In a night marked by emotional tributes and heartfelt memories, longtime public servant Anthony Cancellieri was honored at the 38th Annual Mayor’s Golf and Dinner Classic, receiving the Eugene J. Murray Lifetime Achievement Award.
Held annually to benefit the Rockville Centre Community Fund, the event has raised approximately $2.5 million since its founding in 1987 by the late Mayor Eugene J. Murray.
Mayor Francis X. Murray opened the dinner at the Rockville Links on Sept. 29 with reflections on his father, “the greatest mayor this village ever had,” and shared the story of how he selected Cancellieri to be the village administrator.
Murray credited Cancellieri with being a founding force in sustaining the Community Fund, and for the first time ever, the evening’s honoree was also the recipient of the Eugene J. Murray Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award holds special meaning for Cancellieri, who not only served as village administrator under Mayor Murray but went on to hold senior roles in county government and in the nonprofit and healthcare sectors. A former NYPD lieutenant, Cancellieri later served as Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Department of Finance and Assistant Commissioner of NYC Parks and Recreation. He was then named village administrator of Rockville Centre and eventually became Chief Deputy County Executive under then-Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi. He later joined Park Strategies, LLC, a lobbying and business development firm, as a Vice President.
Cancellieri is currently Co-Chair of the Board at Mount Sinai South Nassau and serves on several boards within the Mount Sinai Health System, including the Boards of Trustees and the Board of the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at the Icahn School of Medicine. In 2024, he was appointed to the Board of the Healthcare Trustees of New York State.
Together with his wife, MaryLou, Cancellieri also co-founded RVC Blue Speaks, Inc., a grassroots nonprofit that supports individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Since its founding in 2018, the organization has raised more than $750,000 to support local autism initiatives and provide scholarships to deserving students.
Cancellieri, visibly moved, accepted the award with humility and gratitude. Reflecting on his time working with Mayor Eugene Murray, Cancellieri said, “Before there was a community fund, Eugene J. Murray was the community fund. I can’t tell you how many times he opened his wallet and gave it to people in need, whether it was a child that couldn’t afford books for school, a family that was short on tuition… He never, ever said no. He never, ever told anyone he was doing it. He just did it.”
The Community Fund helps Rockville Centre residents facing sudden hardships, such as illness, job loss or a death in the family. It offers quick and confidential financial assistance to those in need, either directly or through referrals from neighbors and friends.
Its main sources of funding are the annual Mayor’s Golf Classic and a second fundraiser held each February.
The evening ended with a toast — not just to the man who built a lasting community legacy, but to the spirit of Rockville Centre itself: neighbors helping neighbors, just as Eugene Murray envisioned nearly four decades ago.
For additional information or for any questions, call the Mayor’s office at (516) 678-9246.
