The FWA is pleased to share that Mary Barneby will be honored as the 2026 Non-Profit Sector Woman of the Year at the FWA's 70th Anniversary Gala on October 8, 2026.
We look forward to introducing additional honorees in the weeks ahead.
Mary Barneby served as the Regional Chief Executive for the American Red Cross of Greater New York from 2020 to 2023. In that role, she led a team dedicated to alleviating suffering caused by disasters and emergencies across the five boroughs of New York City, Long Island, Westchester and Rockland Counties, and Greenwich, CT. Prior to joining the Red Cross, Mary served for eight years as CEO of the Girl Scouts of Connecticut, where she led a major transformation of volunteer support services and technology enhancements.
Before her tenure as a nonprofit leader, she held various executive leadership positions in the financial services industry for more than 35 years, including major roles at Merrill Lynch and UBS. From 2012 to 2019, she served as a trustee of First Investor Funds, a $13 billion mutual fund concern.
As a longstanding member of the Financial Women’s Association, Mary served as its President from 2003-2004.
A lifelong volunteer, she has also served multiple non-profit agencies, including posts on the Board of Directors of the American Heart Association (NY Region), International Women’s Forum (CT), Interval House in Hartford, DOMUS, the YMCA of Stamford, and the Board of Governors at the University of New Haven, among others. She currently serves as Director of the Non-Profit Collective Foundation, a national not-for-profit dedicated to building capacity for smaller non-profits.
Mary received her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Philosophy, cum laude, from New York University and earned her MBA, with a concentration in Finance, from Fordham University's Gabelli School.
Retired in June 2023, Mary has found time to write a book for young readers on wetlands conservation and serves throughout the year as a very busy ordained wedding officiant in the area near her home. She is a grateful recent survivor of colon cancer and happily lives with her husband and border terrier, Tess, near the Delaware shore.
