Board of directors

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND STAFF – 2017-2018

Board of Directors

Michael Stamm – Chairman (Tompkins County)

Michael is President of Tompkins County Area Development, the organization responsible for management of the County’s Industrial Development Agency plus conception and implementation of many local economic development initiatives. He is a graduate of Syracuse University and holds an MA in Economics from the University of Buffalo. He serves on the County Workforce Investment Board, the NYS Economic Development Council, Cornell’s Center for Technology, Enterprise & Commercialization, the Council of Development Finance Agencies and the International Economic Development Council.

Mark Taylor – Vice-Chairman (Schuyler County)

Mark retired from Corning at the end of 2009 as Director, Photovoltaic Technology Assessment. In this role he managed external collaborations and the intellectual property portfolio. He holds a BA in Chemistry from Carleton College, a PhD in Geology from Stanford University and a MS in Management of Technology from MIT. A 31 year employee of Corning, Mark is currently on a special project assignment to Corning. He volunteers as President of the Science and Discovery Center and as volunteer project manager for the Humane Society of Schuyler County. He also serves as a technician for the Schuyler County Board of Elections.

Richard Blythe (Rick) – Secretary (Broome County)

Rick has served as the Broome County Clerk since 2005.  First appointed by Gov. Pataki he was subsequently elected in 2005 and re-elected in 2009 and 2013. Rick has serviced County Government since 1975.  He has served as a County Legislator; Deputy Commissioner - Board of Elections; Legislative Clerk; and the County’s first Director of Purchasing.  As Director of Purchasing he was an early advocate for MEGA.  Broome County joined as a participating County in 2000 and Rick has served on the Board of Directors on several occasions: 2000-2007; 2012-2013; and currently 2017-2018. Rick is a graduate of Windsor HS, SUNY @ Alfred & SUNY @ Cortland. His private sector experience includes time at Frito Lay, Windsor Hardware & Home Center and the C.Y. Cushman Construction Company. He’s been involved with several local organizations including the Windsor Medical Center; the Windsor/Kirkwood Dollars for Scholars Program; and the Voice of Democracy Program for his VFW Post. He served with the US Army in Vietnam in 1969-1970. He & his wife Michele reside in Windsor, NY.  They recently celebrated their 44^th anniversary. They have two children and three grandchildren.

Steve L. Hoover – Treasurer (Chemung County)

Steve has been a practicing Certified Public Accountant in New York State since 1986 and is Chemung County’s

Director of Finance, a position he has held since 1991, and is Vice President of the Chemung County Tobacco Securitization Corporation. He is a graduate of SUNY Fredonia with an MS in Community Service Administration from Alfred University. In addition to his County responsibilities, Steve is Treasurer of the Southern Tier Library System and Treasurer of the Southern Tier Figure Skating Club. He is also a Youth Soccer Coach in the Chemung Valley Soccer Association.

Heather Brown (Sullivan County)

Heather was born and raised in Sullivan County and now serves as a Research Analyst for County’s Office of Management and Budget. She graduated from Binghamton University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in

Biology. Shortly after graduation she joined Sullivan County’s Department of Planning and Environmental Management. In 2008 she accepted a position with the Office of Management and Budget and it was in this capacity that she became familiar with the county’s utility costs and was instrumental in bringing the county into the MEGA program.

Karen Sullivan (Otsego County)

Karen combines a long relationship with government from her early years with Delaware County Planning to her current position as Director of Otsego County Planning and Solid Waste. Her many years of experience working with local municipal governments and various committees blend well with her knowledge of land use planning, solid waste management, public transportation, grant administration, and solar initiatives. Karen is a member of the Mohawk Valley Economic Development Board and Catholic Charities and serves as treasurer of the Calvary Retreat Center in Oneonta. She graduated with a BS in Geography from SUNY.

Crystal Abers (Cattaraugus County)

Crystal has been Director of the Economic Development, Planning & Tourism Department for Cattaraugus County since 2010. Previously, she had over 35 years experience as an Insurance Broker and Realtor. She served on the Dayton Town Board as Councilman for 14 years and was a County Legislator for 10 years holding leadership offices including Majority Leader, Vice Chairman and Chairman. She is involved in many organizations and committees from the local to state level. A lifetime resident of the county, she graduated from SUNY Fredonia.

