Dublin-Worthington News Stories

Membership Spotlight: Mary Greenlee

By Sunday, December 12, 2021
Advancing the Leadership Mindset
Finding Success in the Success of Others
Paul Cynkar, October 2021
This is another in a series of member profiles based on discovery interviews that were designed to get an up close view of the traits and strengths of some of the members who provide leadership to this organization.
Membership Spotlight:  Mary Greenlee
Creative, Sophisticated Servant, Lifelong Learner

Tell me about yourself. Give me three facts that include information about your family, your career, and your pastimes.

I was born in Medway, Massachusetts and grew up in Dayton, Ohio.  My father was the pastor of a Baptist Church. My family was always very service minded.  I moved to Worthington ills Hills in 1971 when my husband David began a new position as lead patent council for Abex Corporation. David joined Rotary in 1996, was awarded Rookie of the year along with John Butterfield. He loved being a Rotarian, until he met his Maker in 2009. Incidentally, David was at Rotary the Wednesday before he checked in at the James on Saturday. He died the next Thursday. He so enjoyed Rotary, I will always be grateful for the outstanding support at his commemorative service and the time following. This past May I celebrated 50 years in residence. We have a son David and daughter Gretchen. Both graduated from THE Worthington High School.
I have had 14 varied careers in my lifetime including: high school English, speech and theatre educator, graduate school student, professional volunteer (schools, arts, hospitals), Dublin Peddler (Fine crafted arts sales), Drug Free Programming for K-12 students, competitive team tennis, networker with community agencies to develop and deliver community programs and services, community boards for the arts, civic associations and principal at Transition Times, LLC where I am a virtual coach and author of The Life Facts Book, a comprehensive life facts management system.

 I have a recognized formal garden that David and I helped design. It consists of an open porch David built in 1972 that is still standing! There is a gazebo, Bose sound system with music playing throughout, a bronze pan sculpture spewing water from his pipes into the pond, fountains, and art objects galore throughout. The grounds are magically lighted for night viewing. One of the best events I ever had was a Rotary Rah Rah which was co-hosted with Rich and Diane Seils. John Butterfield added games to brighten the party. Rotarians are invited to come anytime to see Miss Mary’s Garden that David Greenlee claims he created with a pickax and a shovel while making new beds and eliminating the clay,

How long have you belonged to Rotary? What’s the best thing about membership?
I joined Rotary in 2014. I enjoy the fellowship at meetings, events and projects. Before I joined Rotary, I would hear David talking about the fun and fellowship. I have found it easy to enjoy the same lively atmosphere. The members add a broader range of professions and skills that I have not experienced before membership, and we are all seeking to serve others.

As you look back on your life and your career, where and when did you have the biggest impact on others? Who was impacted and how?
My single biggest community career impact with was when I coordinated and managed the Franklin Country Education Council’s Drug Free Schools Consortium (“the Consortium”) for its first 9 years. The Consortium was the first project initiated by the 16 public school superintendents in Franklin County as part the Win-Win agreement to stabilize school district boundaries. Since federal dollars (1986 Drug Free Schools & Communities Act) were used to fund the Consortium, we also were required to serve all non-public schools in Franklin County. During the first 9 years, 26 school prevention coordinators & consortium staff helped conceive, build, and deliver more than 330 trainings, conferences & special events providing cooperative prevention programs to serve students, teachers, coaches, administrators and parents.
The Consortium was awarded Ohio Best Practices in 1996 and also received national recognition. One of the best outcomes of the collaboration was that the Consortium provided one-stop opportunities for area non-profit agencies to make proposals, have discussions and test concepts, including  treatment facilities and governmental outreach. They wanted the Consortium to help direct them to serve K-12 schools, students, staff and parents with effective prevention and early intervention programming. With the support of the superintendents and school boards, a full census (grades 6 – 12), anonymous student survey was taken every 3 years across the county. The results of the survey summarized current self-reported student attitudes, awareness, and usage of high-risk behaviors. Schools could then address current behavior patterns to deliver effective prevention programming. The result provided evidence of significant decline in students’ high-risk behaviors including, substances use, cheating and sexual behavior. Multiple PhD dissertations at OSU used the data and gave the results to school personnel. We had more middle school data than anywhere else in the United States at that time.

