Board Member Bios
2025 Board of Directors
Cathi Annese
Cathi studied Education at CUNY. After graduation, she studied Horticulture at SUNY Farmingdale. She then went on to work at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens as Director of Children's & Community Horticulture for 10+ years. While working at BBG, Cathi taught numerous Horticulture classes at BOCES and also trained volunteers to give educational tours of BBG and to work in the education department as "teacher assistants".
Cathi then retired to Greene County in 1995, joining CCE as a 4-H Leader in 1996. She served on the Board of Directors for CCE of Greene County for two years then on the Board of Directors for CCE Columbia and Greene for six years. While on the Board, Cathi was Secretary for two years and Board President for two years. Cathi has also served on the 4-H program committee since it's inception and chaperoned many 4-H trips!
Michael Brown
.jpg?1677521335)
Michael is a Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Bowery
Capital, a venture capital firm based in New York and San Francisco. Prior to
Bowery Capital, Brown was a Co-Founder and General Partner at AOL Ventures.
Before AOL Ventures, Brown worked for the investment arm of Richard Branson’s
Virgin Group. He began his career at Morgan Stanley as an equity research
analyst covering systems hardware and technology infrastructure. Outside of his
professional life, Brown is based in Germantown NY and an avid fisherman and
passionate conservationist. He serves on the Board of Directors of the National
Forest Foundation and the Columbia College Alumni Association. He holds a B.A.
from Columbia University.
Elizabeth Chiong, Treasurer
I have been calling Athens New York home for the past 28 years. Growing up in the Catskill Mountains on holidays and long weekends I’m definitely not native to Upstate New York. I started my career on the Financial District of Wall Street as a teller. Literally moving my way up, I ended on the 54th floor of The World Trade Center as an accountant for a Reinsurance company called Guy Carpenter. As I made my move from New York City to the Catskills, I found myself managing a retail store for women’s shoes called Nine West. When the time came, I took a position with Blue Cross & Blue Shield as a Customer Service Representative, I then transferred to Value Options and then to MVP Health Care as a Senior Account Coordinator, in the marketing and sales department. After being laid off I found myself selling supplemental insurance for Combine Insurance. I did a complete 180 and found myself back in banking with Key Bank as a Personal Banker. As a result of my experience in banking I found myself at the National Bank of Coxsackie as their Branch Manager of their Athens location. I have been on the Board since mid-April 2023.
Joyce Crawford
Joyce Crawford is a Partner Attorney at Paolantonio Crawford PLLC, a Hudson-based Family Law practice representing clients through the southern capital district and northern Hudson Valley region. Joyce has extensive experience in criminal prosecution and advocacy for victims of domestic violence. She also currently serves Columbia County as a part-time conflict defender for indigent clients in family and criminal court. Outside of her professional work, Joyce volunteers with the Germantown Youth Sports organization, and enjoys spending time outdoors with her four children doing archery, horseback riding, and four-wheeling.
Christie Ellis
Christie has founded five companies and currently operates four brands. She has served as an expert on shows like World News Tonight and The Today Show and enjoys taking complex questions and making them easy to understand for everyone. Christie is the founder of Phoenix Story Coaching, a positive psychology based life and business coaching firm. The income tax reduction firm for commercial real estate owners, CRE Cash Strategies, 362 Eichybush LLC, a private CRE investment firm, and The Swell Party, a luxury catering company in The Hudson Valley that understands it’s not about us, it’s all about you. Christie has taught how to apply positive psychology to your life at SUNY in a course called Joyful Life Design; she is a guest lecturer to Boston University’s MBA program, and at franchise conventions and educational seminars around the country. She has served as a contributing writer in publications as varied as the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, NY Real Estate Journal, and Friends Journal: Quaker Thought and Life. In her spare time, Christie enjoys failing at gardening, but getting better at it each year, beekeeping, and being surrounded by dogs, cats, and chickens on the hobby farm where she lives. Christie enjoys helping as much as she can in her small Hudson Valley community, whether through raising funds for the Backpack Program, Mentoring through Big Brothers Big Sisters, or serving on committees in her town. Christie also donates free coaching to those with cancer, or caregivers of cancer patients. Having experienced both, she is dedicated to helping others through these experiences.
Jonathan Farber, Vice-President
Jonathan Farber is a landscape architect and farmer living in Greene County. In his work he regularly relies on Cornell Cooperative Extension staff across New York State for guidance, and for the past several years he has participated as a volunteer in the NY Master Forest Owner Program. Jonathan received a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design and Planning from the University at Buffalo, a Master of Public Administration degree from Columbia University, a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from Cornell, and a Certificate in Ecological Horticulture from the University of California, Santa Cruz Extension. For fun, Jonathan swims year-round in local lakes and streams.
Roberta Keller, Secretary
Roberta Keller is the daughter of Gale and Judy Bury. She
grew up in Columbia County and graduated from Ichabod Crane. She was a member
of the Blondies 4-H club for 10 years. She attended Plattsburgh State and
graduated with a Bachelor's degree of science in chemistry. After
graduation, Roberta helped her mom continue the club. She married Kent
Keller in 1987 and they have four children. When their son Brett was old
enough, Roberta started the Udderly Impossibles 4-H club and has
continued the club. Roberta received her Master's degree from
Sage Colleges and teaches math at Chatham Middle school. She is active in her
church and teaches Sunday school. In her
spare time, she enjoys sewing, quilting, and gardening.
