BOARD OF TRUSTEES, SING SING PRISON MUSEUM, 2022
- Robert W. Elliott (President) serves as a consultant to organizations developing solutions to operational, economic, community and environmental issues. He has broad leadership experience in government and offers his expertise to a number of non-profit boards in the Hudson Valley and beyond. Previously, he was NYS Deputy Secretary of State and currently is Chair of the Hudson River Foundation and Chair of the Bethel Homes.
- Stephanie Lynn (Vice President) is a founder of Ossining MATTERS Educational Foundation and a member of Jacob Burns Film Center's Partners in Education Committee and serves on their Board of Trustees. Stephanie also serves on the advisory board of Rehabilitation Through the Arts. She has a strong interest in children's books and previously published one for use by the Brooklyn DA's office for children who must go to court.
- Sean Pica (Secretary) is the Executive Director of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, a nonprofit that provides college education, life skills, and re-entry support to incarcerated men and women to help them make a positive impact on their own lives, their families and communities. Sean earned a Master of Professional Studies from the New York Theological Seminary, a Master of Social Work degree from Hunter College and is currently pursuing his MBA at Mercy College.
- Robin Melen (Treasurer) is a program officer at the Westchester Community Foundation, where some of her grantmaking supports programs that create improved outcomes for youth and adults involved in the criminal and juvenile justice systems. She’s a former board member of Rehabilitation Through the Arts. She is passionate about changing the conversation around incarceration, rehabilitation, and re-entry. She earned her master’s degree from Manhattanville College.
- Elias Alcantara is the founder and CEO of Bronx Element Strategies (BESt), a social impact and justice strategy consulting firm that advises organizations across the country on how to build sustainable social justice reform. He is a Fellow at Columbia University’s Center for Justice and served five years in the Obama White House in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. He is a graduate of Lehman College of the City University of New York.
- Ronnine Bartley has long been dedicated to serving the needs of children, both as a teacher and as a school administrator. She received a BA degree in Psychology, with a minor in Education from York College, and received an MA degree in School Administration and Supervision from Touro College. Ronnine has personal experience with the criminal justice system as a family member of a previously incarcerated individual, and values initiatives that support rehabilitation and reduce recidivism.
- Gale Epstein is co-founder, President and Creative Director of Hanky Panky Ltd., an upscale intimate apparel brand that is designed and manufactured locally and distributed worldwide. A resident of the Hudson Valley, Gale is a life-long supporter of social, environmental, and animal rights issues. She is a patron of Blue CoLab in the Center for Technology, Policy and the Environment at the Seidenberg School at Pace University and is a member of WellMet Philanthropy, a giving circle for women. She studied at Washington University and Parsons School of Design.
- J. Philip Faranda is the broker and owner of J. Philip Real Estate, headquartered in the Town of Ossining. A native of Ossining himself, his 4 children all attended Ossining Schools. Phil graduated from Villanova University with a BA in English. He is a past Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service President, was a member of the Ossining Downtown Redevelopment Working Committee, and also serves on the Ossining Historical Preservation Committee.
- Brian Fischer served as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision from 2007 to 2013. Before that, he was the Superintendent of Sing Sing Correctional Facility from 2000 to 2007. His career in corrections dealt with improving treatment services to offenders, particularly with those with mental health issues. He has a B.S. degree from Upsala College, a M.S. from the University of Bridgeport and a M.S. from the New York Theological Seminary. He has taught at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and at Pace University. He sits on a number of non-profit boards dealing with criminal justice issues and has been an expert witness in matters related to prison and jail issues.
- Abigail Lewis is a strategy and operations leader who has held a variety of roles in IBM, including Director of Strategy, IBM Research; Director Partnerships, IBM Watson Health; Program Director, IBM On Demand Innovation Services. She began her career at Greater Boston Elderly Legal. She has a J.D. from Fordham Law School and a BA from NYU. She has raised two children in Ossining and coached AYSO girls soccer.
- Samuel North has been teaching Social Studies at Ossining High School for 20 years. Recently, working with a grant from the Westchester Community Foundation, Sam and colleagues from Ossining and Peekskill High School developed curriculum related to criminal justice and incarceration policy and reform in the United States with a focus on Sing Sing Prison. Beginning in the Fall of 2020, a new college level elective course on criminal justice and incarceration will be offered to students at both Ossining and Peekskill High Schools. Sam is also a Trustee of the Peekskill City School District Board of Education; A board member of the Black Diamonds for Academic Excellence; and education advisory board member of New Era Creative Space.
