Board of Directors

Irene Banning

Chair

Irene Banning and her husband Jack own and manage Black Sheep Hill Farm in Pine Plains, NY.  Irene has worked as a law-enforcement analyst, public health educator and women’s health policy analyst, and her non-profit work has focused on social justice work and women’s empowerment. Irene served for 11 years on the board of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (six years as Chair), one of the world’s leading independent environmental research organizations, in Millbrook, NY.

Julie Berkun Fajgenbaum

Vice Chair

Julie Fajgenbaum is the Founder and CEO of Tweed Wolf, a NYC-based start-up launched in 2015. Aimed at helping frustrated people everywhere to enjoy their photos again, Tweed Wolf uses machine learning and talented designers to take the work out of preserving and sharing your memories. Prior to founding Tweed Wolf, Julie was the CMO of OPEN, a division of American Express, where she focused on supporting small business owners and launched the award-winning initiative, Small Business Saturday. She also held the position of General Manager, OPEN Credit Cards, a portfolio she grew at record levels. Prior to OPEN, Julie spent three years at McKinsey & Company in the Global Marketing and Technology groups. Julie has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Greenwich Village with her husband and three children. The family spends every possible weekend and vacation in Millerton.

Nancy Elting

Secretary

Nancy Elting has over 30 years experience as an educator and school administrator. For 18 years, Nancy worked at The Spence School as a 4th & 5th grade teacher, Head of Lower School, then Director of Admissions and later as the Head of School. She went on to serve as Interim Director at The Town Hill School, the Bronx Charter School for Children and the School at Columbia University. She has served on the board of The School at Columbia University and is currently serving on the Heads Council at The Spence School. Nancy and her husband John live in Millerton, but spend part of the year in Florida.

Meredith Tiedemann

Treasurer

Meredith Tiedemann lives in Salisbury, CT, full time and has worked in banking in the area for the past 18 years. A Certified Private Wealth Advisor, Meredith enjoys helping to navigate her clients through the financial challenges of life. She manages the Trust and Investment area for the Bank of Millbrook in Millbrook, NY. While primarily focused on families, Meredith has extensive experience in fiduciary work and managing portfolios for endowments and non-profits. Working and living in the area supports her passion for being deeply involved in the community as well as her love of hiking with her dog Theo. A former equestrian, Meredith spent many years volunteering and mentoring Pony Club members as well as being on the board of the Area 1 United States Eventing Association. She and her husband Tom are thoroughly enjoying being first time grandparents.

Tim Bontecou

Tim Bontecou spent his childhood living in the Millbrook area. At 12 he worked weekdays on Rally Farms in the summer and sailed in Rhode Island on the weekends. His elementary education occurred at The Dutchess Day School before he spent his high school years Holderness School in New Hampshire. Tim’s college education was split between SUNY Cobleskill and N.Y.U. After N.Y.U. he worked fulltime at Rally Farms for 14 years until beef farm returns diminished and taxes increased. After a brief stint in real estate, Tim started Tamarack Preserve in 1991 and is still involved daily with the club. He sits on the boards of the Dutchess County Land Conservancy, The Bank of Millbrook, Dutchess County Soil and Water Conservation, The Millbrook Hunt, and Quest, an education enrichment committee for the Berkshire Taconic Foundation. Tim likes to fish, hunt, sail, ski, and to spend time with his four granddaughters and their parents.

Rob Cooper

Rob Cooper is the owner & president of Associated Lightning Rod Co. located in Millerton, NY, with 18 employees. He has served as Trustee for the Village of Millerton, is a current board member of The Irondale School House and a member of the Lightning Protection Institute, the United Lightning Protection Association, the National Fire Protection Association, and the Millerton Business Alliance. Rob was raised in the town of North East, has been married to his wife Tammy for over 37 years, and together they have four sons and seven grandchildren.

Jodi Dady

After graduating from the University of Vermont, Jodi Dady moved to New York City to begin her career in the art world. She worked at the Leo Castelli Gallery for a decade and went on to form Mahony Dady Art Advisory where she remains a principal. Jodi and her husband Andrew raised their two children, Jillian and Alex, in NYC.  They enjoy spending time in their home in Pine Plains, NY with their family and large circle of friends. Most often, Jodi can be found walking on Prospect Hill Road, chatting throughout the four-mile loop.

