Staff Report

Jenny McCloskey has taken the reins as the new president of the Rotary Club of Mercer Island. Her one-year term began on July 1, and she replaces outgoing president Judy Clibborn.

McCloskey said she was drawn to Rotary because of its focus on compassionate and useful projects for the community, both locally and internationally. She felt confident in the well-established organizational aspects of Rotary, including its drive to be knowledgeable about society and the environment, she added.

Raised in a family of doctors and nurses, she feels Rotary is a natural fit for someone who was around people who wanted to help. McCloskey’s goal as the local chapter’s new president is to help strengthen the club after the tumultuous pandemic years, she said.

Before receiving a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Barnard College/Columbia University in New York City, McCloskey competed with her horse, “The Inferno,” to win a Reserve Champion in Saddle Seat Equitation in a United States-wide competition held at The National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden. She has been passionate about horses ever since growing up in a house full of animals.

Over the years, McCloskey has worked as a private horse-riding and -training coach, legislative aide, and for the city of New York’s Art Commission and Landmarks Commission.