MORRISVILLE-EATON INDUCTS 5 ALUMNI TO WALL OF FAME
The Morrisville-Eaton Central School District will induct four distinguished alumni into its 2024 class of the Wall of Fame. This year’s inductees – Dr. Jeffery Matteson, Jonbarry Kablack, Amy Gimma and Ryan LeBlanc – will be honored during an October 4 ceremony at 6pm at the Morrisville-Eaton Middle/High School.
The MECS Wall of Fame was established to recognize outstanding alumni who have achieved distinction in their lives and chosen fields through significant contributions to their careers, community or personal achievements. This honor is meant to stand as a model and incentive to current and future students, and to recognize the foundation that a quality public education at Morrisville-Eaton played in each recipient’s success.
Honorees were nominated by friends, family, alumni and community members, and a committee of community and school district stakeholders evaluated the nominations. Nominees were eligible if they have an MECS diploma or attended the district for a significant portion of their education, graduated at least 10 years ago, have an appreciation for their MECS education, and have demonstrated leadership, character and service in their profession and community involvement.
The induction ceremony will be led by Superintendent Gregory Molloy, with MECS students Cole Dean, Kayden Benedict, Abigail McCarthy, Katelyn Doxtater and Catherine Jacobs delivering the inductees’ biographies. This year’s Wall of Fame Committee members were:
The Wall of Fame Class of 2024:
Dr. Jeffery Matteson, Class of 1984
Dr. Matteson currently serves as the Senior Deputy Commissioner of Education Policy for the New York State Education Department (NYSED), overseeing the Office of P-12 Education and the Office of Higher Education and serving as a member of the Commissioner’s Leadership Team since 2023. His career spans more than 35 years as an educator, beginning as a social studies teacher and assuming roles as an assistant principal and principal before serving for 10 years as the Superintendent of the Canisteo-Greenwood school district. He also spent three years as a youth worker at a church in Syracuse. Following his Superintendent role, he served for more than a decade as District Superintendent of the Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). Dr. Matteson holds a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Regent University in Virginia, a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Castleton State College in Vermont, a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Studies from SUNY Cortland, and an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts from SUNY Morrisville. Dr. Matteson lives in Dryden with his wife, Renee.
Jonbarry Kablack, Class of 1989
After graduating, Jonbarry joined the U S. Coast Guard where he worked in federal law enforcement and search and rescue, serving overseas during the Gulf War, in New York Harbor, and off the coast of Florida. He was honorably discharged in 2000. After that, his work included time as a bodyguard for MTV, touring and singing with a Christian rock band, and working with young kids with disabilities. Currently, Jonbarry serves as the Boys’ Varsity Basketball Coach at the Martin Luther School in Queens, NY, assisted by his son Isaiah. He is very involved in his community as a member of three different Kiwanis Clubs, through which he volunteers and raises money to support children’s causes, cancer research and veterans’ organizations. He is also a member of the American Legion and President of the NYPD’s 104th Precinct Community Council, and he assists with NYC Police Department civic activities. Jonbarry and his wife, Pamela, have two sons, Dominic and Isaiah.
Amy Gimma, Class of 2004
After high school, Amy earned her nursing degree and worked as a Registered Nurse in hospitals in New York and California, including in emergency departments, trauma centers, and in-patient departments. She learned software development in her free time and became the lead software developer and data protection manager for Epion Health. She has volunteered as a nurse with Floating Doctors in Panama, and she worked as a research fellow at the London School of Hygiene, where she also served as a founding member of the Fight Against Institutional Racism (FAIR) network. Amy currently serves as a consultant to the World Health Organization’s European Region and has responded to multiple international epidemiological events, earning an award from the U.K. Government Office for Science. She also enjoys teaching coding to beginners. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from SUNY Plattsburgh and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Amy lives in London, England, with her partner, Tash.
Ryan LeBlanc, Class of 2009
Ryan began his career in athletics as a successful, three-sport athlete at Morrisville-Eaton and went on to a successful wrestling career at Indiana. While earning his Master’s, he served as Cortland’s Assistant Wrestling Coach, and he moved on to that same position at Appalachian State University in North Carolina after graduating. During his four years at Appalachian State, he helped lead the team to 3 Conference Championships, All-American honors for students and many other accolades. In 2020, he was named to his current position as Head Wrestling Coach at The Citadel in South Carolina, and he has turned the program from a 10-38 four-year record to 31-20. Under his leadership, his teams have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in all four years, and they have won two Conference Championships, among other accolades. Ryan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology from Indiana University and a Master’s Degree in Sports Management from SUNY Cortland. He lives in South Carolina with his wife, Morgan.
On behalf of the entire Morrisville-Eaton school district and community, congratulations to our newest members of the Wall of Fame!