As you look back, which of the opportunities you have had has been the most fulfilling to you personally? Why?
As I look back, I see that each of the varied opportunities I have been given have been opportunities to serve others. Some opportunities provided monetary remuneration, and others did not. My husband David did observe that personal monetary gain never determined the elevated level of quality or commitment levels I brought to a task. I cannot recall ever declining to take on a job because there was no pay. Fortunately, David understood the importance of volunteering and subsidized my work, if needed. During my years of being a professional volunteer, as David titled me, my skills grew dramatically, especially my facilitation skills in working with groups, large and small. My tool bag of skills now includes the Internet and Zoom. These last two are not my most prized skills, however they are necessary. I am most fulfilled when I can sit around a table with folks who want to get something done that is creative and forward thinking.
When I look back at my files as coordinator of the committee that was established to investigate the possibilities of a viable cultural arts center in Worthington, I am struck by the lack of available technology. We were dependent on the USPS for the most part. Our job was to see if we could establish a viable center that could be supported by the 15 established arts groups. Success took 2+ years and agreements between the Worthington Schools and the City of Worthington. The McConnell Arts Center did get established with the help and cooperation of many Rotarians and other visionaries. Each time I enter the MAC I am filled with pride that a group of community members cared enough to do what was needed to get the task completed. It was not simple and required considerable negotiation.

Describe the most challenging project you have ever worked on. What was your role? What was the result? What did you learn?
My most challenging project was helping to get and keep the Drug Free Schools Consortium operational. This included: 1) initiating and making the Consortium quickly productive, 2) meeting all requirements of the Federal Grant, 3) understanding and accommodating the needs of all member school districts, 4) keeping superintendents and boards of education informed, 5) preparing the organization to transition for the next coordinator/manager. My role was to make it all happen. I learned the challenges of preparing records and personnel for a major transitions, including relocation to a new site. 

What are some things you are passionate about?  What really excites you? What gets your adrenalin flowing? What makes your heart sing?
a)  Gardening in my garden to help me stay in touch with the earth and my Creator,
b)  Flower arranging,
c)  Having an authentic Victorian tea for my enthusiastic young neighbors, 
e)  Having my neighbor kids hunt for frogs in my pond,
f)   Reclaiming and refinishing vintage furniture and art objects,
g)  Entertaining friends in my home & garden.

What are you especially skilled at? What is something that others often tell you that they think makes you stand out?
Organizing spaces, facilitating groups and managing projects are fun for me to do, especially if it involves furniture, wall hangings, floor coverings and inside and outside plants. Somehow, I just know where things can go to please the eye and accommodate people. I do get positive feedback from others, including how I arrange things in their spaces. Garden flowers, of all sorts, are the most fun and challenging to arrange.  Many garden flowers take special pots to support their flimsy stems and I have those pots. I can make arrangements that you will never find in a florist shop because of the plant’s blossoms limited life span and lower-level stem strength.  Providing facilitation support for groups and projects is also something that I am known for and acknowledged. 

When you have a moment to sit back and think (dream) about your future, what do you think about? What things would you like to do in your life that you have not gotten around to yet? Is there something else you would like to accomplish?
Presently I am building a dream. This dream is not something that needs a college degree to get operational. This dream began because of my husband David dying within 6 days of diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.  As a lawyer David assured me that we had the key facts taken care of: a trust, POA’s preplanned funerals and other legal things. What he had no idea about was what it would be like to lose a partner suddenly and try to access the information that was needed and no longer available in his absence.  I learned promptly that I needed access to business and personal ID’s and passwords. I needed to know what all the keys on the large key ring opened, I need to know how to access the charge cards that didn’t have me listed as a principal.  The big discovery of missing facts and access to those facts went on and on, without end. I was in deep water and needed help.  So, I put a team together to help me know what I needed to know and how to access it. Thus, my Transition Team took form, along with the help of five incredibly good friends. Their 2 ½ years of work generated the Life Facts Book, a comprehensive Life Facts Management System.  The book was published in 2013 and has become the content for my virtual “Fact Gatherers Courses.” I help people get their personal and household facts together for easy access for when “IT” happens, and the facts are needed promptly. The book focuses on 5 areas:  Personal, Medical, Legal, Financial and Final Arrangements.  My dream is to inspire individuals to organize and make accessible the facts of their lives through my virtual group coaching sessions. I want to help individuals empower themselves and to empower other individuals those they have designated to assist them during the inevitable times of transition, from incapacity to death.  Life is uncertain. My dream is to help others be as prepared as possible so life’s inevitable transitions are as smooth as they can be. My goal is to help them get their most important facts recorded and made FASS – Fireproof, Accessible, Safe, and Secure.  My dream sees these folks “Fact-Ready.”

If you could choose anyone (alive or deceased) to have lunch with, who would it be? Why?
Elizabeth Dole - She was always supportive and a huge resource for her highly active and visible husband, Senator and Presidential Candidate, Robert Dole. She was a fabulous partner and had a distinct life of her own. I would like to know how she kept a successful balance between her personal and professional lives. She was a lovely, talented women who never let her femininity keep her from succeeding and serving, in a time when being female was a barrier for many.  I can relate to her!

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