Below were the remarks delivered by Mexico Board of Education President James Emery as he honored Mrs. Elizabeth DiCosimo as the district’s Proud to be MACS honoree for November 2025 at the November Board of Education Business meeting.

With this week’s release of the movie, “Wicked: For Good” I am reminded of the 1939 version, “The Wizard of Oz” where a main character, the Tin Man accompanies the heroine, Dorothy on her journey to Oz with the hope that the all-powerful Wizard will grant him a heart. Fortunately, tonight’s Proud to be MACS recipient and soon to be retired, Liz DiCosimo, our Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning needed no such journey, and the dangers associated with it to attain a heart. I think you will agree with me, based on the remarks that follow, that Liz was blessed with a heart and this heart is on display every day.

Liz grew up in the Syracuse area where she attended the Manlius Pebble Hill School and the Bishop Grimes Junior/Senior High School. Liz would also spend two years at school in France and would graduate from the Western Reserve Academy in Ohio where her dad graduated from.

Liz would then receive her undergraduate degree majoring in French and Psychology from Syracuse University. It was during her undergraduate years that Liz took American Sign Language as an elective. This course ignited her desire to work with the deaf or hard of hearing.

Liz would complete her master’s degree from Syracuse University and eventually earn her Certificate for Advanced Studies from SUNY at Cortland.

Liz would also earn the unique certification for birth to pre-K and Pre-K to grade 12.

Liz’s first job was with the Candor Central School District near Ithaca, New York as a special education teacher in grades 7-12. Liz also coached cross country and track where she could apply her passion for running.

While at Candor, Liz became aware of an opening with the Johnson City School District near Binghamton, New York. Liz knew that Johnson City had received national attention for their full inclusion program, so she was very interested in being affiliated with it. Liz was hired by Johnson City for the grades 8-12 Resource Room and co-taught primarily at the 8th grade level. Eventually, Liz taught in the English classroom setting. Liz would also coach for Johnson City. She coached soccer, volleyball and started its girls lacrosse program. Liz was proud that her girls team was given the privilege of playing on Johnson City’s historic Greensfield.

During her time at Johnson City, Liz would begin her administration degree, and she would be elected chair of the Special Education Department. Fortunately, SUNY at Cortland counted this position as satisfying the requirement of an internship.

Liz would take an administrative position as Special Education Director with the Chenango Valley Central School District. Liz would serve as Director at Chenango Valley for 12 years before becoming the Assistant Superintendent overseeing Curriculum and Human Resources.

After 15 years at Chenango Valley, Liz decided that she needed a change, so, since she was from Syracuse, she started searching for positions in the Central New York area.

Liz would interview with the Liverpool Central School District and with Mexico. As it happened, Mexico called first, and the rest is history!

Liz was hired as the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning. Liz admitted to me that, at the time of hiring, there was no mention of any Human Resource responsibility. I jokingly told her that she must not have read the fine print. Liz did emphasize that she immediately fell in love with the students, staff, and community. There has to be a great deal of truth to that emotional response because Liz, who resides near Binghamton, has made the daily commute to MACS, a commute that totals some 230 miles!

Along the way, Liz married Joseph, who recently retired as Director of Operations with the Owego-Apalachin Central School District. They were been blessed with a daughter, Adriana, who graduated from the Owego-Apalachin Central School District and from mom’s Alma Mater of Syracuse University. Adriana is currently finishing her Masters Degree in business and accounting from the Whitman School of Syracuse University.

As inferred above, Liz would inherit or be assigned the task of overseeing our Human Resource department. As such, I thought it might be interesting to reach out to the Presidents of our bargaining units to see how Liz did in this complex and challenging capacity.

