Citizens Foundation welcomes new trustees

Sugar Loaf — The Orange County Citizens Foundation has added six new members to its Board of Trustees. These trustees will help determine the focus of the Citizens Foundation, a membership organization that advocates for the public interest in Orange County. Top concerns include housing affordability, “smart” planning practices, cultural affairs, transportation planning and responsible waste and water management. Each trustee will serve a three-year term, beginning this month. • Patricia Claiborne is president of Cornell Cooperative Extension and a graduate of the Leadership Orange class of 1998. She serves on the Orange County Youth Council for Work Force Investment Board as well as the Board of Orange Regional Medical Center Foundation. She is also a member of Middletown Kiwanis. • K. James Dittbrenner is vice president of commercial lending at TD BankNorth. He is a 2000 graduate of Leadership Orange. Dittbrenner has served on the Citizen Foundation’s Membership and Finance Committees for a number of years. In addition, he has served on SUNY Orange’s Educational Foundation Board of Directors and is a graduate of SUNY Orange. • Jen Memmelaar is currently a director for Frontier Communications. She has held various positions in many departments within Frontier including, operations, engineering, customer service, information technology and accounting. She is a past chair of MidHudson Pattern for Progress and a graduate of the Leadership Orange class of 1995. • Andrea Nilon is the Town of Chester assessor. She is chair of the Orange County Parks Board, serves on the board of the YWCA and on the executive board of the N.Y.S. Association of Towns. Nilon is also active in the Community Foundation of Orange County, a planned giving vehicle that the Citizens Foundation spun off in 2000. • Noel Spencer is president and CEO of Spencer Financial Services and serves as a County Legislator representing the 8th District. Prior to election to the Legislature, Spencer was a Town of Chester councilman for seven years. He is one of the founders and former director of Community Bank of Orange, NA. He is a graduate of the Leadership Orange class of 1997, having also served on that organization’s board of directors. • Stuart Turner is the president of Stuart Turner and Associates, a planning and development consulting firm. Turner is a fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners and has served as an adjunct professor of planning at Columbia University for 15 years. He is a member of the education committee of the Orange County Municipal Planning Federation and an advisor to that organization’s board of directors. • Thomas Weddell, a resident of Newburgh, will step up as chair of the Citizens Foundation, replacing Harry Scherr III, who becomes immediate past chair after two years at the helm of the organization. • Noreen Fennell, a resident of Tuxedo, becomes chair-elect. Maggie Smith, formerly treasurer of the organization, has risen to vice chair. Smith is a resident of Greenville. • Thomas Guarino, of Goshen, will serve as treasurer and Robert Krahulik, a resident of Warwick, will once again serve as secretary. “Each of our trustees brings a wealth of expertise and experience to our Board,” said Nancy Proyect, president of the Citizens Foundation. “As a county-wide organization that seeks input from all sectors on topics of importance to our residents, it’s important that our board reflects the diversity and geography of Orange County. All, however, share a common goal of improving our community and safeguarding our quality of life.” The Citizens Foundation is a 35-year old public policy and advocacy organization that serves the greater public good of Orange County. Top priorities include land use, transportation, waste and water planning and cultural affairs. This year, the Citizens Foundation will publish the first-ever Orange County Quality of Life Index to better monitor topics of concern in the county. Past collaborations include a new county-supported Orange County Arts Council, the Institute for Nonprofit Leadership and Management, Community Foundation of Orange County, Orange County Heritage Trail, Arboretum at the Orange County Park and Leadership Orange. For more information, contact the Citizens Foundation at 845-469-9459 or visit our Web site at www.occf-ny.org.