Mary Ellen Burris

Mary Ellen Burris was inducted into the inaugural College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. She was previously inducted into the College of Education and Human Services Hall of Fame in 2014.

A native of West Virginia, Burris earned a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University in 1955 and a master’s degree in educational psychology from the University of Rochester. She began her career as a teacher and Cooperative Extension agent in New Jersey and New York and, for Cornell University, co-authored and co-hosted the award-winning educational television series Be A Better Shopper with consumer economist Heinz Biesdorf.

In 1971, Burris joined Wegmans Food Markets as the “voice of the customer,” ultimately building a 100-person department encompassing consumer response and customer services, food safety and quality assurance, community relations, public relations, and sustainability. Over a 49-year tenure, she advanced consumer education through thousands of weekly columns, helped launch the “Strive for Five” healthy-eating campaign, promoted local agricultural sourcing, and supported food-waste reduction initiatives. Her work helped shape the company’s philosophy and customer-first culture, and Wegmans earned national recognition on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” including a No. 1 ranking, and was rated the nation’s top supermarket by Consumer Reports in 2014. She retired in 2020 as senior vice president of consumer affairs.

Burris served on advisory and policy bodies, including the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education and Human Development, the Advisory Committee for the Center for Produce Safety at UC Davis, the New York Wine & Culinary Center board, and the Healthy Kids Policy Team of the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency.

Her honors include the Food Marketing Institute’s Esther Peterson Award for Consumer Service (2000), the inaugural Chairman’s Award from the New York Wine & Culinary Center (2013), and the Warner School of Education and Human Development Distinguished Alumni Award (2025), among many others recognizing leadership in consumer affairs, public health, and community engagement.