Assemblywoman Margaret Markey, receives the honor from Berkeley College President Dr. Mildred Garcia at the 2006 Commencement Ceremony held at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Berkeley College recently honored New York State Assemblywoman Margaret Markey of Maspeth, naming her the 2006 New York Alumna of the Year. Assemblywoman Markey, who graduated from Berkeley in New York City, was honored during the 75th Anniversary Commencement held at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ.

Assemblywoman Markey was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1998 as the representative of the 30th Assembly District comprised of the Queens neighborhoods of Maspeth, Woodside, parts of Long Island City, Middle Village, Astoria, and Sunnyside. She has been working to strengthen and better Queens for more than 20 years, starting her public service career as the Assistant Director of Economic Development before being promoted to Director of Marketing and Tourism. Assemblywoman Markey is a longtime community activist, and is most proud of her achievement in lobbying the city to save an abandoned building destined to be demolished. That building is now Maspeth Town Hall, a community center that serves over 800 families and offers activities for pre-school through senior citizens.

“I used all the skills I learned in Berkeley Business School – typing, grammar, presentation – when lobbying for that building,” Assemblywoman Markey said. 

In Albany, Assemblywoman Markey has focused on sponsoring legislation to protect consumers and improve the quality of life for residents of Queens and all New Yorkers. In her second term, she took the lead for legislators in fighting for tougher standards in the farm and food industry to protect against mad cow disease. During her third term in office she was appointed as Chair of the Sub-Committee on Child Product Safety. The Assemblywoman’s other top priorities include funding increases for education, healthcare and senior services. In 2005 she won the passage of a bill into law to ban the sale of box cutters to minors statewide, and introduced important legislation to extend the statue of limitations for sexual assault against minors. The Assemblywoman advises young people entering today’s workforce: “To always project a professional business demeanor” and to “find a role model to emulate.” “From the first day you start a job, you should be looking for the next promotion,” she said. 

Assemblywoman Markey is currently the chair of the Assembly House Operations Committee. She is also a member of the Legislative Women’s Caucus; serves as President of the New York State American Irish Legislators Society; is a Democratic District Leader; a member of the Maspeth Kiwanis Club; and co-founder of the Alfred E. Smith Democratic Club. She has received many awards of recognition for her work in the community from organizations that include: New York City Department of Parks, American Irish Legislators Society, New York State Court Clerks Association, and the United Federation of Teachers.

Berkeley College is celebrating its 75th Anniversary (1931 – 2006) as a leader in business education.  The College currently maintains an enrollment of more than 5,000 students—including more than 400 international students—in its Baccalaureate and Associate degree programs.  Berkeley provides students of all generations with a high-quality education encompassing academic preparation, professional training, and hands-on experience.  Berkeley students also benefit from the College’s high career placement rate in positions related to their fields of study. 

The College maintains two New York campuses in Midtown Manhattan and White Plains, and three New Jersey campuses located in West Paterson, Paramus, and Woodbridge.  In addition, the College operates an Extension Center in Lower Manhattan.