During her long tenure as a board member of the American Friends of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Jodi conceived and oversaw the Tel Aviv Museum of Art Nursery School Art Exchange program; the program paired NYC nursery school children with young Israeli students of diverse ethnicities. The program, funded annually by Family Art Day at Pier 94 chaired by Jodi, cemented her reputation as a dependable volunteer. From book fairs, to school fundraisers, to parents committees, to the Millbrook Horse Trials, Jodi’s goal is to ensure everyone feels welcome and like a valued part of the community. Through a chance meeting with Assembly Member Didi Barrett’s adult children at the Scenic Hudson luncheon in 2013, Jodi began her interest in supporting local political candidates. This interest has only grown over time, with Jodi frequently hosting fundraisers for many local, state, and federal candidates. Jodi is extremely grateful for the wonderful friends she has made working side-by-side with the dedicated staff, volunteers, and committee members who work tirelessly for the NECC community. 

Edward Frederick

Edward Frederick worsk at SunRiver Health (formerly HRHCare). He began his work in Northeast Dutchess County in 2003. In 2006 he was selected as the NYS Rural Health Worker of the year by the New York State Rural Health Association. He lives with his wife, Ana Vilma, in Hillsdale, NY. Edward met his wife as a Peace Corp Volunteer in El Salvador in 1973. They were married two years later, and eventually moved to Hillsdale with their three children in 1987. Edward’s children all went to Taconic Hills before graduating from Ithaca, Smith, and Northeastern. They have all remained in the area. Edward now has four wonderful grandchildren. They have lived in a healthy cross-cultural environment with family and friends, having been immersed in a world of diversity, inclusion, hope, and opportunity. Edward’s family has lived life with their doors wide open to friends and newcomers alike.

As a young man, Edward lived and worked in Central America for 10 years, developing a keen interest in the world of nature. He loves to garden as a great way to connect with the natural world and stay healthy. Edward also loves connecting with people in his community. It's a great way to continue to grow as a person. At Sun River Health much of his work is with the new immigrant families that now live here in our communities. Edward is a certified medical interpreter, educator, and community outreach worker. Edward enjoys reading about history, theology, ontology, philosophy, science, and current events to keep his mind active and healthy. He and his wife love to dance. They stay physically active to keep up with their grandchildren and to enjoy the life all around them.

Evelyn Garzetta

Evelyn Garzetta is the Director of Grace Immigrant Outreach (GIO), located at Grace Episcopal Church, Millbrook NY. She also chairs the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation~Immigrant Outreach Roundtable. Evelyn is an active parishioner at Grace Episcopal Church Millbrook, NY, where she is a member of the Vestry and Hospitality committee. She also serves as board member for: Townscape of Millerton; the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 178 Millerton; Town of North East Planning Board; The Foundation for Community Health; serves as President of the Briarwood Homeowners Association she is a member of the NEDCorps 2.0 Advisory Board and in 2021 has been welcomed into the Mental Health America Board. Prior to her career retirement in 2008, Evelyn was a Facilities Director in charge of fourteen offices throughout the country for a trade magazine publishing firm. A devoted grandmother of ten, Evelyn and her husband, Joe, are longtime residents of Millerton, New York.

Dr. Joshua Ginsberg

Dr. Joshua Ginsberg is the President of Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, an independent ecological research center located in Millbrook. Dr. Ginsberg holds a PhD and an MA from Princeton University and a BS from Yale University. His career in conservation science spans 35 years and several continents. He worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society for 18 years in a variety of leadership positions and ended his tenure there as the Senior Vice President of the Global Conversation Program. Dr. Ginsberg is also on the boards of the Ocean Foundation, the Open Space Institute, and the Salisbury Forum, and has previously served on the boards of TRAFFIC (a wildlife trade monitoring network) and the Foundation for Community Health. He is also a member of the advisory councils of the American Museum of Natural History's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation and Yale University's Institute for Biospheric Studies and serves on the Science, Climate and Stewardship Committee for Scenic Hudson. Dr. Ginsberg resides in Sharon, CT. 

