Kathy Smith, 1st Vice President

Kathy is the General Manager of the Best Western Plus of Cobleskill. Kathy
started her career at the Best Western in 1993, having been Restaurant
Manager for BW Delaney's working her way to the Sales Office.  She was
Director of Sales and Catering accepting the General Managers position in
August of 2004.  Kathy, along with her husband, was chair for the Schoharie County Fourth of July committee for two years and on the Chamber's Harvest Festival Committee for several years. She is currently serving at 2nd Vice President and Chair of the Events & Activities and Promotional Committee.

Patrick Coffey, 2nd Vice President

Frank Privitera, Secretary

Frank is the Marketing Director for Fenimore Asset Management/FAM Funds and is responsible for branding and promoting the firm including the FAM Value Fund and FAM Equity-Income Fund.  A Rotterdam resident, Frank has more than 24 years of marketing and communications experience, including six years as a general and district manager for regional healthcare companies.  Before joining Fenimore, he worked as senior account executive for an Albany advertising firm and a new media company. Frank worked on new business development, created strategic marketing solutions, implemented advertising campaigns, and serviced client accounts. Frank and his wife Anna have three children ─ Olivia, Joseph and Eva. He is also an active member of the community and served on the boards and committees of: First Presbyterian Church of Schenectady; Capital District YMCA; Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY; Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce; Schoharie Chamber of Commerce; Cobleskill-Richmondville Education Foundation; Schenectady YMCA; Schenectady Chamber; Sage Colleges Scholarship Fund; and was a coach in the Niskayuna Babe Ruth baseball league.  Frank, currently serving as board secretary, is seeking a second three-year term

Denise Lloyd, Treasurer

Denise is a career agent and financial services professional with New York Life Insurance Company and a registered representative with NYLIFE Securities, LLC since April 2005. Her primary focus is helping business owners and individuals accumulate wealth, reduce taxes and protect assets. She enjoys helping her clients reach their financial goals and objectives. Prior experience includes agricultural sales in fifteen counties and agricultural lending for a local bank. Denise is a 1984 graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. She is married to David and has three children. She is a partner in the family dairy business, Maple Downs Farms II, LLC. The farm business includes the sale of milk, crops and genetics. She is involved with Agri- Mark’s Legislation and Education Committee (their milk cooperative). A 25 year
resident of Middleburgh, she serves on a local level on the Village and Town of Middleburgh Planning Board and member of the Schoharie County Planning Commission. Denise joined the Schoharie County Chamber of Commerce Business Generator’s Group in January 2009 and acts as its chair. She is a member of Schoharie County Holstein Club and Schoharie County Farm Bureau.
She is a member and lector of Our Lady of the Valley Church.

Linda K. Cross

Linda is co-owner/operator of Cripplebush Creek Farm I, Town of Carlisle. She and her husband, Bob, Jr., raise hay, niche vegetables, and a mixed commercial flock of 65 sheep, which they expanded from the 15 sheep they inherited in 1994 from Emily Cross. Linda sells the vegetables and lamb – live and frozen – from the farm and – for 12 years – at Festival Farmers’ Market, Cobleskill. Diversified products of the farm include the Schoharie Valley blanket, custom made from the fleece from their farm, and washable sheepskins. Linda chaired the Town of Carlisle Committee to Review the comprehensive plan and the Schoharie County Economic Summit Agriculture Task Force. She currently serves on the Town of
Carlisle Planning Board and chairs the Town committee to develop an agriculture and farmland protection plan in co-ordination with the Town of Seward. Linda view agriculture – in its great variety of products and sizes of operation – as an integral part of the business community. She supports efforts for greater cooperation and communication among local businesses and consumers.

Wynn Kintz

Wynn is President and Founder of Kintz Plastics in Howes Cave.  Currently a resident of Guilderland, Wynn grew up in Schoharie before leaving for
college and four years in the United States Navy.  Prior board experience
includes Capital Region Center for Economic Growth, President Daughters of Sarah Nursing Home, President Capital Region Chief Executive Network and member of the Schoharie County Economic Summit Manufacturing Task Force. Wynn currently serves on the Fulton, Montgomery, Schoharie County Workforce Solutions Board, Proctors Theatre Board and Hudson Valley Community College Advisory Board.

