THIRD TARRYTOWN MEETING, JULY 2012

CLOSING THANKS, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND APPRECIATIONS – Wednesday, July 25

Richard Hayes:

Before we adjourn, the three other Tarrytown Co-chairs and I have some special thanks, acknowledgements and appreciations that we’d like to extend. 

Judy Norsigian:

First, we want to thank all of you, the participants in the Tarrytown Meetings who are helping make real the vision of a biopolitical network and community and perhaps someday a movement. As Susan said, we’ve just begun – and we’re off to a really strong start.

We are grateful to the wonderful staff of the Tarrytown House Estate and Conference Center who have done so much to make sure everything has gone so smoothly and supportively: Michael Lavery, Michael Hernandez, Matt Monroe, Alexandra Markowski and Michele Calabreze.

We also want to thank the many consulting staff and others who have worked so diligently with us on so many particular aspects of the Tarrytown Meetings: Pete Shanks, Emily Galpern, Jean Orlebeke, Anne Rumberger and Karthik Sonty.

Osagie Obasogie:

We want to thank the truly inspiring CGS/Tarrytown staff associates, who have brought so much fresh energy into the preparations for the Tarrytown Meetings.  Past staff have included Emily Stehr, Jillian Theil, Spencer McFarlane, Molly Maguire and Brendan Parent. And we want to extend an especially warm thanks to this year’s staff associate crew:  Sona Makker, Daniel Sharp, Jake Orr and Jessica Cussins.

Marcy Darnovsky:

If any group deserves credit for the success of the Tarrytown Meetings it’s the members of the Tarrytown Meetings Initiative Steering Committee.  For three years they’ve provided insight, guidance, direction, substantive work and more, and put up with countless memos, conference calls and meetings. Former members not here with us today are George Annas, Rosie Isasi, Karen Mashke and Debra Greenfield.  Former members with us here today are Stuart Newman and Lisa Ikemoto.  And let’s hear a big applause for the 2012 Steering Committee:   Dorothy Roberts, Osagie Obasogie, Jaydee Hanson, Judy Norsigian, Eric Hoffman and Gina Maranto.  We also want to thank a number of others who, while not on the steering committee per se, participated in the planning in important ways: Bruce Jennings, Milton Reynolds, Marsha Darling, Evelyn Shuster, Susan Fogel, Sujatha Jesudason, David Winickoff and Francine Coeytaux.  David and Francine have done double duty, serving along with Dorothy on the CGS Advisory Committee, whose commitment, smarts, energy and help in so many ways have become absolutely critical to our work.

Richard Hayes:

No one is more deserving of thanks and appreciation that those visionary, contrarian, risk-taking, non-siloed leaders in the philanthropic community who have made the Tarrytown Meetings possible.  Jay Harris of Changing Horizons, who passed away suddenly at the end of 2009, was an early and consistent funder, as is the Marisla Foundation.  In addition, our thanks go to several  program officers who gave us their time, their wise counsel, and in some cases reached into their own pockets to help support the work of this network: Judith Helzner of the MacArthur Foundation, Karen Plafker of Wellspring Advisors, Vera Franz of Open Society Foundation, and Ellen Friedman of the Compton Foundation. In addition, our deep appreciation goes to the Tarrytown Meetings participants, including a number here today, who sent us generous contributions. Those have meant a great deal to us. And finally, please give your special, special thanks to Alexander Gaguine and Eileen Balian of the Appleton Foundation.  Right now Appleton is the major supporter not only of the Tarrytown Meetings, but of many of the other key initiatives in the US addressing the challenges of the new human genetic technologies.

And finally, I want to give a very, very personal and warm thanks and acknowledgment to the greatest staff any executive director has ever had the honor to work with, the core leadership staff of the Center for Genetics and Society who worked, at some points night and day, on the Tarrytown Meetings.  Many of you know Jesse Reynolds, who is now studying for his PhD in the Netherlands.  Most of you know Doug Pet, who began as a staff associate for Tarrytown 2010, was a lead staff for Tarrytown 2011, and took time off from his current course work in preparation for medical school to organize last night’s Biopolitical Cultural Festival.  And let’s hear it for our current lead staff:  Emily Beitiks, who began as a staff associate in 2011, quickly moved into a senior position after that, received her PhD in April, and from whom I know we can expect great things in the near future and beyond. Let’s hear it for our Director of Finance and Administration, Charles Garzon, who from the very beginning of the Tarrytown Meetings has handled the finances, the logistics, the technology, the website and everything else that keeps an effort like this on track, on time and on point.  And finally, what can I possibly say that would adequately express my admiration, respect and gratitude for Marcy Darnovsky?  Marcy was the first person hired at CGS, over twelve years ago, and has shaped so much of everything we’ve done, right up to and through these three Tarrytown Meetings.  Her formal title has been associate executive director but in truth this has been a co-directorship, with Marcy carrying more than her fair share of the burden.  Please join me in extending the great possible appreciation to Marcy Darnovsky.