Board & Governance

About the Board

People support decisions they help to make, and Cornell Cooperative Extension believes strongly in shared leadership through locally elected Boards of Directors and active program development committees.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rockland County is governed by a 13 member Board of Directors that consists of 13 elected community volunteers and a representative from Cornell University. It includes people from towns throughout Rockland County who bring their knowledge of community needs and concerns to the governance of this organization. Our board sets policy, hires staff, prioritizes educational programs and works with Extension's educational staff to ensure program effectiveness.

Program Committees for each of our issue areas guide the direction of the workshops, classes and other services that we offer the residents of Rockland County, and review the effectiveness of our efforts. Our programs have evolved over the years to reflect changes in values, ethics, community norms, family structures, mobility and the economy in direct response to this grassroots community involvement.

CCE-Rockland is delighted to have active and diverse Board of Directors and Program Committees, which are key to achieving strong and meaningful community impacts! If, as you read more about how we are governed, you believe you have a contribution to make to our programming as a volunteer, please get in touch! We welcome your input and ideas!

Read CCE Rockland Resolution HERE

Read CCE Constitution HERE

2024 Board Members

• Maria Gagliardi, President
• Carolyn (Sam) Amdurer, Vice President
• David Fernandez, Secretary
• Ann Marie Palefsky, Treasurer
• Claudette Clark
• Bill Madden
• James K. Riley
• Cecilia Lewis
• Heather Hurley
• Paul Larsen
• Marcus Octaviano
• Brian Quinn
• Tim Sanders
• Rockland County Legislature Liaison – Legislator Aney Paul
• Cornell Cooperative Extension State Specialist – Adam Hughes

2024 Board Meeting Dates (open to the public)

• January 24
• February 28
• March 27
• April 24
• May 22
• June 26
• July 24
• August - no meeting
• September 25
• October 23
• November 20
• December 4

Meetings are typically held on the fourth Wednesday of the month, starting at 5:30 pm.

Meeting Time & Location

Important Change Due to Public Health

All meetings are open to the public and are held in person at 10 Patriot Hills Drive, Stony Point. If a meeting must be held via zoom due to inclement weather and you would like to attend, please email Deirdre Hayman at dh577@cornell.edu

Paper ballots will be available at the meeting but may be requested in advance by emailing Deirdre at dh577@cornell.edu or calling 845-429-7085, ext. 117.

Last updated October 4, 2024