Dr. Maryalice (Ali) Mazzara

Board Member

Ryan Gordy Foundation

Dr. Maryalice (Ali) Mazzara is a highly regarded and respected expert in global leadership and programs and the development of strong diverse and global teams. Her clients and partners include prestigious foundations, government and educational organizations, and think tanks. Dr. Mazzara’s recent awards include receiving a U.S. Department of State Senior Scholar Fulbright in 2021 and Columbia University’s Teachers College “Alumni Award for Outstanding Service” in 2022, which is given to only one alumna each year.

In February 2023, Dr. Mazzara began a new leadership role at Long Island University (LIU) as the Director of External Relations, reporting directly to the President. Prior to LIU, Dr. Mazzara was the Founding Director of the JFEW SUNY Global Affairs Leadership Program, which is funded by the Jewish Foundation of the Education of Women (JFEW). The mission is to support underserved and underrepresented SUNY undergraduate women to become global leaders. Since its inception in 2011, it has provided over $7,000,000 in scholarships and programming and the graduates have become diplomats, lawyers, medical doctors, educators, scientists, and business leaders. Dr. Mazzara’s other SUNY initiatives include designing and implementing global programs for SUNY and other universities as well as for governments including Canada, China, and Turkey. Prior to SUNY, she held leadership positions at the Global Film Initiative, the Government of Québec in New York, and Columbia University’s Harriman Institute for their U.S. Department of Education grant.



Dr. Mazzara is also President of her consulting firm, Geneva Global, LLC. In this role, she consults and advises governments, corporations, and organizations on global projects. She has consulted on long term education projects in Vietnam and Mongolia. She is currently on the Advisory Board of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, a member of the Jacob’s Pillow Gala Committee. Dr. Mazzara is especially honored to join the Ryan Gordy Foundation’s Board of Directors this year and support their incredibly important mission.