Melissa Layman
I currently live in Valatie, NY with my fiance, Colin. I have two adopted sons who have participated in 4-H programs through Cornell Cooperative Extension. In my free time, I enjoy gardening, reading, and spending time with my extended family. Professionally, I have an associates degree from SUNY Cobleskill and have worked at Taconic Hills Central School District for over 20 years. Previously, I served as the District Clerk for the Taconic Hills Central School District Board of Education for approximately 12 years; as a member of the Dollars for Scholars Board, as well as a member of the Board of Directors for Columbia Opportunities when my youngest son was in preschool at Head Start.
Amanda Pierro
Amanda Pierro is a resident of Hudson and has lived in Columbia County for almost 20 years. For the past 16 years, she’s worked for the Mental Health Association of Columbia and Greene Counties, Inc. In a variety of roles including a victim advocate and program director. Amanda and her husband have two children and a black lab. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, and camping. Amanda currently serves as Co-Chair of the Columbia County Mental Health and Alcohol/Substance Abuse Subcommittee of the CC Community Services Board and is a board member of multiple statewide and community boards.
Dr. Rebecca Pinder
Rebecca Pinder grew up in rural upstate New York where she
spent her time riding and showing horses with 4-H and exploring the local
landscape. Her fascination with life
along streams and lakes led her to pursue a degree in Biology from SUNY
Cortland and later studied salamander biology at John Carroll University in
Cleveland where she received her Master’s degree in Ecology, Evolution, and
Behavior. After returning to New York,
she attended the University at Albany and studied interactions between
earthworms and stream-side salamanders. Earning her Doctoral degree, she looked to share her love of the natural
world with others and became an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at
Columbia-Greene Community College.She
currently teaches anatomy and physiology courses as well as general ecology
courses, including the River Ecology course held at the Hudson River Field
Station. She currently spends her spare
time running and hiking through the Catskill Mountains with her family.
Joseph Sniado
Joe lives in East Durham with his husband Michael Moy on a property that they have been developing for sustainable pastures, forest, and farmland. Their hobbies and pets include horses, chickens, dogs, forestry and beekeeping. They have also restored a 1914 commercial building in the village of Catskill in which they are operating a home goods store called High Rock Home which takes its inspiration from nature.
Joe retired from his professional career in finance and technology of thirty years, when he stepped down as CIO of Standard and Poor’s, the rating agency in 2015. He has a BA in Economics from SUNY Buffalo and an MBA in Finance and Information Systems from Hofstra University.
Joe feels very connected to the Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountains having spent his summers here growing up and continuing as a weekend homeowner until his retirement in 2015 when he became a full-time resident. He has taken online programs: farming; forestry; permaculture; and beekeeping. He has served as a committee member and eventually the chair of the Durham Comprehensive Planning Committee. Joe is also very interested in how communities of real-world interests can be created despite all of all technological distractions.
Paul Spoleti
Paul moved to the Hudson Valley from Queens at a very young age. First moving to Germantown where he discovered his love of horses and joined 4-H. Soon after the family moved to a horse farm in Red Hook where he remained until attending college at FIT. Earning a bachelors degree, he began his career in the fashion industry. First working for a textile company in NYC and eventually moving to Los Angeles and co- founded a fast fashion teen brand called Mimi Chica. With 20 plus years of experience as owner/operator of the company he sold the brand in 2019 and moved back to the Hudson Valley with his family. Once again calling Germantown home. Upon returning to the area Paul became the GM of Liberty Farms a multifaceted farm in Ghent NY. Quite a change from the fashion industry but more in harmony with his upbringing. Liberty Farms is where his relationship with Cornell cooperative extension started to develop. Recently Paul has returned to his entrepreneurial roots and is starting two new businesses, one a grab and go food business and the other an industrial hemp business focusing on animal bedding. The hemp business in a point of pride for Paul and believes he can change the bedding industry while having a positive impact on the environment. Paul has two children, his son Denim who is 30 and a musician in Los Angeles and Mia 19, a freshman at CU Boulder. Paul loves spending time with family and friends, and is and avid outdoorsman.
Virgilia Tegiacchi, President
Virgilia Tegiacchi is a Tax Specialist at Farm Credit East, ACA where she specializes in tax preparation, planning, and accounting. Virgilia has been with Farm Credit for 24 years and plays a significant role in the Claverack office’s tax preparation team including preparation of complex tax returns and mentoring new staff members.
Virgilia holds a B.S. from Cornell University and has an Enrolled Agent designation with the IRS.
Virgilia has always been involved in agriculture. She grew up on a small farm in Schoharie, NY, where she currently runs a small haying operation. Virgilia resides in Athens, NY, with her fiancé Kenn.
Angela Worth
Angela Worth grew up on a sheep farm located in Greene County, New York. After high school she left NY & moved to NJ to study early childhood education. She co-founded Little Genius Academy in New Jersey and worked as a director in the Edison & Metuchen locations. While working in New Jersey she also joined the Board of Directors for the Edison Chamber of Commerce for over 15 years. Angela also started a nonprofit which is the Art and Beautification Society of Edison. The project gets the local community involved with gardening & beautification projects for the local businesses. Angela and her husband Steven have five boys & one daughter but all are on their way to adulting, as she would say! In 2020 Angela returned to Greene County to begin her most challenging project. Angela and Steven made the decision to purchase the 120-acre family property owned by her late grandfather. The land was going to be sold to possible developers and that just wasn’t something that Angela was able could accept. Once the land was purchased, they thought about different ideas to make the farm sustainable. Today, Meadowbrook Farm Catskills, is a working flower farm & venue. Angela couldn’t be happier to call Greene County her home again. Angela grew up on a farm but will laugh and tell you she is now living her best life!
Last updated March 10, 2025