BOARD of DIRECTORS
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An all volunteer Board:
Ruth Starer, Susan Schwartz, Lisa Krizman, Michelle Decker
Lisa Krizman, President, Director, and Founder
Lisa is a former Special Education attorney, regionally recognized for excellence and a former Assistant General Counsel in a major international corporation. She also holds an MSW from Columbia University and a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University. Lisa has significant experience with individuals with disabilities, and was a former volunteer with the NYC chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness. She was an adoption counselor at the ASPCA headquarters, a long standing member of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, a volunteer goat docent at Riverside Park in NYC, and a member of the U.S. Equestrian Federation. In addition to running Stablework, Lisa is of counsel to the law firm of Kenney Shelton Liptak Nowak, LLP and a member of the Tompkins County Bar Association. She lives in Newfield, NY.
Susan Miron Schwartz, Chair of the Board of Directors, Vice-President and
Director of Development
Susan has a private practice in occupational therapy evaluations. Susan holds a B.S. in Occupational Therapy, from The University of Pennsylvania, an MS in Educational Psychology in Measurement and Evaluation, from NYU, and a Teacher Supervision and Administration certificate, Hunter College. Susan's work has been in both non profit and home/community settings including Rusk Institute, NYU Medical Center, working with adults with disabilities. She is currently a Board Member with the Alcott Montessori School. She has extensive experience in program development and staff trainings. Susan lives in Westchester, NY.
Michelle Decker, Secretary, Director and Business Manager
Michelle is currently involved in her Special Education Consulting practice; Member of New York State Committee on Disabilities; Certified Special Education Advocate by the Council of Parent Advocates and Attorneys; Facilitator of Mental Health Support Group. Michelle holds a B.S. in Finance/Marketing from Binghamton University. Michelle lives in Westchester, NY.
Ruth Starer, Director
Ruth is currently the CEO/Co-Founder of Copycats Second Avenue Corporation, a printing, signage and graphics corporation. As part of her work there, she has worked with various NYC agencies to provide employment and training to individuals with disabilities. Ruth holds a B.A. in Anthropology from SUNY at Buffalo and an MSW from Adelphi University. She is an active volunteer with conservation and community groups. Ruth lives in NYC.
STAFF
Lisa, Site Supervisor
Lisa, founder and a director of the Stablework program, directly supervises every session, collaborating with different agencies to tailor the program to the participants. This assures the quality and consistency of the programs delivered, and that they are responsive to the changing needs of the individuals.
Susan, Occupational Therapist
In addition to being Chair of the Stablework Board of Directors, Susan is a highly experienced occupational therapist. She brings her expertise to the curriculum of the Stablework programs and monitors our participants' progress.
Bob, Director of Projects
We are lucky to have Bob do our "Building with Bob" Stablework sessions in the workshop. Bob was the Senior Vice President for Jones Lang LaSalle and Executive Project manager for the renovation of the Empire State Building Observatory in New York City. At Stablework, he volunteers his time to teach to Stablework participants basic woodworking, repair, painting, and carpentry skills.
Ariana, Communications Design Intern
We are excited that Ariana has joined STABLEWORK as a Communications Designer. She formerly worked with us as Intern from New York City College of Technology. She was so good we had to hire her.
“Designing and problem-solving brings me joy and I aspire to be a creative director one day.”
We are so happy to have Ariana be part of the STABLEWORK team
Joseph, Video Editing Intern
We are excited that Joseph joins our team for his summer internship. He has been learning a variety of skills with Tech Kids Unlimited (TKU) since 2017. At Stablework, he’ll be doing what he likes best, video editing.
Joseph enjoys video games “I love the competitive aspect of them all” and he is pretty good at,
chess and basketball.
Joseph “definitely wants to be a Video Editor at some point, that's mainly why I was so eager about this opportunity!”
We are happy to have Joseph to be part of the Stablework team!
Pi, former Stable Hand and Assistant Job Trainer
Pi, in addition to his job as assistant job trainer, he filled a role of our much-needed Stable Hand taking care of our horses and goats. Pi grew up in Ithaca and in his spare time enjoys a broad variety of interests. He went through our Community Classes and we saw how good he was and is with our horses. You can see how he and Buddy have a special thing going. Pi has since entered a rigorous trade school program and has a bright future.
VOLUNTEER
We were lucky to have Elliott volunteer his time this past summer to help keep our barn, grounds, and animals in tip top shape. Elliot is a student at Ithaca High School and very interested in biology. He also excels as a musician. He has gone on to an important educational position within the community.
Engels Certified Public Accounting
Welcome Engels Certified Public Accounting of Lansing, New York, to assist with our financial management as we grow.
