Chamber Announces 2010 Pineapple Ball Honorees

(L-R) Nasser Samman, Business Person of the Year; Joanne K. Adams, Citizen of the Year, and Allen S. Mathers, recipient, Community Achievement Awasrd. At the Garden City Chamber of Commerce’s 2010 kick-off luncheon at the Garden City Hotel on January 28, Roger Eltringham, Chamber president, announced the names of three extraordinary individuals who will be feted at the Chamber’s eighth annual Pineapple Ball gala on Friday evening April 23 at the Garden Citify Hotel.

Joanne K. Adams, a Garden City resident, is named Citizen of the Year.

Joanne is the Community Relations Manager for the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA). She serves the Garden City community as the President of the Garden City Chamber of Commerce Foundation, is Past President and Board member of the Garden City Historical Society, is a Director of the Property Owners’ Association of the Garden City Estates, is a Board member of the St. Mary’s and St. Paul’s Development Fund, and serves as a member of the Garden City Belmont Festival Committee.

In her position with NYRA, Joanne serves as a liaison between NYRA and the local communities surrounding Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course. She coordinates NYRA’s charitable giving and oversees NYRA’s participation in community events on and off track. In addition, Joanne is NYRA’s representative to the local business communities through their respective Chambers of Commerce.

The Honorable Allen S. Mathers, a 35 year resident of Garden City, will be the recipient of the Chamber’s coveted Community Achievement Award. Judge Mathers is serving his fourteenth year as Garden City’s elected Village Justice. He also serves as Chair of the Garden City Board of Ethics. Previously, Judge Mathers served as Mayor of the Village of Garden City from 1993-1995. It was in l993 that he signed the contract for the purchase of St. Paul’s school. Also that year, he created the Environmental Advisory Board, began the first expansion of Community Park and helped heal the community after the Long Island Railroad tragedy at Merillon Avenue.

In addition to his Village service, Allen Mathers serves as a Director and was formerly President of the Nassau County Magistrates Association, is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association’s Committees on Ethics and Professional Conduct as well as the Military Law Committee. He is a judicial Hearing Officer in several courts on County and State levels.

Nasser Samman, General Manager of the Garden City Hotel, has been named Garden City Business Person of the Year. This prestigious award recognizes significant contributions to the local economy, to the advancement of the aims and objectives of the Chamber of Commerce and to the welfare of the community.

Nasser Samman plays a key role in promoting Garden City, Nassau County and all of Long island. Appointed general manager of the Garden City Hotel in 2001, Nasser Samman possesses the dedication, enthusiasm and efficient management style that have sustained the Hotel’s reputation for elegance and unparalleled service. Further, he has been acknowledged and many times honored by the region’s tourism and business associations for his contributions, and in 2010, joined the board of the Long island Convention & Visitors Bureau and Sports Commission (LICVB&SC). With fellow board members, he takes general charge of the affairs, funds and property for the non-profit membership corporation promoting the Nassau-Suffolk region as a world-class destination thus contributing to the economic development and quality of life on Long island. Nasser Samman is a long-time member of the Garden City Chamber Board of Directors.