PACNY Officers (through 2023):
President: Ariel Bero
Vice President: Zach Finn
Secretary: Sara Micciche
Treasurer: Lori Bierman
PACNY Board of Directors:
Ariel Bero (President) is the Librarian at Oneida Public Library where she oversees programming, staffing, the local history room, among other things. She received her BA in History from SUNY Oneonta in 2012 and her Master’s in Library Science from the University at Buffalo in 2018. Before coming to Oneida, Ariel was the Librarian at the Huntington Memorial Library in Oneonta, NY. Ariel has a lifelong passion for history, advocacy and preservation. She is also a member of the Oneida Rotary Club, Columbian Club, Progress Club and is the Library Liaison for the new Friends of the Library group. She has lived in Oneida with her husband, Nick since May 2020 with their dog, Beanie and two cats, Sage and Big Cheese.
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Zachary Finn (Vice-President) is a Historical Researcher and Grants Reviewer at the William G. Pomeroy Foundation (WGPF) in Syracuse, NY, an organization dedicated to helping communities preserve and celebrate their history. Before joining the WGPF Zachary worked as the Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Seward House Museum (SHM) in Auburn, NY. While working in the education department of the SHM he helped develop both virtual and in-person outreach, connect with the local community, and establish a national programming presence. He has also spent time as an educator in a number of settings. Zachary received his MA in American history from SUNY Brockport and his BA in history from Lycoming College. Along with his experience in historical research, community engagement, and education, he is also a published author. Zachary currently resides in Cortland, NY with his fiancé and their dog, Bruce.
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Sara Micciche (Secretary) is on staff at the Oneida Public Library. Sara has a lifelong passion for learning, history, and teaching. In 2002, she received her BS in Criminal Justice and became a published author, at Bay Path University. After college, she travelled extensively in Japan and Europe. She has held leadership positions in community outreach organizations in Asia, Europe, and the United States. She is also a member of the Columbian Club, and a founding member of the new Oneida Friends of the Library group. She has lived in Oneida since 2020 with her husband, their two teenagers, and their dog.
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Lori Beirman (Treasurer) is a Supervisor at Dannible & McKee, LLP, a certified public accounting and consulting firm with offices in Syracuse, Albany and Binghamton, NY. Graduating from Le Moyne College with her bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1999, Lori began her career at the firm working for DM Systems, Inc., where she utilized her prior work experience and associates degree in computer technology, combined with her accounting knowledge, to install, maintain, and support a variety accounting programs before transitioning to the audit department. With over 20 years of experience in audit, reviews and compilations in a variety of industries such as manufacturing, construction and professional service firms, Lori currently performs quality control procedures for the firm. She also continues to perform traditional audit work and specialized work in data analytics and fraud. Lori’s diverse background and specialize knowledge has led her to conduct training both internally and externally, and she perform speaking engagements on a variety of topics. Lori currently serves as treasurer of both Hope for Bereaved and Preservation Association of Central New York (PACNY).
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Kelley Weaver is retired with a M.A. degree in education and a M.S. degree from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry / Syracuse University. She has worked in both the private and public sectors, writing Environmental Impact Statements and Assessments to help preserve cultural and natural resources. Kelley has traveled across the country visiting hundreds of historic sites. She has shared her passion for cultural history with classrooms using distance learning technologies.
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Mary Duffin is an Elementary Teacher at Moses DeWitt Elementary in the Jamesville – DeWitt Central School District. She has been involved with local and state organizations for teaching Social Studies: the Central New York Council for the Social Studies and, as vice-president and president, the New York State Council for the Social Studies. Mary has brought students and teachers to many historic sites for special programs and encourages the importance of preserving our history to help the future learn from the past. She has been a long time member and board member of PACNY. She has her MA from SU in Education and lives in DeWitt, New York.
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Christine Hall O’Neil is the Executive Director of the Oneida Community Mansion House where she’s focused on preserving the National Historic Landmark building. At OCMH, Chris is leading efforts to increase philanthropy and grant funding, implement a new business plan, and launch building preservation projects. Previously, Chris served as the Executive Director of Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum where she secured new funding, grew community partnerships, engaged new audiences and expanded interpretation. Chris guided CLCBM to complete a cultural landscape report, install solar panels, expand the education program, implement new interdisciplinary and recreational programs, and strengthen CLCBM’s connection to the Erie Canalway/Empire State Trail. Chris serves on the Madison County Tourism Board and in her free time enjoys exploring cultural and natural heritage sites by bike, kayak or foot. A graduate of Cornell University, Chris resides in Fayetteville, New York, with her husband, Scott, where they raised three children.
