Encouraged by her father, Cynthia A. Mehary has wanted to pursue a career in education since she was a child. She achieved her goals, and she has become known for going above and beyond for her students to not only to help them grow academically, but also personally.
During her distinguished career, Ms. Mehary served as a lecturer at the Bryant and Stratton Business Institute in Williamsville, N.Y., in 1986, a business and computer teacher for the Buffalo Board of Education from 1986 to 2008, an adjunct professor at Buffalo State College from 1989 to 1992, and a teacher for the Niagara Falls City School District. She held a part-time position as teacher at Erie Community College from 1978 to 1990. Although she retired in 2008, she returned to part-time teaching in 2016 at the Buffalo Board of Education so she could still be active with students and help them to succeed. Prior to her working career, Ms. Mehary was a volunteer teacher in the Peace Corps in Washington and Ethiopia. She has also contributed articles to professional journals.
In keeping with her passion for education, Ms. Mehary has held memberships with numerous professional organizations, including the Buffalo Teachers Retirement Association, where she was vice president of recruitment from 2009 to 2013 and has been co-president since 2015, the American Association of University Women, which advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. She also maintains affiliation with the Business Teachers Association of New York State, whose mission is to establish business education as an essential component in preparing students for community, college, and career readiness.
Ms. Mehary prepared for her journey by earning an Associate of Applied Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1963 and a Bachelor of Education in 1965. Further, in 1971, she obtained a Master of Arts from Western Michigan University. She has certification in advanced studies from Buffalo State College and is certified in both administration and secondary teaching in the state of New York.
Ms. Mehary is proud of her daughter, Elsabeth Mehary, for following her own passion in the creative world, and encourages her, as she has her students, to do her best to succeed.