BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Pawling Community Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees who were selected for their diverse interests, experience and leadership in both professional and volunteer arenas. Board members establish policy, set priorities and are responsible for guiding the foundation’s activities.
CHAIR
RYAN MCGRATH
Ryan, born and raised most of his life in Pawling, currently resides in town with his wife, Mary Lou and has 4 children. Ryan has been a director on the PCF board since 2017 and is excited to be a part of the restoration of the parks where he spent summers as a child. He enjoys outdoor activities of all kinds.
Professionally, Ryan is a Director at Bank of America where he manages technology initiatives for the bank’s wholesale credit division. Ryan has been in the financial services industry for 30 years. He began his career as a middle market credit officer after earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Shortly into his career he moved into technology and earned a Masters of Science in Management Information Systems from Carnegie Mellon University.
VICE CHAIR
ROBYN BELLAMY
A resident for close to 25 years, Robyn has always enjoyed Pawling’s connection to nature, its community, and its resources. Robyn is a fundraising consultant and founder of Robyn’s Mustard, a small batch mustard company in the Hudson Valley. Robyn hopes to bring her non-profit experience to PCF to help enrich the quality of life for Pawling’s residents.
TREASURER
John Rickert
John has resided in Pawling since 1996, the hometown of his wife, Andy Busby Rickert. John has worked for Pawling Engineered Products (Pawling Corporation/Pawling Rubber) since moving to Pawling, and currently serves as Managing Director, COO and Co-CEO.
Andy and John have two sons, Henry and Will, who attended both Mizzentop Day School and Trinity-Pawling. John was active in the Pawling Little League while his boys were young, and was the head coach of Will’s team for two years.
His past community board involvements include Mizzentop Day School and Quaker Lake Inc, where he served as President for 2 years. In his free time, he struggles with his golf game, skis, hikes with his dog PEP’R, and enjoys woodworking and welding. John serves as the treasurer of PCF, having joined the board in 2015, and is proud to be a part of an organization that will make Pawling an even better place to live.
SECRETARY
Ed Lynn
Dr. Edward Lynn has resided in Pawling with his wife, Jane, since 1977. He worked in public education for forty-two years in the Armonk, Wappingers and Arlington School Districts as a teacher and administrator, having retired in 2011 as the Associate Superintendent of Schools for the Arlington School District.
Jane and Ed raised three children in Pawling, and were active in a number of youth organizations, including little league baseball, boy scouts and girl scouts. Ed was also a board member of the Pawling branch of the YMCA of Greater New York, and served as the Board Chairman during the purchase of the Pawling YMCA by the Town of Pawling. In retirement, Ed’s goal has been to “give back” to the Pawling community that he and Jane have enjoyed for so many years, and he recently completed service as a Trustee on the Pawling Board of Education, the Historical Society of Quaker Hill and Pawling and The Pawling Record.
BOARD MEMBERS
GEORGE APAP
George is the third generation owner of George APAP painting.
He is a 30 year Pawling resident and current chair of the Mizzentop day school board of directors.
He is the projects committee chair and former board co chair.of the Pawling Community Foundation.
PATRICIA RUSCH BELLUCCI
Patricia (Patty) Rusch Bellucci has been a member of the Pawling community since
2001 and previously served on the PCF Board from 2007-2013. She resides in Pawling
with her husband, Jim, a retired High School Principal. They raised two children in
Pawling, James and Lauren.
Patty manages her own law office in Pawling which focuses on estate planning,
probates and taxation. She is Special Counsel to BNR, LLP and previously held legal
and tax positions at General Electric, PepsiCo, and Ernst & Young. She was a full-time
business law and taxation professor at SUNY New Paltz in the undergraduate and
graduate business programs and has served as an adjunct business professor at Siena
College and the Culinary Institute of America. She currently serves on the Board of
Directors of the American Academy of Attorneys-CPAs and is the Tax Chair for the
Westchester Women’s Bar Association.
Originally from upstate New York, she is a graduate of Albany Law School of Union University and Siena College.
KATIE BERLANDI
Katheryn (Katie) Allen Berlandi was raised in Pawling, New York. She attended The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, CT, Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME (BA in Psychology), and New York University School of Social Work in NYC, NY (Masters). She is the Dean of Counseling at Trinity-Pawling School.
Katie and her husband, Brian, have three children, Amelia Peale, Eloise Saviteer and John Stafford and live in Pawling.
Katie is honored to serve on the Pawling Community Foundation Board, as well as the Akin Hall Association Board, the Quaker Hill Burial Ground Association Board, the Hammersley Beach Club Board, and the Guideposts Board.
