Seasoned executive, with over 27 years of experience working within the banking sector. Currently with Walden Savings Bank as Vice President of Retail Delivery & Marketing, overseeing all branch and call center operations and the Marketing department. As a key member of the bank’s senior management team, work on numerous internal committees including Compliance, ALCO, BSA, and IT Steering.

Prior to joining Walden Savings Bank in 2014, served as Regional Branch Director for Hudson Valley Credit Union, Vice President, Area Retail Leader with Key Bank in addition to branch sales and management positions with The Bank of New York and Nashville Bank of Commerce.

Extensive expertise in both retail banking and strategic marketing and have a long standing track record in building successful sales/service infrastructures, elevating service quality, increasing employee engagement and using data analytics to achieve strategic objectives. Passionate about all the latest digital trends and technology as a whole.

Community involvement has been and continues to be important to me both personally and professionally. I currently sit on the board of directors for both Leadership Orange and Vision Hudson Valley (formerly the Orange County Citizens Foundation). I have also had the privilege to work on the board of both Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh and the CRVI Foundation.

In addition to holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from SUNY New Paltz, I am a proud graduate from the ABA Graduate School of Banking. As an individual always looking to grow, have completed a number of professional certifications including the Wharton School of Business Leadership Program, Google Analytics Certification, NAFCU Management Development Institute, Leadership Orange and the Pattern for Progress Fellowship.

Lia has served on the Board of Trustees for Vision Hudson Valley (formerly the Orange County Citizens Foundation) since 2015, joining the Executive Committee as a Member At Large in 2020.  She is a proud Hudson Valley native, having been born in Kingston, NY, and spending her childhood in Rockland and Orange Counties.  She graduated from Monroe-Woodbury High School and went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Social Science from Hofstra University (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and her Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law. 

Professionally, Lia is a bright and talented attorney with a decade of experience serving clients in the Hudson Valley.  She is Of Counsel to Lachtman Cohen P.C., a sophisticated, full-service law firm with offices in Goshen, White Plains, and New York City.  She has been named a Rising Star in the field of Business Litigation by SuperLawyers® for the years 2017-2021, was selected as an Orange County Rising Star by Leadership Orange and the Junior League of Orange County in 2015 and was named Outstanding New Attorney by the Women’s Bar Association of Orange & Sullivan Counties in 2013.  She is a Leadership Orange alumna (Class of 2013) and presently serves on its Board of Directors.  She also serves her town as a member of its Board of Assessment Review.  

Lia resides in Hamptonburgh with her husband, Alex (also a MWHS graduate), and their two sons.  She enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, and visiting farms and festivals throughout the Hudson Valley.  In her role as Chair, Lia hopes to strengthen VHV’s connections with other like-minded nonprofits in our area, reengage its membership base with exciting new community programming, and continue raising awareness of its mission to enhance the quality of life for all those who live, work and play in the Hudson Valley.   

Transformational executive leader and mentor. Vision oriented, mission guided, with eyes on effective strategies for success cemented in core values of social justice. With more than twenty-five years of professional experience to draw upon, confidently uses storytelling to lead, educate, and mentor. Positive, analytical, energetic, and detail-oriented professional with broad and deep experience in public sector executive management and higher education teaching, career counseling, and academic advising within a career pathways mindset. Higher education experience on the community college level in underserved communities as well as 4 year undergraduate college and graduate instruction. Community volunteer assisting the Hudson Valley in animating its vision.

Lyle R. Shute has been a resident of Orange County, NY for over 50 years, and resides with his wife and family in Campbell Hall, NY

Lyle attended Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, and he is a licensed professional engineer in NY, NJ, & Pennsylvania.  He specializes in sustainable and high performance building systems design, and has obtained his LEED AP credential.

