Annual Luncheon 2026 Honoree
Philanthropist, Independent Director, Activist, and Longtime Champion of Social Justice
Former CEO and President, Syms Corp.
Marcy Syms is a feminist philanthropist, social entrepreneur, and longtime champion of women’s leadership. Her life’s work reflects a deep commitment to equity, responsibility, and lasting impact. A devoted supporter of Elluminate for many years, Marcy embodies the belief that empowering women strengthens communities, institutions, and democracy itself.A nationally-recognized advocate for gender equality, Marcy has played a pivotal role in advancing the Equal Rights Amendment, having been there at the start of the ERA Coalition in 2013 and later serving as Board Chair of the Coalition and the Fund for Women’s Equality. Her leadership was instrumental in securing ERA ratification in Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia. Today, she continues this work as an advisor to The Marcy Syms Equality Initiative at NYU Law School.
A respected and barrier-breaking business leader, Marcy served as CEO and president of Syms Corp., guiding the family-founded company through national expansion and its public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. She was the youngest President of a NYSE IPO. Marcy is the founding trustee and president of the Sy Syms Foundation, which has awarded more than $73 million in philanthropic endeavors since its inception in 1985, supporting education, scientific research, social justice, and the arts. She has held leadership roles with organizations such as NPR, the Sy Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University, Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, The Forward, Harvard Kennedy School’s Women & Public Policy Program, the Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard, Tanenbaum, and The Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights.
Marcy is renowned as an educator, mentor, author and life-long learner. She graduated from the prestigious Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative, and was instrumental in creating and teaching the Retail Entrepreneur curriculum at Parsons School of Design. She is the author of Mind Your Own Business and Keep It in the Family, widely taught in business schools, and, most recently, Leading with Respect, published in 2025.
Across boardrooms, classrooms, and movements for change, Marcy Syms exemplifies Elluminate’s mission: visionary women’s leadership grounded in integrity, equity, and a profound sense of responsibility to future generations.
Original Article: https://elluminatewomen.org/luncheon2026/marcysyms/
