Upstate Institute Personnel - Consultants - Board Members Skip Navigation

Upstate Institute Personnel

The governance of the Upstate Institute includes an Executive Board of Colgate faculty, staff and administrators, and a Community Board of community and government leaders, local businesspeople, and school administrators.

Director

Chris Henke
chenke@colgate.edu

Chris is Associate Professor of Sociology at Colgate, and a member of the Environmental Studies Program. He has been a member of the Upstate Institute Executive Board since 2011, and teaches about science, agriculture, work, the environment and research methods. He has conducted research with students about access to local foods by low-income residents of Madison County. Chris has a BA from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and an MA and PhD from the University of California, San Diego.

Project Director

Julie Dudrick
315-228-5473
jdudrick@colgate.edu

Julie oversees our Field School and facilitates research by faculty and students on community-related projects. She also handles the institute's communications and online presence. In addition to her work with the Upstate Institute, Julie is an active participant in many local and county-wide initiatives, such as the Village of Hamilton Planning Board, the Southern Madison County Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SOMAC), the Hamilton Community Chest, and the Literacy Coalition of Madison County. She has a BA from Depauw University, an MFA in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame, and has previously worked for the Partnership for Community Development.

Upstate Institute Project Consultants

Rachel Amann-Burns
Rachel works with students who are engaged in semester-long field school projects and oversees the Foreign Language Program. She also administers Colgate's Lifelong Learning Program. She has a B.S. degree in Natural Resource Management from Cornell University, and has worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA member in Anchorage, Alaska.
Susan M. Conn '79
Susan M. Conn, Esq. is a project consultant with the Upstate Law Project. She supervises the Consumer Bankruptcy Law Project and teaches SOSC 405: Social Security Benefits for Disabled Children. A member of the Colgate class of 1979, she joined the Upstate Institute in 2005 after 22 years as a staff and managing attorney at the Utica office of the Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York, Inc.



Colleen Nassimos
Colleen Nassimos is Office Manager for the Upstate Institute. She is also Office Manager for the Center for Outreach, Volunteerism and Education (COVE) at Colgate.
Casey Frazee
Casey Frazee administers Colgate's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program.

Executive Board

The twenty-three member Executive Board includes representation from each division of the university. Board members work as community ambassadors to the Upstate Institute and participate in the institute's long-term strategic planning efforts.

Members:
  • April Baptiste, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
  • Janel Benson, Associate Professor of Sociology
  • Joanne Borfitz, Associate Vice President for Community Affairs and Auxiliary Services
  • Jennifer Brice, Associate Professor of English
  • Jesi Buell, Instructional Design and Web Librarian
  • Randy Fuller, Russell Colgate Distinguished University Professor of Biology
  • John Gallucci, Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures
  • Doug Johnson, Associate Professor of Psychology; Director of the Center for Learning, Teaching and Research
  • Ellen Percy Kraly, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Geography
  • Meika Loe, Professor of Sociology and Women's Studies
  • Tim Mansfield, Associate Vice President, Institutional Advancement; Alumni Relations
  • Thad Mantaro, Director, Shaw Wellness Center
  • Aleta Mayne, Managing Editor, Communications
  • Tim McCay, Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies
  • Bruce Moseley, Associate Director of Corporation, Foundation and Government Relations
  • John Pumilio, Director of Sustainability
  • Krista Saleet, Director, Center for Outreach, Volunteerism and Education (COVE)
  • Lynn Schwarzer, Professor of Art and Art History
  • Mark Shiner, University Chaplain
  • Mark Stern, Assistant Professor of Educational Studies
  • Nicole Simpson, Professor of Economics, Associate Dean of the Faculty for International Initiatives
  • April Sweeney, Associate Professor of English in the University Theater
  • Ashley Taylor, Visiting Assistant Professor of Educational Studies
  • Dai Yamamoto, Associate Professor of Geography and Asian Studies

Community Board

The twenty five members of the Community Board are from area non-profit organizations, local government, economic development organizations, and school districts. Community Board members offer input into new project development and help bring about community conversations that can be facilitated and supported by the Upstate Institute.

Members:
  • Dr. Anael Alston, Hamilton Central School
  • Carrie Blackmore, Good Nature Brewing
  • Joanne Borfitz, Colgate University
  • Suzanne Collins, Hamilton Food Cupboard
  • Alicia Dicks, Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties
  • Martin Dietrich, NBT Bank
  • Michael Drahos, Literacy Coalition of Madison County
  • Eric Faisst, Madison County Department of Health
  • Jennifer Farwell, Agricultural Economic Development Program for Madison County
  • Michael Fitzgerald, Madison County Department of Social Services
  • Wyatt Galusky, Morrisville State College
  • Jamie Hart, Madison County Planning Department
  • Kipp Hicks, Madison County Industrial Development Agency
  • Harvey Kliman, Southern Madison Heritage Trust
  • Jennifer Marotto Lutter, Partnership for Community Development
  • Shannon Mantaro, Hamilton Initiative
  • Jeffrey McArn, Hamilton College
  • Robert McVaugh, Village of Hamilton
  • Antara Mitra, Community Action Partnership for Madison County
  • Chris Rossi, Town of Hamilton
  • John Salka, Community Memorial Hospital
  • Geoff Snyder, Madison County Department of Environmental Health
  • Simon Solomon, Friends of Rogers Environmental Center
  • Tammy VanEpps, Liberty Resources
  • Wayne Viera, Opportunities for Chenango
  • Dot Willsey, National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum

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