Retired Real Estate Developer; Former Pres, Otsego Land Trust; Former Pres, Princeton (NJ) Public Library

Otsego County abounds in natural beauty and historic significance. Above all, however, we share a deep sense of community that serves as the base for the Community Foundation. I feel privileged to join in creating this new enterprise that is focused on improving the quality of life for everyone in our county. As a retired real estate developer, I can contribute my entrepreneurial skills to growing this young organization. My wife Ellen and I split our time between our farm in Springfield and our house in Princeton, NJ.

Former Mayor of Oneonta; Former COO, Opportunities for Otsego

Attracted by the sense of community and the unmatched beauty of our natural environment, I first moved to Otsego County in 1975.  Since that time, I have had the good fortune to have served as the Director of the Oneonta Job Corps Center, the COO of Opportunities for Otsego, and as the Mayor of the City of Oneonta.  My work has allowed me to become familiar with the needs and challenges faced by various segments of our local community and to do my best in providing for improved safety, financial security, opportunities, and quality of life for all.  The Community Foundation of Otsego County can now provide us with a much needed additional resource in serving all members of our community.

President, Bank of Cooperstown

For the past 33 years my family has been proud to call Otsego County home.  We have worked here, raised a family here, our kids went K -12 here, owned a small business, and started a bigger business.  It is a great place to call home.  As a banker the opportunity to help people runs deep and the Community Foundation of Otsego County continues that helping hand for our County.  As a board member I will continue to love Otsego County and the many attributes we have including the community foundation.

Executive Director, Springbrook

Patricia Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer of Springbrook, is a strategic leader dedicated to providing the most compassionate, skilled, and leading edge supports for individuals with developmental disabilities. She has established herself as a prominent figure among New York State’s strong special education and developmental disabilities service industry—guiding Springbrook through an unprecedented period of growth and transformation from a small local organization with 200 employees to a commanding regional agency with over 1,400 employees supporting over 1,000 individuals and families.

Kennedy has received many accolades for her work including being named the 2005 New York State Developmental Disabilities Council Administrator of the Year and 2015 New York State Woman of Distinction. Her efforts as Springbrook CEO have seen the organization grow to offer a full range of services that span a person’s lifetime, including residential, educational, therapeutic, and community support options. She was also instrumental in the foundation of Southern Tier Connect, one of New York’s Care Coordination Organizations, for which she serves as Board Chair.

Retired EVP, Mobil Oil; Former Trustee, Village of Cooperstown

I strongly believe Otsego County will benefit greatly from a Community Foundation to help address long-standing problems and help make better use of our assets. Many years ago, as a director of the Mobil Foundation, I learned that providing financial support to local groups that have carefully targeted, well designed and well managed programs can help a community jumpstart action to solve difficult problems. The Community Foundation of Otsego County (CFOC) was in its formative stages when the COVID pandemic hit. CFOC quickly established a COVID Relief Fund. With volunteer help and financial support from the community,  we provided immediate aid to more than twenty local organizations for specific projects related to the pandemic, demonstrating the creative, nimble, responsive philanthropy we can achieve by working together.

Former Chair, Otsego County Board of Representatives; Real Estate Broker; Farmer 

Retired President, SUNY Oneonta

After I retired in 2008, Annie and I decided to remain in Otsego County. We take full advantage of our natural surroundings, cultural activities,  good friends, and opportunities to volunteer. Joining the Community Foundation certainly has been a way of making new friends and serving the commonweal.  “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” -Winston Churchill

Board Member, The Butternut Valley Alliance; Former Member, Otsego County Board of Representatives

Otsego County’s Butternut Valley has been my home for most of my life. I grew up here and happily decided to return after college and time abroad to work and raise a family. My service in local government at the Town and County level has given me first-hand experience with the wide range of challenges our local community faces. Serving on the Board of the Community Foundation of Otsego County is a opportunity for me to continue to work collaboratively to address those challenges, and expand opportunities in our region.

Career in Education, Ph. D., Pennsylvania State University

I passionately believe that the strength of our democracy comes in an active and engaged civil society. For me as a new member of Otsego County this means working with and learning from this community to provide insights on how to strengthen our region based on my experience and insights. I am excited to be part of the Community Foundation of Otsego County for it exemplifies the kind of effort that I see as critical to a healthy, prosperous community.

Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the DreamYard Project, Inc., a Bronx-based arts and social justice pedagogy organization.

I am honored to join the Board of the Community Foundation of Otsego County; I got a chance to work with students and educators from across the county this past year as part of the Student Voices, Student Choices program, and it reinforced for me two very important truths: we have many challenges here in Otsego County, but they are challenges we can do something about by working together and by investing in the innovation and energy of the next generation and of the communities that are raising them.

The Clark Estates; Member, Otsego County Board of Representatives

I moved to Cooperstown in 2000 to attend the Cooperstown Graduate Program where I met my spouse Melissa, and we now reside in Fly Creek with our daughters, Caroline and Charlotte.  I’ve worked for 16 years at the New York Council of Nonprofits providing management and governance assistance to local nonprofits. I am a longstanding Cooperstown Chamber board member (and on the boards of Cornell Cooperative Extension; Mothers and Babies Perinatal Network; and Leatherstocking Council BSA) and I serve as an elected Representative for Otsego County. I believe investment in the nonprofit community is essential to supporting our residents health and quality of life.

Director, Otsego County Office for the Aging

I was raised on a farm in Delaware County, but anxious to see more of the world and find my own path. I had the good fortune to travel the country, meet great mentors and find my passion for aging, all of which ultimately led me back to my rural roots. I’m proud to call this area my home and humbled to work alongside the dedicated leadership of the Community Foundation to help strengthen our community and maintain our rural values, while creating opportunities for all residents to live and age well.

President & CEO, New York Central Mutual Insurance

Born in Cooperstown, raised in Edmeston, and now living in Otego with my husband, I am proud to call Otsego County home. My family roots date back to the 1800’s in Edmeston with the founding of NYCM Insurance in 1899, an insurance company established on the core principle of community members coming together to be able to support and protect their neighbors.

I carry a deep sense of commitment and responsibility to the wellness of the people and the health of the communities of this county. I am excited to be able to play a more active role in promoting and enhancing what Otsego County has to offer through the Community Foundation of Otsego County.

Retired School District Superintendent: Edmeston, Oneonta & Stamford CSD

I am a native of Otsego County, but my career took me out of the County from 1983 to 2003. When Gail and I moved back, we did so with the intention to remain here in retirement. I see my participation on the Board of Directors of CFOC as an opportunity to give back to the community where I was fortunate to grow up. I believe the Foundation can be a force for the public good in a manner that will have a positive impact on all the residents of Otsego County.

Retired Director of Finance and Administration in the legal field; Trustee of The Glimmerglass Festival; Board Member, Musica Viva NY

I was born in Oneonta and soon after, my family relocated to the mid-west; fortunately, we often returned upstate to visit family and friends. Although I now split my time between Otsego County and New York City, it is here that I feel most at home. The beauty of the terrain, the friendliness of the people and the abundance of cultural and outdoor activities combine to make Otsego County an exceptionally inviting place to live.

Long a supporter of the community foundation’s concept, I greeted with great enthusiasm the recent establishment of the organization here in Otsego County. I am pleased and honored to have joined this remarkable group of local leaders who are dedicated to bringing together the area’s many resources for the purpose of improving the lives of our neighbors throughout the community.

Intern, SUNY-Oneonta Leadership Development Program