Board of Directors
President
Evan Ramiza, Sciarabba Walker
Vice President
Greg Richards, CAPCO
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Secretary
Nicole Cottone, CFCU
Treasurer
Rachel Bearup, M & T Bank
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Cortney Geib, NBT Bank
Gina Cusano-McLaughlin, Cortland YMCA
Mike Catalano, Retired, Cortland City Police Department
Missie Horton, CFCU
Michael Hudon, Community Volunteer
E. Angela Herrera Canfield, Cornell University
Megan Leach, Child Advocacy Center
Nikki Thomas, SUNY Cortland
Jeff Breed, Gutchess Lumber
Jenny Robinson, Child Development Centers
Lorraine Lopez-Janove, SUNY Cortland
Julia Porter, Family Health Network
Melissa Holl, Berkshire Hathaway, Heritage to Home Realtors
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Timothy Haskell, M.A.
Community Relations and Marketing Manager
Cortland, NY native Tim Haskell began working at 13 as a church musician. Tim earned an A.A. from TC3 and a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from SUNY Cortland where he also held a graduate fellowship SUNY Cortland’s Academic Support and Achievement Program (Cortland ASAP) . He then became an adjunct English professor at TC3, SUNY Cortland, and Colorado Technical University.
From 2007 to 2016, Tim held a full-time position at Northwestern Connecticut Community College, earning tenure (2011), leading the Faculty Senate (2012-2014), and serving as a SEBAC delegate (2012-2016). Returning to Cortland in 2017, he became a tenured Professor (2018) and Coordinator of the Teaching Center at Onondaga Community College. There, he managed grants, oversaw professional development, guided the shift to virtual learning during COVID-19, and rebranded the center as the CTLI. He is also a published author.
Leaving higher education in 2022, Tim became a librarian at the Cortland Free Library. He then served as an AmeriCorps member with Grace Space (Nov 2024-Apr 2025) before joining the United Way for Cortland County in late April 2025.
Kristina Thelen, MPA
Executive Director
Kristina Thelen is a community, business, and economic development leader with over 15 years of experience in organizational management, strategic planning, and grant acquisition across non-profits, governmental affairs, consulting, and small business ownership. She currently serves as the Executive Director for the United Way for Cortland County (since June 2024). Her previous roles include Grant Writer Consultant for Choice Words LLC (July 2023 - July 2024) and Business Development Director at the Downtown Ithaca Alliance (June 2019 - June 2023). She also has extensive retail experience, including owning two stores and managing others. Kristina is pursuing an Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) from Syracuse University, expected in December 2024, and has completed coursework for Certified Economic Developer certifications. Her project successes include acquiring $210,000 for the Collaborative Retail Experience Grant Program, managing $11,000 for the E-Commerce Grant Program, securing $80,000 for the Downtown Ithaca COVID Recovery Small Business Grant Program, and leading a $100,000 grant program and $80,000 marketing initiative for Small-Scale Manufacturing. She also secured $89,000 in grant funding for the Downtown Ithaca Retail Entrepreneurship Program as part of a $300,000 project.