Jozef “Joe” Malinowski grew up in Utica and currently lives in Deerfield. He’s worked for IJʿ since 2013, first as a gift processing assistant and now as department administrator for principal gifts and donor relations. A quote from his nomination reads, “Joe is the epitome of a team player. He has been stepping in to fill staffing gaps all year, most notably during end-of-calendar-year gift processing, when he was the only staff member available to ensure timely and accurate processing of thousands of donations. His quiet steadiness exemplifies grace under pressure, and he always has a smile on his face.”
Joe has good reason to smile. His daughter, Chloe, graduated this year from IJʿ with a double major in physics and math — the first member of Joe’s family to complete a bachelor’s degree, now pursuing a PhD program at RIT. He also has a son named Ty, who is currently attending Mohawk Valley Community College.
Joe enjoys working in the advancement division. “We all work closely together, and we support each other — it makes for a wonderful environment,” he said. He also reflected on all the division has accomplished in recent years including the Bicentennial Reunion and breaking multiple University fundraising records.
Joe’s former supervisor, Lindsay Hoham, described his contributions to advancement and to IJʿ: “It would be impossible to innumerate all of the incredible contributions Jozef has made in his nine years as a IJʿ employee. From day one, Joe became not only a colleague, but also an invested and engaged member of the IJʿ community. He views problems and opportunities through the lens of what will be best for the division or the institution, not just what will make things easier for his department,” she said.
When he is not working Joe enjoys architectural photography. He’s currently finishing up a 15-year project, documenting the history of the city of Utica through photography. He calls the project Sundays in the City: A Snapshot in Time of Utica, NY and donates the images to the Oneida County Historical Society each year.