About Us

Shanelle is the Disability Services Director at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  She lived in Lesotho, Southern Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer before attending graduate school at The George Washington University in D.C.  After 5 years of living in the hustle and bustle of our nation's capital, she happily boomeranged back to Geneva, NY.  She is passionate about giving back to Geneva, as it gave her so much during the transformative years during her undergraduate studies.  Aside from a passion for teaching, she is a certified Yoga instructor, loves to cook, ride her bike and play with her Great Dane puppy.  

Teresa is a Manager at Generations Bank in Ontario County.  Before moving to Geneva over 20 years ago, she lived in New York City and Puerto Rico and served as a Spanish language translator.  She led the BluePrint board for three years, during a period of great growth in the environmental justice and food security sectors.

Mike is a local trial lawyer and community activist.  He has served for many years on local boards, including the Geneva Human Rights Commission, Geneva Boys & Girls Club, Auburn and Geneva YMCAs, Farm Workers Legal Services of New York, and the Worker Justice Center of New York.  Mike lives in Geneva with his wife Alejandra Molina.

Greg is a lawyer who focuses his practice on business and employment disputes. 

Before law school, Greg was active in political campaigns and government in New Hampshire. 

He lives in Geneva with his wife and two children. In his free time Greg enjoys swimming in Seneca Lake, coaching his kids’ sports teams, and composting with Growing Cycle!

Samantha, originally from South Africa, has been cooking, teaching and catering in the Finger Lakes for over 20 years. Chef Samantha’s passion for food and community keeps her involved with amazing organizations such as Share our Strength and Foodlink. Recently Chef Samantha headed up a team of 7 amazing women from the Finger Lakes, showcasing some of the best at The James Beard House in NYC, January 2020.  She is owner of Simply Red events, providing catering, event planning, and culinary tourism services.  She has led BluePrint's emergency food program and Just Harvest meat-buying cooperative.

A lifelong community activist rooted in Geneva, Patrisha served as Executive Director of Community Unified Today, Inc. providing housing, child care, and economic opportunity to the community.  She is the long-standing director of the Martin Luther King Community Choir and active in Mt. Calvary COGIC.  Patty founded the LEAP program in the Geneva City School District, providing guidance on educational achievement and goal-setting from high school through college.  Patty also serves on the Martin Luther King scholarship committee which provides generous annual support to students of color.

Joi Anne brings a culinary background as well as Master Gardening expertise to the BluePrint board.  A retiree of Cornell University's Agricultural Experiment Station (now AgriTech), she enjoys working with neighbors in the public gardens and assisting with development of the community kitchen project.

Upon returning from living in France and Montréal, Kathryn spent 10 years with a worker-owned wholesale natural foods collective. After earning a master’s degree in social work she was a LCSW until retirement. She volunteers with the Center for Dispute Settlement and the Alternatives to Violence Project.  She has served on the board of several national and international non-profits as well as working as a bookkeeper for several agencies. In her free time, Kathryn enjoys playing her button accordion, camping with her husband, gardening, and fiber arts. 

Caitlin is a Member Service Specialist at Finger Lakes Federal Credit Union in Geneva.  She grew up in Geneva and has had the opportunity to get to know the community through the local businesses. Caitlin likes to garden, dabble in baking and canning, and enjoys time with family. She also likes to spend time volunteering at various events in the community.

James is a 2023 graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges. His work with BluePrint is focused on Food Security, including the Just Harvest community kitchen, the gleaning and gardening efforts, and partnering across the community on the Food Recovery Network.  He will also serve on the Geneva2030 Food Security Task Force.  

He majored in environmental studies and the gender, sexuality, and intersectional justice program. James is interested in creating sustainable localized systems that uplift and support communities.

William is a 2023 Hobart and William Smith Colleges graduate. He majored in Political Science with a double minor in Philosophy and Writing & Rhetoric.

William will be focused on economic security and reducing barriers to employment and career readiness in Geneva. He will work to design a job training and career readiness program for individuals entering or re-entering the workforce as well as  supporting the Community Kitchen operations and volunteer recruitment.  William is interested in supporting the development of collaborative and grassroots opportunities for community development.

Jackie started BluePrint after serving 16 years as a city councilor.  A Geneva native, she is also a graduate of William Smith College and holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Rochester.  She teaches at Keuka College, is the co-founder of the Seneca7 relay race, is the co-chair of the Geneva2030 Food Security Task Force, and serves on the Steering Committee of NYSERDA's Energy Equity Collaborative.

A policy wonk at heart, she is committed to data-driven solutions and nimble, creative approaches to complex problems.  She is the mom of three great kids who are perpetually helping on a "volun-told" basis.

A 2021 graduate of Hobart & William Smith Colleges, Emma studied Anthropology and International Relations. She became involved with BluePrint while studying local community development and city politics. She received a Master's degree in urban planning from the London School of Economics. 

Emma was involved in program administration, community outreach, and board development. In her free time, Emma enjoys hiking, cooking, and running with friends.   

Faith has her B.A. in English and is on her way to achieve a Master of Arts in Teaching at Johns Hopkins University. She was the BluePrint Geneva '21-'22 Americorps VISTA.  

Her work in Geneva was focused on food security, program operations, and volunteer recruitment and retention. Faith is from Los Angeles, California and loves writing poetry and cooking vegan meals in her free time. 

AMERICORPS 2022-2023

Katerina Yacoub, Seneca Blakely-Armitage, Maeve Reilly

“My two summers as a BluePrint Geneva intern have taught me so much about how to garden and build community. I am so grateful to have spent time learning how to develop solutions that address the complexity of local social justice and suitability issues.” - Katerina Yacoub WS 2023, Environmental Studies major