TELA COOK
Tela Cook, born and raised in Pawling is looking forward to devoting more of her time to enhance Pawling’s surroundings.
Tela moved away for some time working for the National Association of Independent Schools in Boston and Washington DC. She also worked as a school teacher in Tampere, Finland but has come full circle, after working in NYC for almost 20 years. She worked for Cambridge Information Group, a family owned global investment company with a focus on publishing and education companies. She wanted to work closer to home and landed a sales job with the Hilton Garden Inn in Danbury, CT.
She looks forward to working with many familiar old friends and is excited to contribute to the enhancement of the community.
ANN GODESKY
Ann Godesky grew up on Long Island and moved to Dutchess County to start her career as an educator at Pawling High School after she earned her BS at the College of Mount Saint Vincent. Ann has a Masters Degree from Manhattan College and attended the University of Vermont and SUNY New Paltz.
Ann was Chair of the Fine and Practical Arts Department and Advisor to the Peer Leadership Program at PHS. Ann was a coach and served as Athletic Director. Ann served on the Dutchess County Youth Board and the Pawling Pawling Radio. She is the Co-chair of the Pawling Resource Center Board. She is past Assistant Governor for Region Seven of Rotary District 7210. Ann is the recent past president of Pawling Rotary Club and the Chair of Pawling Youth Development.
PETE MUROSKI
Pete Muroski is a nurseryman, environmentalist, writer, educator, and contractor. He has worked in the landscape construction industry for over 35 years.
Pete and his wife Debbie live in Pawling and raised their son, Adam, here. Having a life-long love of the outdoors and a passion for plants, he founded Native Landscapes Inc. In 1987. Native Landscapes and Garden Center is a full service landscape design management company and native plant Garden Center in Pawling. Pete has guided his business toward the goal of working together with nature. His common sense land management practices are naturalistic in approach and sustain cleaner, air, soil, and water.
KARIN SHULTZ
Karin Shultz relocated to Pawling during her high school years and later pursued her academic journey at Hofstra University, where she focused on Mathematics and Elementary Education, eventually earning a Master’s degree in Education. She gained valuable experience during her nine-year tenure at the Ardsley Union Free School District before transitioning to Mizzentop Day School as a mathematics instructor. Over the span of 12 years, Karin assumed the role of Assistant Head of School and in 2017, she proudly accepted the position of Head of School.
Her children, Matthew and Ellie, received their education at Mizzentop Day School, followed by Trinity Pawling and Pawling High School, respectively. Meanwhile, her husband, Chris, manages their family-owned business, Liberty Contracting, alongside their son Matthew.
Pawling holds a special place in Karin’s heart, as she deeply appreciates its vibrant community, unique features, and the remarkable individuals who call it home.
PAT STUMBRAS
Patrick Stumbras has 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, with a primary focus on power generation.
Before joining RSG, Pat served as Executive Vice President and Branch Manager for the New York City offices of one of the largest underwriting managers of renewable projects worldwide. Prior to that, he held senior level positions with a number of major brokerage firms in the U.S. Pat began his career underwriting high-challenge occupancies (pulp and paper, utilities, chemical). He is a frequent speaker at renewable energy conferences around the world.
Pat also has served on the board of directors for the Farmington Valley YMCA and as an elected official on the Board of Finance for the town of Canton.
JENNIFER TAYLOR
Jennifer Taylor has served on the PCF since 2017. Jennifer loves the outdoors and hopes her experience in education, special events and fundraising can help the PCF.
Jennifer and her husband have lived in Pawling since 2015, and also lived here from 1988-2001.
Jennifer also volunteers at the Pawling resource center and is a member of Pawling Rotary.
JULIE TROIANO
Julie Troiano has resided in Pawling with her husband, Bill, since 2010.
Julie worked as a school administrator for fourteen years, and spends her days obtaining government funding for fifty schools in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Prior to her position in education, Julie worked as a project manager in the corporate world, including IBM, Kraft General Foods, and Prodigy Services Company. Julie specialized in the area of multimedia design and content management and received her master’s degree in the field of Internet Business Systems.
Bill and Julie raised two children in Pawling, Joelle and Luke. The Troianos love Pawling and have so many fond memories of days spent here. Julie is also a board member of the Nutmeg Woodturners League located in nearby Brookfield, Connecticut. You can often see her on the side of the road, collecting wood from fallen trees. As her children are now in college, Julie is able to donate more time to the community, and is grateful to be part of the Pawling Community Foundation.