Historic Albany's Annual Meeting Recap
/Historic Albany's Annual Meeting Recap
Last week, the Cathedral of All Saints hosted Historic Albany for our annual Preservation Merit Awards and Annual Meeting. We lauded 14 projects and individuals. During the annual meeting, we elected a new slate of officers and six members began a new three year term. Three board members rolled off the board after completing their terms and four new members joined the board.
OFFICERS ELECTED TO ANOTHER ONE YEAR TERM
Matt Malette, President
Shawn Morris, 1st Vice President
Robert Coughlin, Treasurer
Tammy Gaynor, Secretary
BOARD MEMBERS NOMINATED TO A THIRD THREE YEAR TERM
Michelle Bruck
Schuyler Bull
Robert Coughlin
BOARD MEMBERS NOMINATED TO A SECOND THREE YEAR TERM
Kori Graves
Stephen Hickey
Salvator (Jake) Capecelatro
BOARD MEMBERS NOMINATED TO A FIRST THREE YEAR TERM
Padraic Bambrick
While born and raised on Long Island, Padraic Bambrick has called Albany, more specifically the Center Square-Hudson Park Historic District, his home for the majority of the last two decades. Mr. Bambrick now lives with his partner Cara in the Grange Sard, Jr. House overlooking Washington Park. As a lobbyist, he spends his days walking the halls of another Richardsonian Romanesque building, the New York State Capitol.
He received a bachelor’s degree in history at SUNY Albany and began a career in politics at the tail end of the Pataki administration, representing non-profits such as the Bronx Zoo and Fortune-500 companies alike. He recently earned an MBA in a part-time program while working as Manager of State Government Affairs at National Grid, where he continues to work to this day.
Working at National Grid to arbitrate customer concerns and simply listening to his neighbors while walking through Center Square, Mr. Bambrick is keenly aware of the priority placed on building preservation and the need to support the natural and cultural heritage of the City of Albany. Mr. Bambrick takes pride in the history of Albany and its national and global footprint and strives to pass that sentiment on to future generations.
Elizabeth Benjamin
Liz Benjamin is Managing Director – Albany, for Marathon Strategies, a full-service communications and public affairs firm based in New York City. Prior to joining Marathon, Liz was a reporter with more than two decades of experience covering Capital Region, state and New York City government and politics. Over her career, Liz covered a wide array of complex and controversial policy debates – including in the historic preservation sphere. Her expertise includes print, TV and digital reporting and commentary. Liz began her career at the Albany Times Union, where she spent 10 years moving from covering local government and Albany City Hall to the state Capitol. While at the Capitol, she was the paper’s lead political reporter and launched Capitol Confidential, the Capitol’s first blog, which is still going strong. She then spent four years at the New York Daily News as a political blogger and columnist. For the final eight years of her journalistic career, Liz hosted “Capital Tonight,” a landmark political and policy show on Spectrum News, and edited the show’s companion blog, State of Politics.
Paige Barnum -
Paige Barnum is a Senior Planner with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). She has worked as a planner with the agency since 2018. Prior to joining OPRHP, Barnum worked in several local government offices–from Oxford, Mississippi to Los Angeles, California–focusing principally on current and historic preservation planning practice. Barnum completed her Masters in Regional Planning from Cornell University in 2017 and achieved the American Institute of Certified Planner credential from the American Planning Association in 2020. Barnum currently serves on the executive board of the Albany Public Library Board of Trustees; the executive board of the Center Square Neighborhood Association; and as a member of the City of Albany's Board of Zoning Appeals.
April Fallon
I am originally from Long Island and went to RPI for my undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Studies. I really enjoyed my time there. What I wasn't expecting was to enjoy the Capital Region so much. What can I say, I fell in love with the historic downtowns and the charming homes and scenery of the area. I started looking at listings in the area and dreaming of one day giving new life to an old house. I thought to myself "it would be so wonderful if I could help others find their dream homes" ... and so I started the journey of getting my real estate license. Just this year I bought a home built in 1884 and have been working hard to preserve it. Since becoming a realtor, I have tried to capture some of the historic homes and buildings that Albany and the capital region are so lucky to have. It has been amazing reaching so many people through social media and I can't wait to continue to give Albany's history a voice and work toward its preservation with HAF."
A FOND FAREWELL
This year we also bid a fond farewell to three board members. Matt Scheidt and Fran Altshuler have both served on the HAF board for three 3-year terms for a total of nine years. Angela Sicker has served for three years. We thank them for their committed service and dedication and wish them well!