John Hoffman

John Hoffman has lived in Millerton for the last 24 years. In 2023 his short documentary, The Barber of Little Rock, was nominated for an Academy Award. John is a six-time Emmy award-winning filmmaker, whose films include Fauci (2021 Telluride Film Festival), Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman (2017 Sundance Film Festival), and Out of Many, One (2018 New York Film Festival). Much of John’s work has focused on the key health issues of our time, including The Weight of the Nation (HBO), Addiction (HBO), The Alzheimer’s Project (HBO), and First in Human (Discovery). John has also been a network executive. He was the Executive Vice President of Documentaries & Specials for Discovery from 2015 to 2018, after nearly two decades as Vice President of documentary Programming at HBO.

Karen Jacobson

Karen Jacobson is an architect, now retired, who had her own firm specializing in residential, medical, and educational projects. She has also developed several land subdivision and brownstone conversion projects including a 15-unit mixed-use building in Brooklyn. While living in NYC she served as Building Manager and a member of several coop and condominium boards where she enjoyed collaborating as part of a team. Karen holds a BA in art from Middlebury College and a MARCH from Princeton University. She has recently been active in the Millerton Affordable Housing Committee. Karen has lived part-time in North East for almost 30 years and now resides in North East full time enjoying gardening, swimming, home improvements and playdates with her pup, Lucy. 

Patricia Keeler Jean

Patricia Keeler Jean is the former co-owner (with husband, Michel Jean) of Stissing House, an 18th century tavern and restaurant in Pine Plains, NY. She has been in the hospitality business in various forms for over 40 years, the last 35 being as co-owner of 3 restaurants and catering businesses in partnership with Michel. During this time she has worked with Share Our Strength to help establish a partnership with restaurants and the food insecure, started a dialog between farmers and chefs with seed money & grants from the Knutsens and the Dutchess County Alliance for Business which eventually became Hudson Valley Bounty, and helped run the annual NOFA benefit held in Wassaic. Patricia is currently Vice President of the Pine Plains Business Association.

Patrick MacMurray

Patrick MacMurray is a corporate lawyer who represents foreign and domestic issuers, underwriters and investors in complex public and private securities transactions. He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and St. John's Law School. Patrick has served on other not-for-profit boards and currently serves at the Chancellor (volunteer chief legal officer) of St. Bartholomew's Church in New York City. Patrick splits his time between Manhattan and Pine Plains with his husband, who is also named Patrick.

Juliana Pecchia

Juliana Pecchia grew up in Millbrook with her sister, parents and a myriad of animals. She attended Dutchess Day School, Westminster and Colby College and has worked in the school world since she graduated in 1999. She began at Millbrook School teaching English and History, working in Admissions and coaching 3 sports, and over the last 20 years, she worked at Indian Mountain School and Salisbury School. After devoting time and energy to the classroom, the athletic realm and administrative roles as the Director of Secondary School Advising and the Director of Studies, she has enjoyed recently returning to working at Millbrook with students as a tutor and coach of the Varsity Field Hockey and Ice Hockey teams. She lives in Sharon, CT, with her two daughters, husband, two dogs, and chickens. Juliana feels fortunate to be in such a beautiful part of the world with so many family members nearby. 

Eliza Thorne

Eliza Thorne grew up in Millbrook, NY, where she attended Dutchess Day School and Millbrook School. After high school she attended Drew University and The College of Saint Elizabeth majoring in Psychology, Elementary Education and Special Education. Eliza taught third and fifth grades and led the resource room in Long Hill Township, NJ. She also worked as a private tutor helping children after school, especially those with learning differences. After having two daughters, Eliza moved back to Dutchess County and raised her daughters and two stepsons with her husband Michael. Eliza served on the Board of Trustees of Dutchess Day School for nine years and was chair of the development committee for three years. She has also served on the board of directors of the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse in Poughkeepsie. Now living in Sharon, CT, Eliza enjoys hiking in the Adirondacks and locally, and spending time with family.