- Lithgow Osborne is the great-grandson of Thomas Mott Osborne, the eminent penal reformer and warden of Sing-Sing from 1914-16, and a member of the board of the Osborne Association for the past 25 years. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the New York School for Interior Design, his career has been in the antiques and design fields.
- Susanne Pandich is Manager, Public Programs for the Rockefeller Brothers Fund at the Pocantico Center in Pocantico Hills. Before joining the Fund, Ms. Pandich was director of Filoli in Woodside, CA, and Lyndhurst in Tarrytown. Ms. Pandich holds a BA from Wheaton College and a MS in Historic Preservation from Columbia University’s School of Architecture.
- Mark Sarazen received a BFA in Printmaking and Painting from Antioch College. He owns Sarazen Editions, a digital printmaking company, and is a charter member of the International Association of Fine Art Digital Printmakers. Mark has served as president of the Ossining Arts Council and on the Ossining Village Arts Committee.
- Michele Y. Washington is a New York City-based design researcher and strategist who works with non-profits, startups, and cultural institutions. She is currently a Columbia University Community Scholar and founder of “CuriousStory Lab,” a curated series of podcasts and short docs on architects and designers of color. She holds two master's degrees, her most recent in Design Criticism from the School of Visual Arts.
- Arthur M. Wolpinsky started as a Narcotic Correction Officer for the N.A.C.C. at Ridge Hill Rehabilitation Facility in Yonkers on 2/8/71. Laid off due to cutbacks, then after the Attica riot 9/13/71, was rehired with D.O.C S. at Ossining Correctional Facility. Has been a Correction Officer at Sing Sing since 10/25/71. He is the Facility Historian, Photographer, and Security Liaison Officer. In 1984 while in charge of the Barber Shop, he started a Barber Program for the inmate to obtain their license.
- Clifton "Skye" Williamson is a co-founder of Transforming Lives. As an artist, Skye expressed his skill and passion for the arts by developing and directing educational, theater, and trauma-related rehabilitation programs for incarcerated people. Skye is presently an Associate at Galaxy Gives, he supports the Learning & Impact team in the areas of database management and research. He is also a fellow at the REFORM ALLIANCE where he is working on a range of Special Projects (e.g., Court Watch App, NFT Dow, Job Fair). Skye holds a BA in mathematics from Bard College. His undergraduate studies focused on algorithms, probability and statistics, and machine learning. His lived experience and ongoing research form the cornerstone of his passion for learning and trying to identify the most effective ways to support the criminal legal system reform movement.
- Jane Friedman is a leading publishing executive, consultant and innovator, who has worked with such internationally bestselling authors and literary luminaries as Michael Crichton, Anne Rice, Dennis Lehane and Neil Gaiman. She served as the first female global CEO of a major publishing enterprise when Rupert Murdoch named Friedman President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide (NewsCorp) in 1997, and she remained in that role until 2008. In 2009 Friedman co-founded Open Road Integrated Media with Jeffrey Sharp. At Open Road, as CEO, Friedman revolutionized the digital publishing industry by creating ebooks from legendary authors including William Styron, Pat Conroy, Alice Walker, James Jones, and Pearl S. Buck. For her work with Open Road, Friedman was named one of Fortune Magazine’s most powerful women entrepreneurs. Friedman has been recognized by numerous organizations and publications including Fast Company's Fast 50, Publishers Weekly's Person of the Year and The Wall Street Journal's 50 Women to Watch.
- Lt. John Gilman
- Mayor of Village of Ossining, Rika Levin (Ex Officio) is the 17th mayor of Ossining representing more than 26,000 residents. Rika Levin’s family immigrated to the USA when she was seven years old and was raised mostly in New York State. She is a graduate of Brandeis University and earned her MBA from the Stern School of Business at NYU. She spent more than 25 years in management, new product development, diversity management, and eventually Chief Marketing Officer in Fortune 100 companies in New York. Rika’s public service in Ossining began in 2015 when she was appointed Village Trustee.
- Dana Levenberg (Ex Officio) is the Supervisor of the Town of Ossining who became involved with the Sing Sing Prison Museum while serving as Chief of Staff in the Ossining office of Assemblywoman Sandy Galef. She has been instrumental in working with State agencies to obtain grants for the Museum, as well as to get the Museum recognized as a priority project by the Regional Economic Development Council.
- Omar Lopez (Village Liaison)