Lyle is active in the community, is currently the President of the William Bull and Sarah Wells Stone House Association, Inc. www.bullstonehouse.org as well as a member of the Town of Hamptonburgh ZBA

Ali is a planner focused on urban redevelopment, public realm, and historic preservation. She is currently the Director of Planning and Development for the City of Newburgh, NY where much of her work focuses on redevelopment and economic development, remedies for severely distressed property, and inclusionary and participatory planning. She has previously held positions with the City of Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and with several consulting firms focusing on municipal planning and economic development. Ali holds an undergraduate degree from Bard College and graduate degrees in City Planning and Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives with her family in Newburgh, NY. Ali joined the VHV board in 2022.

Bill has been in health care fundraising and marketing since 1981 and has been a Certified Fundraising Executive since the mid 90’s. He has served on the New Jersey Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Board, as the founding President of the AFP NY Westchester Chapter serving as President from 2010-2016, and on AFP’s national Diversity Committee.  He was a member or Rotary Clubs in Peekskill, NY and Jersey City, and now in East Wallkill, NY (Chair of the International Service Committee) and as well as many community non-profit boards including a FQHC and a home for “border babies.” 

He has served on the Constitution Island Association Board in Cold Spring, NY since 2006 and is the Development Chair currently leading a $700,000 campaign to renovate the island’s historic Warner House. He is a member of the Vision Hudson Valley board of trustees and has participated in their 2021 rebranding, recruitment of a new Executive Director and enhancement of their development program.

Currently President, Garnet Health Foundation in Middletown, NY since 2014, Bill served as Vice President, Marketing & Development for Hudson Valley Hospital Center in Cortlandt Manor, NY (2007-2014) and as Senior Vice President for Development and Public Affairs for Liberty Health System (three hospitals, medical group, HMO and home care company) in Jersey City, NJ (1992-2007). Prior to these positions, he worked at Saint Michael’s Medical Center in Newark, NJ and as a reporter.  He has worked on multiple capital campaigns including a $16 million one that doubled the size of Hudson Valley Hospital Center and $20 million campaign for a replacement facility for a new waterfront Jersey City Medical Center.  He recently completed a $3.3 million Future Is Orange campaign for the expansion of Orange Regional Medical Center and is currently managing the $7 million Every Minute Counts campaign for the expansion of the emergency department and trauma center launched earlier this year.  

During his time with the Garnet Health Foundation, foundation assets have grown from just under $4 million to over $11 million (July 2021 financials).

FEMA trained, Bill served as the spokesperson for Jersey City Medical Center and the New Jersey Hospital Association on September 11 as well as other serious regional disasters including nursing strikes, patient celebrities, large public chemical spills and train collisions in the Meadowlands. In the early 1980’s, Bill won regional and national awards for coordinating an international media campaign when Dr. James Oleske, a pediatric immunologist, documented the transmission of AIDS to unborn infants.

Bill is a graduate of William Paterson University, Paterson, NJ and New York University’s Brooklyn Campus and earned a 300-hour Certificate in Fundraising Management.

An avid outdoorsman, Bill is a member of the AMC 4000 Footer Club of the White Mountains and Catskill 3500 Club and volunteers as a fire tower observer at Balsam Lake Mountain in the Catskill Mountains during summer weekends. He resides in Oakland, NJ with his wife Gail and their Small Munsterlander bird dog Minna. His son Jack works for the State of New Jersey as an energy sustainability case manager and his daughter Natalie works as a cardiac quality case manager for Englewood Hospital. 

Owner of DeBuck Sod Farm.

Danielle is a dynamic leader and established architect with over 20 years of experience in the architecture industry.  In her role as Assistant Vice President in LAN’s Goshen, New York office she excels at maintaining client relationships, working with consultants, leading design teams, and managing contractors. Danielle’s desire to design started from a young age and since starting her career, she has built a strong portfolio of work that reflects a robust creative spirit. She has an extensive background in sustainable design practices and high-performance buildings and her diverse skills and abilities allow her to take projects from the schematic design phase through construction. Danielle has the ability to see both the big picture and the intricate details that are required for a successful project.  She also is a chair of the firm’s LAN’s Womens Network.