Robert Edwards (Hamilton County)

Robert is starting his 15^th year as a member of the Hamilton County Board of Supervisors and as Supervisor of the Town of Hope. He has served on the Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning Board and is a representative to the Office for the Aging Advisory Council and the Adirondack Inter-County Group. Robert is a

graduate of Ithaca College with a Master’s from the University of Rochester. After a long career in public education as a teacher and principal, Robert and his wife Linda established a small manufacturing business, The Audio Specialist Group, Inc. Robert and Linda have 2 sons, 7 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.

Jack Wheeler (Steuben County)

Jack serves as Steuben County’s Deputy County Administrator, a position he has held since 2010. Prior to joining county government in 2008, he was a Security Consultant, IBM Global Business Services, Public Sector in Washington, DC. With degrees in Business Administration from SUNY Geneseo and an MPA from James Madison University, Jack has developed special competencies in security issues. Publications include papers on homeland security policy and challenges around transportation of hazardous materials. He and wife Jeannie welcomed triplets in 2013; he is also an avid golfer and is active in community youth activities.

Allen Olsen - NYS Association of School Business Officials (NYSASBO)

Allen is the Deputy Superintendent for Human Resources & Business for the Kingston City School District, representing NYSASBO on the MEGA Board. His experience covers all aspects of institutional management in addition to finance and budget with responsibilities for human resources, IT, facilities and operations, and the list goes on. Before joining the Kingston Schools in 2012, he was with the Saugerties District, The Brearley School, and Oakwood Friends School. He was an undergraduate at Cornell, and has an M.Ed. from UNH and an MBA from Cornell.

Mary Pat Hancock - (Emeritus Board Member) Mary Pat served Genesee County as Chair of the Legislature from 2001-2013. She is Vice-President of the Rochester Regional Transportation Board and has represented Genesee County on the Board of the Inter-County Association of Western New York, the Workforce/Economic Development Governing Board, and the Board of the NYS Association of Counties. A graduate of SUNY Brockport, the University of Buffalo and Northwestern University, she had a distinguished career in education as a Counselor at Batavia Senior High School and continues to be active in organizations focused on pre-school and early intervention .

Staff
Ronald Feldstein – President/CEO - Before assuming the directorship in 2012, Ron served as Treasurer of the MEGA Board for several years and was elected Chair in 2008. He has a long history with the State University system as a graduate of SUNY Brockport and SUNY Albany. For 32 years he worked as an Administrator at SUNY Oneonta. Ron was a member of the Otsego County Legislature from 1998-2007; Vice-chair from 2005-07 and Chair of the Otsego County Empire Zone Board. He has been a member of the Unatego Central School Board and the Catskill Symphony Board of Directors and he is past-president of the Oneonta Kiwanis Club.

Barbara Blanchard – Customer Relations Manager

Barbara was one of the founding members of MEGA representing Tompkins County. Formerly serving as the Alliance’s Executive Director, she brings skills to her current position from a career as a professional planner focused on inter-municipal cooperation and partnerships that bring together government and the private sector. She served on the City of Ithaca Common Council for 4 years and on the Tompkins County Legislature for 12 years. She is a graduate of Cornell University with an MRP in Regional Planning and received the Upstate New York American Planning Association 2001 Distinguished Leadership Award for Elected Officials.

Douglas W. Barton – Business Relations Manager

Prior to joining the MEGA staff, as the Tioga County representative to the MEGA Corporation Doug held the leadership roles of Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the MEGA Board of Directors. A lifetime resident of Tioga County he earned a B.A. from Mansfield University and spent ten years in the Material Handling industry. Doug became Tioga County’s Director of Real Property in 1995 where he served until moving to the position Director of Economic Development & Planning. He has served on a number of local boards, and was President of the Tioga County Local Development Corporation and Chairman of the Tioga County Empire Zone Administrative Board

Louise Gava – CCA Project Leader

Louise was brought on board with MEGA based on her firsthand experience with the benefits of aggregated energy supply, hydro and solar programs at work in the Village of Canton and St. Lawrence County, her North Country home for 12 years. She has spent the last 8 years working in the higher education sustainability and energy arenas, with the last two years focused on new and exciting energy opportunities including remote-net metering, residential solar campaigns and microgrids. She has experience educating and supporting municipalities, public and private educational institutions and residents in decisions related to energy procurement and development.