The Rotary Club of Corning, NY was honored to welcome Mike Hankey, Deputy Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem as guest speaker at the Club’s August 30, 2018 meeting. Hankey has been in the U.S. Foreign Service since 2001, and has served as Deputy Consul General in Jerusalem since July 2017. Prior to his current role he served as Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where he led an interagency team promoting economic, commercial and security ties in the heart of the Saudi oil and petrochemical industry.
In his lunchtime talk at the Radisson Hotel Corning, Hankey shared three lessons he has learned during his career and world travels. First, as a native of the Finger Lakes region, he recognizes that he “comes from an amazing place.” The people Hankey has met around the world are familiar with the products that have been developed right in Corning, including Pyrex and Gorilla Glass, and the beauty of the Finger Lakes rivals that of any geographic region.
Secondly, Hankey has learned from years of packing light and being prepared to leave a country on a moment’s notice, that people don’t need as much as they think they do.
Lastly, Hankey has learned that identity matters. Who we are and what makes each of us special is important, and we should always remember where we come from. This philosophy has helped Hankey discover balance, embrace tolerance and develop confidence in all he does.
Hankey’s first introduction to world travel was as a Rotary exchange student to India while in high school. He graduated from George Washington University with a Bachelors’ Degree in International Studies, and Indiana University with a Master’s in Language Education.