Andy Gates, MACS Athletic Director and President of the MACS Association of Supervisors and Administrators writes, “When I think about the qualities that has made Liz DiCosimo a great educator and administrator, I start with her ability to stay calm in very challenging situations. She is always willing to listen to all sides of scenarios and make effective decisions that are in the best interest of all parties. Liz exemplifies many qualities of a leader including thoughtfulness in decision making, and her attention to detail during all the operations in her administrative role here at MACS. I have been very fortunate to be able to work closely with Liz in my time at MACS and we have been very lucky to have such a dedicated and steady presence in her position. She will be greatly missed, but we all wish her the best in retirement.”

Donna Devore, President of the MACS Full Time Secretarial and Office Staff Association writes, “Liz is known for her huge smile and a laugh that will fill every room. She has a genuine love for our district and an amazing ability to make everyone feel at ease. (The late Supreme Court Justice) Sandra Day O’Connor once said, “Advocate for yourself and others around you in order to create an equal world for all,” which is exactly what Liz does with a passion unmatched. Her ability to create connections and her unwavering focus on bringing people together has created a strong sense of unity within our District, fostering trust and mutual respect. Her dedication, loyalty and hard work is an inspiration to us all. To understand Liz is to understand true heartfelt kindness.”

Dave von Holtz, President of the MACS Faculty Association agrees with the above when he writes, “Liz DiCosimo is not only an outstanding Assistant Superintendent for Personnel, but also someone whose kindness and fairness set the tone for our entire District. She approaches every situation with a steady hand and a genuinely caring heart, making people feel valued and supported. And, of course, we can always tell when Liz is on her way - her signature high heels announcing her arrival long before she steps into the room. We’re grateful for her leadership, her style, and the warmth she brings to our school community.”

Dennis Shaw, President of the MACS Civil Service Employees Association adds, “Most important thing that I have to say about Liz is she is a great person inside and out. Also, she is not from the Mexico area but she truly loved the District and always put Mexico students and employees first. During my meetings with Liz in HR, for whatever reason, she always treated everyone fair and always listened to them. One of her most important traits is that she brought the Human effect to HR. What I mean by that is she always gave CSEA members an opportunity to explain themselves and she always would listen to everyone in the room before jumping to conclusions. CSEA will miss this trait greatly and this retirement is a great loss to Mexico School District and CSEA employees. CSEA would like to say congratulations on your retirement!”

Finally, Superintendent Donna Runner shares her sentiments when she writes, “…Liz has served Mexico Academy and Central Schools with distinction for the past nine years as Assistant Superintendent, most recently leading our Human Resources department and supervising Pupil Services and Physical Education, Health, and Athletics.”

Donna continues by writing, “ Liz is widely respected for her ability to build strong relationships and mediate challenging situations with grace and fairness. She is kind, yet firm, always upholding the contract and demonstrating unwavering integrity. Her leadership has strengthened our District and supported countless staff and students.”

Donna concludes by writing, “As Liz retires, we celebrate her many contributions and the positive impact she has made on our school community. Personally, I will deeply miss our thought partnership and the wisdom she brought to every conversation. We wish Liz all the best in this next chapter and thank her for her years of dedicated service to MACS.”

As for her favorite part of her job, Liz stated it is the interaction with students and staff. To that end, Liz loved seeing all of the great learning that she observed during her classroom observations.

Concerning her favorite memory, Liz loves our traditional, yet personal, graduation ceremonies, because, in her opinion, they represent the culmination of commitment to our students by our staff and the Board.

And so Liz, for pursuing the elective of American Sign Language in college and turning it into a career in education, for moving from the classroom into administration, for having the ability to remain calm in the most challenging of situations, for your huge smile and laugh, for advocating for yourself and others around you to create a more equal world for all, for approaching every situation with a steady hand and a kind heart, for being a great person inside and out, for bringing the “human’ to Human Resources, for building strong relationships and mediate challenging situations with grace and fairness, but most importantly, for using your gift of your heart, which the Tin Man yearned for in the “The Wizard of Oz,” to touch the many students and staff of this District, it is with great gratitude, tinged with sadness due to your impending retirement, that we, the Board, recognize you as our Proud to be MACS recipient for November 2025.