Andrea Harrington

President

Andrea Harrington, resides in Hebron with her husband and college-aged children. Andrea graduated from Siena College and has been employed by Arrow Bank, formerly Glens Falls National, for the last 14 years.  She has sat on the board of various organizations in the area including Cornell Cooperative Extension, Salem Central School, Washington County Dairy Princess, Salem Youth Sports, and Cambridge-Salem Football.  In addition to this board, she is a current member of the Salem Ag Advisory Board.

 John Golde

Secretary

John Golde has been a resident of Greenwich since 1985, where he and his wife, Cyndy Barbone, raised their two sons. John is a semi-retired consulting electrical engineer, and operates Golde Engineering, P.C. John is active in several professional organizations and coached youth hockey and soccer as his sons were growing up. He has run the Tri-County MATHCOUNTS program since the 1990’s.

Thomas Christianfeld

Board Member

Thomas has owned and operated The Alleged Farm in Easton, NY for the last 30 years, working closely with Comfort Food Community over the past ten years to donate local, farm-fresh food to help feed the community. He has retired from full-time farming but continues to steward his land in Easton with his wife, Liz. Thomas joins the Comfort Food Community board as an agricultural expert and representative of our rural, farming community.

Cristi Flannigan

Board Member

Growing up on her family’s dairy farm in Washington County, Cristi's love of agriculture started early. For the past 23 years, she has worked as a credit analyst for Farm Credit East in Greenwich. In the past, Cristi served on the Washington County Cornell Cooperative Extension Board. Currently, she serves on the finance committee here at CFC. Cristi is passionate about our services that provide fresh and healthy food to our community members, support local farmers, and reduce food waste.

Shannon Klingebiel

Board Member

Shannon lives in the Schuylerville area and has strong family ties to Washington County. As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, she is passionate about ensuring people have access to nourishing food and a strong understanding of how their food choices impact their health. She volunteers with the food pantry and is excited to be a part of the Coomunity Health and Student Nutrition initiatives at CFC.

Teri Ptacek

Board Member

​Teri is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Pratt Institute.  Prior to retirement, she worked for nearly 30 years in the field of farmland conservation serving as the Executive Director of the Agricultural Stewardship Association for 18 years and 8 years for American Farmland Trust. Under her guidance, ASA conserved approximately 24,000 additional acres of farmland and grew from an all-volunteer organization to a highly respected, professionally staffed one.  She has been a board member of Grassland Bird Trust since 2023.

Alan Stern

Board Member

Alan Stern is a twenty-two year resident of Greenwich. He and his wife Mary Lou live on a farm north of the Village where, for most of those years, they raised lambs for meat and fleeces. His varied career saw him a teacher of students who are deaf, a school district administrator, a NYS Education Department senior manager and a leadership and management consultant working internationally for Fortune 50 companies. A longtime supporter, he is excited to be a part of the Comfort Food Community’s work.

Joseph "JR" Hanna

Vice President

J.R. grew up in Schuylerville and moved to the Cossayuna area in 2017.  He is currently the Operations Manager at High Peaks Hospice, bringing a strong background in human resources, healthcare operations, and emergency services. A certified EMT and Chairman of the Board for the Cossayuna Volunteer Fire Department, he is deeply committed to serving rural communities. J.R. brings a passion for community health, resilience, and equitable food access to the Comfort Food Community board.

Patrick Gunty

Treasurer

Pat grew up in the Capital Region and currently works for the New York State budget division. His fiscal background makes him a great fit for the finance committee. Pat's proud of the organization's emphasis on utilizing local, healthy food to support the community and he thoroughly enjoys working alongside the staff and other board members who all work passionately to carry out this mission.

Jill Eaton

Board Member

Jill has lived in Greenwich her entire life. She spent 35 years as an Occupational Therapist, making a difference in the lives of many children and adults. She recently retired, and now spends her time with her family, volunteering, and traveling. She has enjoyed volunteering at the Cossayuna Pantry and looks forward to continuing to help make a difference in the lives of those who have food insecurity.

Ariel Garland

Board Member

​Ariel developed a deep appreciation for Washington County’s agricultural landscape after relocating to the area following college. With a background in agriculture and hands-on farming experience, she has a strong understanding of the importance of accessible, nourishing food and resilient local food systems. Ariel has spent over a decade supporting the dairy farming community and is a Category Manager at Stewart’s Shops. She is passionate about bringing fresh, nourishing food to the community. 

Laura McDermott

Board Member

​Laura McDermott spent over 30 years working with farmers in Washington County and Eastern NY as an agricultural specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension until her retirement. She lives in North Hebron with her husband John where they raised their four children. She helps out at the Granville Veterinary Service Large Animal Practice when she has time between visiting grandchildren, traveling and gardening and skiing. 

Erika Sellar Ryan

Board Member

Erika is a proud native of Washington County, growing up in Argyle. She is a graduate of Albany Law School, and SUNY Oswego. Erika worked at law firm in Syracuse before joining the Washington County Attorney’s Office. Erika joined her current firm in 2010 and named a partner in 2014. In 2019, Erika graduated from Cornell’s LEADNY Program, a two-year program focused on developing leaders in the food and agricultural industry. When not at work, Erika can be found spending time with her children and husband or working in perennial beds at her home.