As another year turns, Rochester’s leaders and creators take a collective pause to reflect on what has shaped them and what they hope to carry forward. In a season often associated with resolutions and reinvention, five local voices offer something deeper than checklists or self-improvement plans. They speak to gratitude as a grounding force, growth as a continual process, and intention as a quiet but powerful compass for the year ahead.
Malik Evans, Rochester City Mayor
As 2025 draws to a close, Rochester Mayor Malik Evans leans into the values that have guided him through a year marked by achievement and profound personal loss. He is especially grateful for his faith, family, and friendships, anchors that ground him daily. Gratitude, for him, is an active practice. He makes a point of thanking the people who support him, and he spends a few quiet minutes each day in reflection, mindful of “a past to remember, a present to live in, and a future to build.”
This year brought difficult reminders of life’s fragility. The passing of his sister and a longtime team member at young ages deepened his commitment to focus on what truly matters and to rise above negativity that can cloud public life.
Gratitude, he believes, is a catalyst for growth, personally, spiritually, and across the community. His own growth is fueled by simple goals: to learn something new every day and to help his city thrive. His family and the Rochester community inspire him to remain curious and adaptable, and he views learning as a lifelong journey.
His hopes for Rochester reflect that spirit. He wishes residents to recognize the good in themselves and in one another, shifting from a focus on what’s wrong to what’s possible.
Erica Fee, Rochester Fringe Festival Founder and CEO
Erica Fee reflects on a year shaped by gratitude, perspective, and renewed purpose. Now also representing Rochester and the Finger Lakes on the New York State Council on the Arts, she says the dual role feels especially meaningful because of her love for this region and the people who shape it.
As the Fringe prepares for its 15th season in 2026, Fee finds herself grateful for the collective effort that makes it the largest multidisciplinary arts festival in New York State. She says the staff, artists, and a community hungry for new ideas have risen together.
Her sense of gratitude is also personal. After her father and a founding Fringe member died in 2024, Fee reevaluated her path, leading to her reopening her production company, Your Attention Please. This year has been busy but joyful, and she reaffirms that growing older is a gift, with more time, more wisdom, and fewer repeated mistakes.
Her intention for 2026 is simple: Stay curious, embrace opportunities as they arise, and savor what makes life meaningful.
Rt. Rev. Kara Wagner Sherer, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester
The Rt. Rev. Kara Wagner Sherer, newly serving in Rochester, says her life feels “rich and full,” leaving her with more gratitude than she can name. “What am I not grateful for?” she reflects, noting that gratitude is woven into her daily life and her vocation.
As a Christian and a bishop, she sees thankfulness as foundational, saying, “Every day begins with gratitude—gratitude for the very life God has given us, the people we share it with, and the earth itself.”
Self-reflection, she believes, shouldn’t be saved for the year’s end. In an always-online culture, she encourages pausing “before we text or post” to reshape how we speak and listen. This past year deepened her sense of purpose as she watched clergy and Episcopalians "show up in times of crisis," caring for neighbors, supporting immigrants, celebrating individuals from all walks of life, defending democracy, and protecting creation.
Her hope for the community is greater unity, civility, and commitment to the common good. “You have within yourself the gifts you need to thrive, but you can’t truly realize those gifts without the help of others… I hope this year you can fulfill your incredible potential.”
Maggie Coleman, RocGirlWalks founder
A growing force in cultivating connection across Rochester, Coleman finds herself most grateful for community and connection, whether that’s clients, friends, or the women who consistently show up to walk, talk, and support one another. Within community, she says, “gratitude is contagious,” creating a ripple effect of support and closeness.
Gratitude, for Coleman, isn’t just a feeling. It’s a practice that fuels growth by keeping us open to lessons, possibility, and one another. Year-end reflection offers a needed pause to acknowledge growth and honor progress, and she says her biggest lesson in 2025 was learning to trust herself, her voice, her path, and her way of showing up.
Her hope for the year ahead is that the women of RocGirlWalks continue to feel seen, connected, and empowered, and that the community keeps expanding in meaningful, authentic ways.
Dr. Seanelle Hawkins, Urban League of Rochester President and CEO
Dr. Seanelle Hawkins steps into the new year grounded in gratitude, renewed creativity, and a clearer sense of purpose. For her, gratitude begins at home; her family remains her foundation no matter how full her days become. Thankfulness extends to her work as well. Leading the Urban League is, she says, not just a responsibility but a privilege she approaches with intention.
Gratitude also keeps her centered in a world that moves quickly. She begins each morning with prayer and pauses throughout the day to thank God for the gift of time, perspective, and possibility. These small moments of stillness opened the door to rediscovery this year, such as the afternoon she watched leaves fall outside her office and felt inspired to write poetry again. “It reminded me that joy lives in us, even when we forget to make room for it,” she reflects.
The year brought challenges that strengthened her resilience and confidence. She learned to lean into difficult tasks, trust her capacity, and reshape her experiences rather than be defined by them.
In 2026, Hawkins lets go of the belief that productivity defines her worth. Her focus for the year is to imagine boldly, innovate freely, and make space for herself without apology.
Her message for the community is clear: Prioritize joy, cherish connection, and walk boldly into what comes next.