April 23, 2012

Baltimore Woods Executive Director Patty Weisse Named Social Entrepreneur of the Year

Syracuse University Falcone Center Presented Prestigious Award

Contact: Thea Reidy

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – On Saturday April 14th the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship at Syracuse University named Baltimore Woods Executive Director Patty Weisse Social Entrepreneur of the Year.  The prestigious award was issued during the Whitman School of Management's Celebration of Entrepreneurial Excellence.  Ms. Weisse was chosen because of her work to build sustainability into Baltimore Woods' programs and build social equity in the community.
 
Ms Weisse's leadership skills and Baltimore Woods' Nature in the City program were key factors leading to this award.
 
"Central New York has been the ideal place to bring up a family.  We've been so fortunate to raise our children where they can play outside and be a part of the community.  The least I can do is help make sure other children have the same opportunities –regardless of race or economic background.  We have everything we need right in our neighborhoods to do a great job teaching children," remarked Ms. Weisse.  "Baltimore Woods staff, board, and volunteers all work tirelessly to make this dream a reality.  I'm honored by the award – but really – it belongs to everyone that has given so generously of their time, talent, and resources for Baltimore Woods work throughout CNY."
 
The Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship's Social Entrepreneur of the Year is designed to recognize entrepreneurs who intentionally pursue the public good while mobilizing resources to areas of higher productivity and yield.
 
"Patty Weisse is a model not-for-profit leader and we are lucky to have her in our community," said Professor Thomas Lumpkin, the Chris J. Witting Chair in Entrepreneurship at the Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University, before presenting the award. "The philanthropic community is holding up higher expectations for not-for-profits to build sustainability into their programs as they build social equity in the community.  Patty does this in spades."
 
##
 
About Patty Weisse:
Patty Weisse has been Baltimore Woods' Executive Director since 1998.  She has a BS and MS in Geology from Lehigh University and University of Massachusetts, respectively.  She taught Geology at Wellesley College for three years and spent ten years as a secondary science educator teaching courses in Environmental Studies, Earth Science, A.P. Chemistry and Physics.
 
Weisse's switch from the formal education setting to the informal setting at Baltimore Woods was fueled by a desire to create programs that truly support schools with their educational challenges.  Using her experience in a school environment, she created the Nature in the City program in 2002 and has helped cultivate the relationship between Baltimore Woods, the Syracuse City School District, and the greater CNY community that has sustained the program in eleven Syracuse elementary schools.
 

 
caption: Thomas Lumpkin, the Chris J. Witting Chair in Entrepreneurship of the Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University, presents Patty Weisse, Executive Director, Baltimore Woods Nature Center with the award for Social Entrepreneur of the Year, 2012.
photo courtesy of the Falcone Center

Return to Press Releases