John Lavelle

John H. Lavelle is a lawyer, CPA and founding partner of Lavelle & Finn, LLP, a nine-lawyer law firm based in Latham and Oneonta, New York.  Founded in 1991, the firm offers high end estate planning, business and tax related services to successful families and business owners throughout upstate New York, including many in Schoharie County.  John and his wife Patty started Windhorse Thoroughbreds, LLC, a horse breeding operation, in 2006 and recently moved the business to Middleburgh.  After purchasing farm property and converting it to equine operations during 2009, John and Patty relocated full time to “Cotton Hill Farm” on December 7, 2009.  Always active in the community, John has been a board member and officer of the Albany Symphony, L’Ensemble, The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region, Inc., and the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce.  Currently, John serves on the Executive Committee and Board of WAMC, Northeast Public Radio and the Community Advisory Board of the Salvation Army, and is a member of several local chambers of commerce.  Both Lavelle and Finn, LLP and Windhorse Thoroughbreds, LLC have joined the Schoharie Chamber of Commerce.   John looks forward to becoming fully engaged in his new community and has always considered the local chambers a critical resource for area businesses.

Sue Loden

Sue Loden lives with her husband, Bob, and two of their four children in
Gallupville. Sue owns and operates the Apple Barrel in Schoharie. She was
honored by the Chamber being named Woman Owned Business of 2006. Sue is also involved with the AFS International Student Exchange Program, Gallupville House Association, Schoharie Colonial Heritage Association and Schoharie Promotional Association.  Sue has always been a strong supporter of the Chamber.

Dr. Candace Vancko

Flerida Santana-Parker

Flerida Santana –Parker is currently employed by Community Bank as a residential mortgage lender-serving clients in Wilbur and Delaware Counties from the Bank’s Cobleskill office. Her 22 years experience in analytical management and leadership roles in the Financial Services and Real Estate Marketing industry has proven her ability and commitment to develop and optimize teams of people with diverse backgrounds, cultures and skills to accomplish group and community objective.  Flerida is passionate about community-oriented objectives associated with education, the global economy and how those issues impact a communities’ local economy. Committed to lending her skills and access to resources to better serve her community, Flerida serves as President of Stamford Central School Board of Education, Treasurer of Community Empowerment Network and Secretary of IADCE.  A resident of Stamford, NY, Flerida relocated to this community from NYC in 2005 believing this region offers families the best environment to raise children while being on the ground floor of our country’s next long term economic trigger to sustainability through agriculture and the advancement that it provides in job creation, green technology and population growth.

Thomas Valosin

Tom and his family relocated to Schoharie County in a job related move from Central New Jersey in 1973.  Declaring Middleburgh and the County "home", he turned down a promotion involving relocating to another area.  Both he and his wife, Barbara, felt this was the right place to raise their sons.
Drawing on his early training and his real estate experiences, Tom invested in the Small Business Entrepreneurial Training courses offered by the Chamber, SUNY, and the County PDA and opened ASKUS Consulting Services LLC, inspection services for the home or small business buyers, investors and sellers.  An active Chamber member since founding ASKUS Consulting Services, Tom serves on the Government Affairs Committee and has participated in several of the Chamber Lobby Days with the Four Partners Team.

Tony VanGlad

Tony lives on the family farm established in 1962 in the Town of Gilboa.  Over the years, the farm has changed from hay and beef cattle to maple syrup, vegetable and sorghum syrup.  A large portion of his maple crop has been retailed in Manhattan at the Greenmarkets for 23 years.  A new venture since 2007 is sorghum syrup production.  Markets are gaining strength for this southern treat.  Their vegetables are marketed through their farm stand in Gilboa.  Since the fall of 2003, Tony has been the Gilboa Town Supervisor.  This has enabled him to hone his administrative skills.  Tony says he never looks at the glass as half full, but always looks to see how much he can add to it!  Tony is currently on the board and is seeking re-election so that he may continue to serve the Chamber membership

Brian Walrath

Brian is an Agricultural Business Bachelor of Technology graduate from the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill. He also earned an Associate Degree in Agriculture Engineering. After working and living in the Syracuse area for a couple of years, he returned to Schoharie County in 2001 to marry his college sweetheart, Jennifer, who works in Admissions at the College. Brian spent a couple of years commuting to work for a company in Schenectady before learning of the opening at Mesa Technical Associates in Cobleskill. He accepted the position of Applications Engineer in July of 2007 and has enjoyed growing with the company and working close to home ever since. He and his wife just built a new home in the town of Cobleskill and have 2 young children. He is a member of the Cobleskill United Methodist Church and loves living and working in Schoharie County. He has gained knowledge, skills, and numerous, valuable experiences both academic and practical through the course work that he has successfully completed, as well as from his current and previous employment, and experiences. Brian states, “The vast majority of skills that I possess, and both my professional and personal experience, have been learned through small business in upstate NY and I look forward to promoting all that Schoharie County has to offer Businesses”.