Ron Covey Named Citizen of the Year

The Greater Manchester Chamber will honor Ron Covey as its next Citizen of the Year. A tradition that dates back to 1954, the Citizen of the Year Celebration recognizes one outstanding individual that demonstrates exemplary vision, civic pride, and commitment to the betterment of the Manchester community.

As president & CEO of St. Mary’s Bank, Covey not only actively encourages employee giving and volunteerism, but he also models the way. Covey represents the very essence of the Citizen of the Year award as someone who has achieved business success while giving selflessly to the community.

The Chamber will be honoring Covey at its 2022 Citizen of the Year Celebration, presented by The Elliot, on Wednesday, June 15th at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown.

Ron Covey’s nomination for Citizen of the Year was championed by Ken Senus, COO of St. Mary’s Bank. In his nomination, Senus said that “As a volunteer, philanthropist, leader and business executive, Ron Covey has made and continues to make important contributions to the Manchester community. He considers, at every turn, what he does for others. Ron ultimately demonstrates the values that unequivocally qualify him to be Citizen of the Year. Ron never seeks any attention for the good work that he does, he does it because he has a passion for helping others.”

As CEO of St. Mary’s Bank, one of his goals was to build on the credit union’s mission to serve the ever-diversifying population of Manchester. In 2017, Covey introduced the 1908 Fund to assist area nonprofit organizations as part of the credit union’s philanthropic efforts. In 2020, Covey facilitated the distribution of donations from the institution totaling more than $275k to over 90 charitable and non-profit organizations. Covey spearheaded the establishment of St. Mary’s Bank’s Charitable Foundation in 2019.

“Throughout his business tenure, Ron Covey has been committed to dedicating his time and talents to nonprofit and social service agencies to make his community a better place. We are so lucky to have a tireless leader in Ron who works to lift our most vulnerable population in our city. Ron has had a positive impact on every nonprofit board he has served on, which is a testament to his leadership skills and generosity,” said Diane Fitzpatrick, CEO, Boys & Girls Club of Manchester.

Covey lives the credit union’s motto “people helping people,” and currently plays a role on the following non-profit boards: Boys and Girls Club Greater Manchester, America’s Credit Union Museum, Daniel Webster Council, and the advisory board of the University of New Hampshire at Manchester. Past Affiliations include: the Cooperative Credit Union Association, NH Institute of Art, Bishop’s Charitable Assistance Fund, Greater Manchester Chamber, NH Union Leader, Robie’s Historic Preservation Foundation, NH Business and Industry Association, NH High Tech Council, and the Manchester Regional Community Foundation.