Corporate Leadership Honoree

The Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA) has been serving franchised new car dealers in the New York metro area for more than a century.

From its earliest days in Brooklyn, the Association has proudly served lower New York’s dealers and their employees. The Association’s dealers have historically been part of the industry’s greatest advances and they’ve passed down their knowledge to their children and grandchildren, who often run those same dealerships today.

The Association has a collection of Allied Members who support every aspect of the automobile industry. Together, association members are a powerful economic force, providing thousands of jobs, paying millions in tax revenue and donating to hundreds of charities.

The auto industry is dynamic and constantly evolving, and GNYADA is evolving with it. The Lincoln Technical Institute program at the Association’s Center for Automotive Education & Training helps prepare enrollees for careers in the automotive industry. These young people continue to impress organizational leaders with their vitality, commitment and ideas for the future.

In addition to efforts to recruit new talent into the industry, the Association serves as a model for trade associations across the nation. GNYADA strives to develop and maintain programs that enable its members to succeed in the ever-changing automotive retail market.

Sergeant Major MaryKay Messenger

U.S. Army Lead Vocalist, West Point Band

Sergeant Major MaryKay Messenger is a native of Newburgh, New York, and a well-known soloist throughout the Hudson Valley region, performing classical, Broadway, jazz and popular music. She is the premier vocalist for the West Point Band and first sang with them at their season finale 1812 concert in 1980, at the age of 12. She continued throughout the years as a guest vocalist for a variety of concerts until she joined the Army in 1996. Sergeant Major Messenger performed as a soloist for a European Summer Broadway Tour and has appeared locally in several musicals including Godspell, Shenandoah and Grease. She has sung operatic roles in Montclair, New Jersey, with the Amato Opera Theatre in New York City and at the Bardavon Opera House in Poughkeepsie, New York.

While in the Army, she has performed with the famous Irish Tenors, Frank Patterson, John McDermott, the Nexus percussion ensemble and soprano Sylvia McNair. Sergeant Major Messenger performed as a featured soloist for the West Point Band’s Bicentennial Concert in Carnegie Hall, the Royal Norwegian Military Band in Oslo, Norway and as the first American military vocalist to perform with the military band of the People’s Liberation Army in Beijing, China. She has performed as a soloist for the Boston Pops 2013 Holiday Concert at Eisenhower Hall Theatre and their 2015 Summer Concerts in Nantucket/ Hyannis. She has performed the National Anthem for many high-profile events such as the 2012 Bruce Springsteen concert “Stand Up for Heroes” in New York City, Madison Square Garden for the New York Knicks, at the opening/closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange and Radio City Music Hall for World Championship Boxing. She has also sung regularly at Yankee Stadium, including a live, televised performance of “God Bless America” for Game 1 of the 2009 World Series and likewise for the New York Mets Game 3 of the 2015 World Series. Sergeant Major Messenger also sings for numerous New York Jets and Giants football games. She is often highlighted in Army football halftime shows and performs for many official functions at West Point and in New York City for distinguished guests, politicians and international dignitaries. Her most recent performance was at the United Nations General Assembly with the West Point Band.

Along with her vocal accomplishments, she was honored with the 2017 Orange County Women of Achievement, the Presidential Volunteer Awards and the Mount Saint Mary College Distinguished Alumni Award for her service throughout the community. Sergeant Major Messenger resides in Milton, NY with her husband David and daughters Emma and Grace.

Jamie McDonald Auctioneer

After Oxford University, Jamie McDonald spent 10 years on Wall Street, much of it working for Steve Cohen in New York as Partner and Portfolio Manager of then SAC Capital, now Point 72. In 2014, he swapped trading screens for the small screen and began hosting travel shows for the likes of Travel & Leisure and Conde Nast, and also finance series for the Wall Street Journal, LSEG and Real Vision, amongst others. But it was in 2016 when chance made him auctioneer for the night in upstate New York, and he’s never looked back. Jamie has spent the last seven years raising millions for charities on stage all over America. Jamie currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters.