And The Award Goes To…

By Grace Collins ’23, March 5, 2020

Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce Fab5 Awards honor three Ithaca College alumni and one staff member as exceptional young professionals.

(From left): Austin Reid, Abby Peterson ’11, Harmony Malone ’15, and Dominick Recckio ’16 were honored by the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce.

(Photo by: Whitney Rosenfeld ’21)

The Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce’s Fab5 Awards aren’t intended to be a meet-up for members of the Ithaca College community. But this year’s ceremony, held on March 2, turned out to be just that.

The awards are given annually to five young professionals between the ages of 21-40 who work in Tompkins County and make significant contributions to the community. And this year, four of the honorees had ties to IC. Alumni Abby Peterson ’11, Dominick Recckio ’16, and Harmony Malone ’15 were recognized, as was staff member Austin Reid.

Malone was a therapeutic recreation major, who spent years alongside Nia Nunn, associate professor in the department of education, at Nunn’s multicultural performing arts and human rights education program for children, CUMEP (Community Unity Music Education Program).

A program leader at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center and founder of the UNITED Dance Troupe, she was honored as Volunteer of the Year. For her, the impact of being honored was monumental, as is the work she’s doing.

“I love that I’m able to make an impact on the next generation,” Malone said. “Growing up, I was surrounded by people who invested in me, and I’m trying to pay that forward.”

“Shortly after moving to Ithaca I heard the expression ‘Ithaca College is Ithaca's college.’ IC faculty, staff and students benefit immensely from our neighbors here in Ithaca and offer so much in turn to our community. This year’s Fab5 cohort is another reflection of that reality.”

Austin Reid

Peterson, who is vice president of marketing communications at Tompkins Trust Company, was named Business Leader of the Year. The former integrated marketing communications major says that, among other things, her time as a member of the women’s lacrosse team was instrumental in getting her to where she is today.

“Being able to play at the collegiate level really helped me to develop leadership skills and a work ethic beyond anything I thought was possible,” she said.

Recckio was named the Not-for-Profit Leader of the Year. Currently the director of strategic communications and partnerships at the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, he was blown away at receiving the award.

“It really is an honor,” he said. “There are so many amazing not-for-profit leaders and young professionals here who inspire me every day. It’s really exciting to be recognized among them.

“IC gave me an education with both breadth and depth and instilled a sense of community engagement in me,” added Recckio, who was a communications management and design major. “I get to use that every day at my job.”

Although he’s not an alumnus, Reid, who was honored as the Rookie of the Year, is making his mark at Ithaca College thanks to the work he’s done engaging students as the Springboard Innovation Fellow at IC Hillel. He’s created a speaker series profiling Jewish communities from around the world and helped to create Keshet, an affinity group for LGBTQA+ Jewish students on campus.

And although Reid’s only been at IC for a few years, seeing so many former Ithaca College students honored alongside him wasn’t a surprise.

“Shortly after moving to Ithaca I heard the expression ‘Ithaca College is Ithaca's college,’" he said. “IC faculty, staff and students benefit immensely from our neighbors here in Ithaca and offer so much in turn to our community. This year’s Fab5 cohort is another reflection of that reality.”