Vice President - M&T Bank

John is a partner who has been with the firm since September of 2014.  He is a New York State licensed attorney with over 20 years of practice experience focusing in the areas of real estate, environmental, land use, zoning and municipal law. John represents developers and municipalities throughout the Hudson Valley in the land use review and approval process. He regularly appears before (and represents) local municipal planning, zoning and legislative boards in often complex and controversial approval processes. John has worked with major international corporations and successfully obtained approvals for the construction of cell towers, gas stations, drug stores, banks and big box retailers, as well as single family residential subdivisions and multi-family residential developments. In addition, John has also been involved with approvals for religious and educational uses.

John is able to manage all aspects of the land development process, beginning with negotiating contracts/leases, conducting any due diligence, procuring the necessary land use approvals (including navigating clients through the SEQRA process) and litigating any disputes.

John also utilizes his real estate and general municipal law skills to represent numerous municipal housing authorities within the Hudson Valley.

Vice President, Academic Affairs - SUNY Orange

Former county executive

Stefanie proudly serves as Executive Director of the Newburgh Jewish Community Center and Kol Yisrael tangentially. She is an entrepreneur-turned nonprofit director, community advocate and partnership facilitator. Creative endeavors include Orange County's All Access Pass and HappyHudsonValley.com. She is a writer, a hard worker and change-maker with a passion for community. She holds a B.S. in Business and Management from SUNY Empire. Her husband, James and her children are the center of her world.

Licensed Civil Engineer with a broad range of design, permitting, review, and construction experience. Focused on land use engineering consulting. Interested in managing and coordinating site development projects from inception to completion.

Gary is a Partner at J&G Law, LLP. His varied practice includes formation, transactions and counseling for corporations, LLCs, partnerships and nonprofits; purchases and sales of businesses; commercial and residential real estate transactions and leasing; franchising; estate planning, administration and litigation; guardianship proceedings; and media, copyright and trademark.

Gary received his B.A. in Government and Journalism from Lehigh University in 1979, and his J.D. from Fordham School of Law in 1988. He is admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and was admitted to the Florida bar in 2002.

Gary has assisted in the formation, purchase and sale of all kinds of businesses including medical and veterinary practices, printers and publishers, tech companies, franchises, restaurants, bus companies, liquor stores and beer distributors, gas stations, hair salons, tattoo parlors, and a theater, funeral homes, bicycle store, and more.

Gary has extensive experience as both a Board member and attorney representing many kinds of nonprofits including those in economic development, health and human services, arts and culture, education, animal welfare, social clubs, sports, veterans and more. He advises on issues including formation, dissolution, merger, governance, fundraising, compliance, real estate, taxation and tax exemption, transactions, conflict of interest, employment and labor, political activity, loans and finance, trademarks, and other issues. He is currently on the board of the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) serving as Secretary, Vision Hudson Valley, the Orange County Arts Council and the Business Council of Greater Montgomery. He is a frequent speaker on nonprofit issues including the major 2014 amendments to the New York Not-for-Profit Corporation Law.

Gary has been a leader in educating the public about New York’s new benefit corporation. His writing about B Corps is found in the Business Law section of the J&G blog.

Gary has extensive experience in music and art, which includes past employment with ASCAP, The Songwriters Guild of America, Dunvagen Music Publishers (owned by the composer, Philip Glass) and Knoedler Publishing (publishers of the artist, LeRoy Neiman). He has represented clients in art, music, film, video, dance, theater, photography, fashion modeling, publishing, the internet, museums and arts centers. He is a founding Board member, past President, and now General Council of the Orange County Arts Council. He has represented or advised KingsTheatre Co., Cornerstone Arts Alliance, Trestle, Inc., Newburgh Institute for Arts and Ideas, Newburgh Arts and Culture Commission and others. He was also instrumental in creating the Orange County Film Office.

In the field of intellectual property, Gary has registered and renewed hundreds of copyrights, and registered more than 100 trademarks.

Gary is also Adjunct Instructor at SUNY Orange in Middletown teaching Music Business.

Gary is from Rego Park, Queens, New York and moved to Orange County with his family in 2002.