A Bank Customer’s Crisis Sparked Decades of Service to Brookhaven Women

The Town of Brookhaven Women’s Services Advisory Board traces its beginnings to a woman who walked into a local bank during the mid-1980s facing the collapse of her marriage—and with little idea how to manage her own finances.

She had no bank account or savings in her name and did not know how to write a check, according to retired Judge Marion McNulty, the board’s longtime member and current chairwoman.

The bank manager, Edie Myers, recognized that the customer needed far more assistance than the bank could provide. She reached out to Edna Gerrard, whose husband, Gene Gerrard, was then serving on the Brookhaven Town Council, and asked whether the town had an office equipped to help women facing similar circumstances.

There was none.

“Edna said there really ought to be a women’s services committee, board or agency in the town to help women who needed assistance,” McNulty recalled.

That conversation became the foundation of what would grow into the Town of Brookhaven Office of Women’s Services and its volunteer advisory board, established in 1986 and now approaching four decades of service.

Gene and Edna Gerrard began exploring how such a group could be formed, with Edna contacting women throughout the community who had the experience, interest and determination to help.

“Gene being the guy he was and Edna being the gal she was, they made it happen,” McNulty said.

The founding members represented different professions, backgrounds and community organizations. McNulty said the board was never intended to be political. Its strength came from bringing together women with wide-ranging knowledge of the law, social services, health care, labor, education, business and government.

Vice Chair Marissa Pizza, who has served on the board since 2011, said that diversity remains one of its greatest strengths.

“We have a super-active board,” Pizza said. “It’s a team of women from different areas of business, expertise and community work in the Town of Brookhaven.”

Pizza described McNulty as a central force behind the organization and someone whose decades of experience continue to guide its work.

“She’s wonderful,” Pizza exclaimed. “She and I are close, we work very closely together, and she’s a great chair.”

McNulty joined the board in 1988, shortly after being elected to Suffolk County Family Court. Edna Gerrard, who had served as McNulty’s campaign manager, made it clear that participation was not optional.

“She said, ‘You will be on the board whether you like it or not,’” McNulty said. “Nobody said no to Edna.”

The Gerrards were much more than political and community associates to McNulty. She said Edna became like another mother to her after McNulty lost her own mother at a young age. Gene and Edna referred to McNulty as their fifth daughter. “They were an extremely important part of my life,” she said.

Edna passed away in 2015 at 86, but Gene is still going strong at 104. He’s still involved in his community and was recognized as a volunteer of the year in the Finger Lakes Town of Canandaigua where he lives with his daughter.

“Edna was a trailblazer for women in the 60s and 70s and a successful businesswoman,” noted Charles Lefkowitz, a former colleague with Gene on the Brookhaven Town Board. “She used to say in front of every successful man is a successful woman.”

In its early years, the advisory board operated with limited resources and struggled to gain strong institutional support. Despite those challenges, it arranged for a social worker to counsel grieving families and enlisted an attorney to provide general guidance to women facing separation, divorce and custody issues.

The board could not always solve a person’s problem directly, McNulty pointed out, but its members often knew where that person should turn. That remains one of its central functions today.

Program Director Sharon Boyd handles calls from residents seeking help with employment, resumes, utility bills, housing, family crises and other hardships. Although the office is geared primarily toward women, Pizza said assistance is available to anyone who reaches out.

“The helpline deals with women who have all kinds of crises, whether it’s trouble paying a heating bill, going through a separation, needing assistance or trying to leave a difficult situation,” Pizza said. “We will take calls from men, too. Anybody looking for help, Sharon will assist.”

A resident might need help understanding where to seek an order of protection, file a child support petition, obtain counseling, address a school attendance problem or locate an attorney with the appropriate expertise. Through the board’s broad network, residents can be directed toward the proper court, agency, nonprofit organization or professional service.

“The breadth of the membership has always been so broad and so apolitical that we have been able to provide residents of the Town of Brookhaven with an enormous amount of information,” McNulty explained.

One of the organization’s most significant accomplishments came in the 1990s, when Women’s Services leaders learned about Dress for Success, a developing program that provided professional clothing and career support to women entering or returning to the workforce.

The board voted to establish what McNulty described as the first municipally supported Dress for Success chapter in the world and one of the organization’s earliest chapters overall.

Dress for Success became a cornerstone of Brookhaven Women’s Services, offering professional clothing, career guidance and courses for women seeking to reenter the workforce.

The organization’s work continued to expand.

Over the years, it has organized workshops on finances, grief, caring for elderly parents, raising children while assisting aging relatives, health, gardening, food preservation, technology, cybersecurity and the safe use of artificial intelligence.

Pizza said the board typically presents free workshops at Town Hall each month, outside the summer season, covering subjects intended to help residents in their personal and professional lives.

“We really try to offer anything that could assist somebody in the Town of Brookhaven,” she said. “It is geared toward women, but we welcome everybody.”

The board has also hosted conferences addressing human trafficking and women’s wellness. Its annual fall conference brings together speakers, businesses and service providers under one roof.

This year’s conference, “Navigating Women’s Wellness,” will feature workshops on aging, nutrition, pregnancy, health and physical activity, along with information tables and donated wellness prizes.

“It’s a really nice day where we try to provide a lot of resources for anybody in the Town of Brookhaven,” Pizza said. “We want to make it the best experience we can and give people useful information all in one place.”

Each March, the organization celebrates Women’s History Month by recognizing Brookhaven women for achievements in fields including medicine, nursing, education, law enforcement, the military, athletics, the arts, law, social work, government and community service.

“We have honored some incredible women,” Pizza said. “They range from local volunteers and youth leaders to women at Brookhaven National Laboratory who are solving some of the most complex scientific problems of our time.”

McNulty received the recognition herself in 1988. Twenty years later, her daughter, a U.S. Navy officer, was honored as an outstanding young woman in the military.

McNulty served 27 years on the Family and Supreme Court benches. While she remained involved with Women’s Services throughout her judicial career, she avoided taking a leadership position because of ethical concerns connected to her role as a judge. After retiring, she was asked to take a more prominent position with the board.

Pizza said McNulty’s long service, legal background and institutional knowledge have made her an invaluable leader.

“She has been part of this board almost from the beginning,” Pizza said. “She brings an incredible amount of experience, but she also cares deeply about helping people and making sure the board continues moving forward.”

McNulty credits the board’s longevity not to any single chairwoman or member, but to generations of volunteers and town employees who believed in its mission.

The organization has had numerous leaders through the years, including Lorraine Rickman, Cecile Forte, Marianne Gillan and Celeste Simpson. Executive directors and staff members, including Teresa Leife and Boyd, helped turn referrals, workshops and outreach into direct assistance for Brookhaven residents.

Pizza said the current board remains united by the same spirit.

“Everyone pulls their weight,” she said. “They are hard workers, they are supportive, and they come from different areas of business and community life. There’s no competition. Everybody wants to see each other shine.”

That atmosphere is one of the reasons Pizza has remained involved for 15 years.

“When you work with people who truly believe in making their community better, it is incredibly rewarding,” she said. “You see people get helped, get the resources they need and enjoy the programs you worked to create.”

McNulty believes much of the organization’s work has occurred quietly, without the public recognition it deserves.

“We are unsung heroes,” she said. “We are an unsung but important asset to the town.”

Nearly four decades after a bank manager encountered a woman who did not know where to turn, the organization created through the determination of Gene and Edna Gerrard continues to serve the same fundamental purpose.

“We are devoted to serving all the residents of the Town of Brookhaven, but particularly its women,” McNulty said. “There are services people do not know about, and very often someone on this board knows where they can find the help they need.”