Meet the 2025 Board Members
Make sure you are signed up on the SportsYou app to keep track of the schedule!
Meet the 2025 Board Members
Hello everyone. It is a great honor to be your new Chairman. Like our young players, I started playing Gaelic Football when I was 10 years old. Now as an adult, some of the greatest memories of my childhood involve Gaelic Football. Today my closest friends are old teammates & even old rivals.
In 2019 because of my age & injuries, I was sure my days of Gaelic Football were over. Then our club was founded, my wife saw an advertisement on Facebook & I knew right away I wanted to be a part of this club. I have been able to coach our first U11 team, now our U12 team, play for our Jr. B team, coach our new U14 team & now manage our Jr. B team.
We are the talk of the NY GAA. Clubs that have been around for 50 years & more haven’t been able to accomplish what we have done in such a short period of time. Nursery program, U8-U14’s Teams, Jr. B Team & our own field, none of this could have happened without support from our great families, dedicated Board Members & Sponsors.
I would just like to thank everyone again for giving me the opportunity to be your Chairman & I cannot wait to see what tomorrow will bring us all.
Emmett Woods~ Vice-Chairperson
Email: emmett@mahoneysirishpub.com
.....
Carol Daly~ Secretary
Email: Secretary.DutchessGAA@gmail.com
Carol was born & raised in Dublin, Ireland. The GAA has been pulsing through her veins from a very young age & she has worked in Croke Park which is the home of the GAA! Carol also serves on 2 other boards as PTA Secretary of Noxon Elementary School and Union Vale Middle School. Her family joined the Dutchess GAA in 2020 where her children quickly found their sport of choice. Blake is on the U12/U14 team, Niko is on the U12 team & Bell (Isabella) is on the U10 team. Bell is also an Irish Step Dancer with The Irish Dance Company. Carol was quickly invited to be a Board Member in 2022, where she served for a year as a Parent Representative. Since becoming Secretary in 2023, Carol has been actively involved in all events & fundraisers whilst promoting & growing the club.
Gena Lisanti~ Treasurer
Email: dutchessgaatreasurer@gmail.com
Gena is a multi-tasking mom of 5 who co-owns a business with her husband Joe. She is actively involved in the community. She has been with the Vail Farm Elementary School PTA since 2010 and is currently vice president for the Union Vale Middle Schhol PTA. Gena has been our Treasurer since 2021 whilst also lending her ideas & connections to the Parent Committee. Gena has 3 sons who actively play. Abe, her eldest, is on the men’s team & Enzo is on the U14 team. Gianni, her youngest son, has been playing since he was 4 years old and is cuurently on the U8 team. When Gena isn't on the sidleines cheering on her kids she is helping out with event planning. Her favorite event is the annual golf outing! Gena is an active parent committee member who lends support to all events and club fundraisers. Her goals include helping the Dutchess GAA to flourish. Gena is especially grateful for the community aspect of the club & hopes to build on that in the years to come.
Caitlin Beaird~ Registrar
Email: caitlin.a.mitchell@gmail.com
Caitlin joined the Dutchess County GAA in 2019 & formally joined as a Board Member in 2024, in the role of Parent Representative. Caitlin is looking forward to expanding her role on the board in 2025, as the Club Registrar. Over the years, Caitlin has enjoyed watching the growth of the Dutchess GAA & more importantly, the development of an extended family across all of our teams. Caitlin enjoys watching her daughter play on the U8 team & is excited for her son to also (officially) be a U8 Griffin this year. Caitlin looks forward to contributing to the growth of the club in 2025 by combining her corporate skills with her passion for her family, faith & Irish culture.
Stacey Cassels-Vetter~ Coaches Liaison
Email: casselsvetter@gmail.com
Kieran Mitchell~ Games Development Officer
Email: ktmuvale6@gmail.com
Kieran is one of our founding board members dating back to 2019 & previously served as Secretary (2019-2022) & Chairman (2023-2024). Currently, Kieran also plays on our men's Gaelic Football team & plays Hurling for Limerick NY. In 2020, Kieran started & organized our first Men's Gaelic Football team which has since seen explosive growth in numbers. Due to Kieran's work background in recruiting, the recruitment of new members/players has been a key focus for him & he is very passionate about the skills development of all players. Community & the sharing of our Irish heritage with others is something Kieran has been passionate about since he was a kid, so getting involved with our club was a no-brainer for him. Over the last few years Kieran has run many free Gaelic Football clinics around the county & he will continue to focus on growing Gaelic Games in our community in his new role as GDO. If you are involved with any recreation departments or sporting leagues & would like to organize a free Gaelic Football clinic for your members, please reach out to Kieran to organize an event.
CJ Tomaskovic~ Social/Cultural Chair
Email: cjmt76@gmail.com
CJ is one of the co-founders of the Dutchess County Griffins GAA. CJ was Chairman of the club from its founding in 2019 through 2022 & has been a Board Member ever since.
As the new Cultural Officer, his goals are to provide a variety of cultural experiences for our members & their families, including opportunities to learn more about the Irish Language, Irish History & Irish Music, and Irish Dance.
CJ organized the Dutchess County Irish Festival in 2021/2022 & coordinates the "Irish Night" at both The Hudson Valley Renegades & Marist Red Fox games, giving members of our community, both young & old, the chance to come together to celebrate our common heritage.
CJ has coached our U8 Gaelic Football team since 2020. His daughter, Grace (born in 2017), has played Gaelic Football for the Griffins since 2021 & also does Irish Step Dancing with our partners, The Irish Dance Company.
He is a Past-President of the Dutchess County Ancient Order of Hibernians, a Member of the Dutchess County St Patrick's Parade Committee, a Member of the Knights of Columbus & an Honorary Member of the Police Emerald Society of the Hudson Valley. He is the Instructional League Director for St Martin de Porres CYO Basketball, where he is also a coach. CJ sits on several other community Boards & Committees, and is thankful for the opportunity to serve.
John O'Sullivan~ Adult Player Rep
Email: j.osullivan2220@gmail.com
John began his GAA career with St. Brendan's. With parents from Kerry, it was only natural he play Gaelic Football, starting with U8 to U16 where he aged out. He joined the Dutchess men's team in 2022 & has enjoyed every minute since. He was recently elected as the Adult Player Representative & Senior Delegate to the New York County Board. John is more than grateful to play Gaelic again, as well as having the opportunity to give back to his new club, and enjoys seeing the younger teams learn & play the same game he did at their age.
Kevin McCarthy~ Parent Representative
Email: kmccarthy7978@optonline.net
Kieran Stack~ Trustee at Large
Email: kieran.stackahs@gmail.com
Kieran has been part of the club since 2019. He is a founding member & has been a member of the Men's Team since day one. He has helped with U13 coaching in the past & looks forward to bringing fresh ideas to the Board in 2025.