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Michael Stanton has stimulated important discussions while maintaining the PACNY list serve, engaging hundreds of preservationists, architects, planners and the general public in historic preservation and urban issues. As a Board Member for PACNY, Mike also developed the Syracuse Then and Now website, which won an historic preservation award in 2004 from the Central New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. In 2010 he prepared nomination materials leading to the National Grid (Niagara Mohawk) Building being added to the National Register of Historic Places. A former producer of public affairs and documentary television programs, he has a B.A. from Gonzaga University, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Washington. He has also been an outspoken neighborhood advocate as the longtime leader of the Southeast University Neighborhood Association. His contribution has been essential to the success of the local historic preservation movement over the past fifteen years.
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Christopher Trevisani is Vice President of Business Development for Housing Visions Unlimited, Inc., a not-for-profit housing development company in Syracuse, New York. His work at Housing Visions has helped revitalize numerous neighborhood communities throughout New York State utilizing a multitude of financing vehicles such as Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Historic Tax Credits, Brownfield Tax Credits, and numerous federal and state resources to promote the creation and preservation of affordable and supportive housing. He has been involved in various sectors of real estate development and historic preservation projects across the county for over 25 years. Recent preservation projects include portions of the Phoenix Block in downtown Syracuse and the former Crescent Corset factory in Cortland, which received the 2018 PACNY Pat Earle Award. He holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Union College and a MS in Real Estate Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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Austin Wheelock is the Deputy Director at Operation Oswego County, Inc. (OOC), the county’s designated economic development agency, and has been employed there since 2006. He is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), a designation granted by the International Economic Development Council. Austin manages several key initiatives at OOC such as the Next Great Idea Oswego County Business Plan Competition and the OOC real estate portfolio including multiple industrial parks and a business incubator. He has also been involved in the attraction, retention, and expansion of many Oswego County businesses and has coordinated fundraising initiatives at the federal, state and local level for multiple projects.
He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Heritage Foundation of Oswego County since 2009, and is the current Board President. He has also served on the Oswego Renaissance Association Board of Directors since 2013 and the Oswego History Records Center Board of Directors since 2019. He holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from the University at Buffalo and a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Technology at Alfred State College. He’s been a resident of Oswego County for fifteen years and currently resides in the Village of Cleveland, NY with his wife and dog.
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Ronnie White, Jr. obtained his Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Political science from Georgia State University in 2010, and attended law school at Syracuse University, graduating in 2013 with a Juris Doctorate and a certificate in Technology Commercialization. Upon graduating law school, Ronnie joined the Onondaga County Department of Law, where he was responsible for representing municipal agencies in state, federal, local and family courts. In 2016, he successfully defended two Onondaga County correctional officers from charges that they used excessive force, earning a dismissal from the jury in Federal Court. Ronnie then joined one of Central New York’s preeminent private law firms, before deciding on gaining enough experience to start his own law firm. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2014 and admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York in 2016.
Ronnie is a founding member of the William Herbert Johnson Bar Association of Central New York, Central New York’s only African American Bar Association; a member of the Onondaga County Bar Association; and a member of the New York State and American Bar Associations. In his spare time Ronnie enjoys tinkering with technology, writing music, attending concerts and sporting events, and enjoying the arts. He live in Syracuse with his fiancé and step daughter.
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Jodi Baldwin is the owner / creator of Howland Farm Museum, an Italianate homestead listed on the National Registry for Historic Houses, in Southern Cayuga County. Holding a BS in Textiles, Merchandising and Design, with a concentration in Historic Costume, her preservation skills and background began with her education in textile conservation. This focus naturally evolved to including buildings and structures. Jodi’s career as a Costume Supervisor in film and television allowed her to work behind the scenes at many historic sites throughout the New England and New York City regions. She brings her “theatrical” skills of production development, creativity and imagination to engage the community in more interactive and exploratory educational environments. Jodi currently lives in the main house of Howland Farm Museum with her cuddly museum cats and chickens, where she enjoys grounding herself daily with the wisdom of the walnut trees.
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Jake Totten is a Master’s of Landscape Architecture Student at SUNY ESF. A native to central New York, he grew up reading about local history and volunteering at the Canal Town Museum in his home town of Canastota. He is passionate about central New York history and has a special interest in the Historic Erie Canal. Jake received his Bachelor’s of Arts from College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, in 2019, with a focus on plant science and agriculture. Since then, he served for two years as the Head of Grounds for College of the Atlantic and as the interim Chair of their Committee for Campus Planning and Building before enrolling in graduate school. Jake is actively pursuing a career in the field of historic landscape preservation.
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