Adirondack Foundation welcomes new trustees, launches Community Council
Thursday, April 22, 2021
LAKE PLACID — Adirondack Foundation, whose mission is to enhance the lives of people in the Adirondacks through philanthropy, welcomes Jim Allison, David Sand and Carolyn Sicher to its Board of Trustees. In addition to new trustees, the foundation also established a Community Council to broaden perspectives and engage people across the region.
In order to meet our mission, we need a strong board that understands the evolving needs of our communities,” said Adirondack Foundation Chairman Rich Kroes. “The collective skills and wisdom of our new trustees and community council members adds to the foundation’s overall effectiveness as we work to build healthier, stronger, more equitable communities.”
Allison, president of a company that provides respiratory services and home medical equipment for veterans, divides his time between Philadelphia and Schroon Lake.
“I am honored to join Adirondack Foundation’s Board of Trustees and thrilled to support the great work happening in the region,” Allison said.
Sand, an investment manager and trailblazer in socially-responsible investing, lives in Boston and spends time at a multigenerational family retreat in Saranac Lake.
“Adirondack Foundation plays a vital role in connecting philanthropically-minded individuals with some of the greatest needs of the Adirondack community,” Sand said. “I look forward to helping guide the Foundation in its important work.”
Sicher, a child psychologist, EMT, president of the Elizabethtown-Lewis emergency squad and entrepreneur, divides her time between New York City and Elizabethtown, where she and her husband own the Deer’s Head Inn.
“Adirondack Foundation supports hundreds of community-based organizations annually; I welcome this opportunity to help the Foundation work toward its vision for thriving communities,” said Sicher.
The Community Council includes a mix of professionals, students and retirees from across the region with a variety of skills and lived experiences. Council chair Collin McCullough, of Plattsburgh, said: “Understanding community needs is essential for effective philanthropy and this group of advisors is eager to jump in.”
The Community Council members are as follows:
- Jamie Baxter, investment banker retired, Inlet
- Meg Bobbin, Town of Plattsburgh Councilor, Cadyville
- Joanna Brunner, High Mowing Seeds, AuSable Forks
- Deb Cleary, ETS, Staffing, Recruiting and Consulting, Plattsburgh
- Jessica Cree-Jock, Akwesasne Boys & Girls Club, St. Regis Mohawk Reservation
- Jerry Delaney, prison guard retired, chairman of Adirondack Local Government Review Board, Cadyville
- Kim Elliman, Open Space Institute CEO, Coreys
- Becky Hession, Director of Track & Field at Andover Academy, Paul Smiths
- Peter Madden, Senior Associate at Silicon Valley Bank, Saranac Lake
- Collin McCullough, Northern Insuring, Plattsburgh
- Maxine Perry, Plattsburgh Housing Authority, Plattsburgh
- Wendy Pierce, Community Volunteer, Tupper Lake
- Jeremiah Pond, Franklin County Department of Social Service, Malone
- Alex Potter, MIT Sloan student, Long Lake
- Stacy Sadove, Fitzgerald & Sadove, education law, special needs, estate planning and guardianship, Saranac Lake
- Alex Sonneborn, Analytics, Strategy, & Quantitative Model Enthusiast, Saranac Lake
- Ben Strader, Hamilton Helps, Blue Mountain Center, Blue Mountain Lake
- Ayla Thompson, Pharmacist Walgreen's, Lake Placid & Ticonderoga
- Deirdre Tomlinson, Co-Founder; Head of Product, Community, and Marketing at Health Together, Blue Mountain Lake
- Lucy Ward, SUNY Plattsburgh student, Jay
- Susan Waters, community volunteer, Saranac Lake
- Ross Whaley, retired APA Chairman, retired SUNY ESF President, Tupper Lake