By Kate Bartlett
Local philanthropist and businesswoman, Jill McInroy Dunn has been integral to the Ellicottville community. As an active member in the Rotary club, Jill has helped in countless service projects over the years. Her full-time job has been with local colleges fundraising with higher education, making a difference in the lives of students and their families. She has lived in Ellicottville for 6 years, and is deeply invested in the growth of the community. “I am a busy Mom who loves my family, job and our little community.” Both of her children, Evelyn and Jacob, attended Ellicottville Central School. Evelyn will be completing her Bachelors in Psychology this winter and Jacob will be graduating from ECS this month, attending SUNY Brockport in the fall for Physical Therapy.
Jill grew up on a horse farm in Hinsdale. “Our whole family was involved in raising and showing Arabian horses. From the time I was little, horses became my love. Growing up, you’d always find me trail riding all day with my best friend, at a horse show, or just hanging in the barn. You could say I’m a horse nut!
She graduated from Allegany High School, attended Jamestown Community College, and later received her bachelors and MBA from St. Bonaventure University. She moved to the area after getting a job at The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford working as the Executive Director of Institutional Advancement/Managing Director of the Bradford Educational Foundation and began setting down roots in the Ellicottville area.
Jill has worked in development and fundraising within higher education for over 25 years. She started with St. Bonaventure, where she worked for almost 10 years. She worked in the Annual Fund and later became the Director of Scholarships and Endowments. Jill spent much of her time traveling within the US, meeting with Bonaventure alumni and friends. She then brought her experience to the JCC Foundation for six years. Later in 2010, she started at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford where she managed and helped complete a 20 million dollar campaign that helped raise funds for scholarships, athletics, capital projects and technology. She worked here for almost 10 years, and most recently has been working at Alfred State. “I really enjoy working for Alfred State. I am so impressed with our trade programs on our Wellsville campus. Most of our students have jobs before they even graduate. In addition, our nursing program, engineering technology and surveying programs on our Alfred campus, are helping to serve our area’s workforce needs.”
Jill loves working on a college campus. “It is so invigorating and motivating. There is always so much to learn and I enjoy working with our students, faculty and staff. I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to meet so many different people of diverse backgrounds and different perspectives.”
Through her work in development, Jill enjoys working with donors and seeing the impact of philanthropy. “It’s such a rewarding experience to help make a college education more affordable for students and their families by working with supportive donors on creating scholarships for example. It gives so much meaning to my work to see how much the scholarships are needed and how grateful our students are to receive them.”
Jill has been involved with the Ellicottville Rotary Club for almost 6 years. “I remember when I first moved here, reading about all of the good things that Rotary was doing with the Food Pantry, Library, Alley Katz, and Ellicottville Central School. I saw how much they do for this community and I wanted to get involved.” This year, Ellicottville Rotary teamed up with ECS students on Earth Day for a ‘clean-up day’ in the village. The Rotary also awards annual scholarships to ECS students every year upon graduation. “Our big upcoming event will be in partnership with the Tri-County Arts Council in Ellicottville on Labor Day weekend; more details to come.”
Simply put, Jill loves to volunteer. “I have served on the Olean Area YMCA Association Board, the Bradford Chamber of Commerce Board, and am currently on the Olean Area YMCA Foundation Board and Ellicottville Rotary. It’s so important to give back to the community. It’s been awesome to see my children get involved as well.”
Outside of work and volunteering, Jill enjoys spending time with her children and her family. “We also are active and love going to the gym. Our gym is our extended family. We’ve met so many great friends there. Although I don’t have horses anymore, we do try to go riding when we are on vacation.”
Jill feels fortunate to live in Ellicottville and enjoys the four seasons in the great outdoors. “We live in such a beautiful area and it is a special place to raise a family. Both of my kids learned to ski here, played soccer and other activities. The teachers and coaches at ECS are talented and really go out of their way to help and connect with their students. Both of my children worked during high school in our village and gained valuable life skills. I love how Ellicottville has that small town feel where people know one another.”
In closing, Jill reminds us that ‘you’re never too busy to give back.” For more information on how to get involved in the Rotary Club