BOARD OF TRUSTEES, SING SING PRISON MUSEUM, 2019
- Robert W. Elliott (President) serves as a consultant to organizations in developing solutions to operational, economic, community and environmental issues. He has broad leadership experience in government and offers his expertise to untold numbers of non-profit boards in the Hudson Valley and beyond. Previously, he was NYS Deputy Secretary of State and currently is Executive Director of Sustainable Westchester, Chair of the Hudson River Foundation and President of the SS Columbia Project.
- 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. 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 Melén (Treasurer) is a program officer at the Westchester Community Foundation. Since 2002, she has been a tutor in the Marymount Manhattan College program at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, and 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, she also serves on the board of directors at Glynwood and Topfield Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Cold Spring. Gale is a life-long supporter of social, environmental, and animal rights issues. 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 currently attend 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 Correctional Services from 2007 to 2013. Before that, he was Superintendent of Sing Sing Correctional Facility. He spent his entire career in the Correctional Services department, after having received his B.S. degree in Psychology from Upsala College and his M.S. degree from the University of Bridgeport. He is now in demand nationally as a consultant and speaker addressing criminal justice issues.
- Cecilia Gutierrez is the president of the Ossining Rotary Club, and the founder of the Ossining Hispanic Coalition, an advocacy group for Ossining day laborers. For 33 years she worked as chef and house manager for David Rockefeller at his family estate in Pocantico Hills. She has studied with world-class chefs in Euro-Toques, an organization committed to a healthy and organic diet. She earned a BS in Business Management from Mercy College.
- 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.
- Rochelle Udell is a Creative Marketing Consultant. She held executive positions at Conde Nast Publications, including Art Director of Vogue, Editor-in-Chief of SELF magazine, Founder and President of CondeNet, Epicurious, WWD.com. She was SVP/Creative Director at Revlon, Chico’sFAS and Founder of CRK (Calvin Klein Advertising Agency.) At her induction into the Art Director's Hall Of Fame, she was introduced as "a creative director whose mission is to change the world by changing how we see it.”
- 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.
- Dana White has served as Ossining Village Historian since January 1, 2015. She is a freelance writer and editor, contributing to WestchesterMagazine, among others. A collector of Sing Sing memorabilia, Dana frequently gives presentations on Sing Sing Prison and other aspects of Ossining history. She is a Trustee of the Ossining Historical Society Museum and is a member of both the Downtown Revitalization Working Committee and the Ossining Historic Preservation Commission.
- 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.
- Victoria Gearity (Ex Officio) is the Mayor of the Village of Ossining. Beyond her work for the Village, Victoria is mother to two young sons in the Ossining Schools and wife to a local business owner. Her pathway to politics was through environmentalism. Encouraging a healthy balance of economic development, sustainability, and the needs of her diverse community, are guiding principles for her service as Mayor.
- 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.
