Elena Twiss
Executive Director
Elena is the Executive Director of the Friends of Oswego County Hospice. Elena graduated from SUNY Oswego with a BA in Human Development. Her passion has always been working with the geriatric population. She worked part time for the Friends of Hospice in Oswego County before becoming the Executive Director in March of 2018.
Elena lives in New Haven with her husband and two children. She is passionate about assisting the Hospice program in the community she was born and raised in.
Sue Alfieri
Chair
Sue is a lifetime Oswego resident. She graduated with a Chemistry degree from Oswego State and has worked for the various owners of the nuclear plants for 33 years. Currently she is the Training Lead for the Emergency Preparedness program for Corporate Exelon. She is a strong supporter of various organizations including Hospice, Paws Across Oswego County (where she rescued her sweet little Maltese, Freddie), and Peaceful Remedies. She is excited about the opportunity to help Friends of Hospice to become more well known in our community.
Judith Sabin Watson
Vice Chair
Judy holds a Bachelors’ degree in Nursing and a Masters in Health Care Administration. She was employed by the Oswego County Health Dept. in a variety of nursing positions for over 35 years. She served as a Supervising Public Nurse for Preventive Services and Hospice. She retired as the Director of Patient Services. In addition to serving on the Friends of Hospice, she is the Chairperson of the Oswego Town Planning Board and volunteers for the CNY Cat Coalition.
Terri Richardson
Corresponding Secretary
Terri has lived in Oswego for 26 years with her Husband Tom and their two boys Brennon and Austin. She works at Pathfinder Bank in Oswego, in the Human Resources Department. Terri enjoys volunteering and serves as the secretary for the Oswego Laker Swim Club. She is also the Pathfinder Bank’s Co-Captain for their Relay For Life team
Lee Maniccia
Recording Secretary
Lee is a lifelong resident of Oswego. She retired after 33 years as a teacher of children with special needs. She has served on the boards of the Oswego County Humane Society (treasurer, and president), worked the spay neuter clinic for 5 years at that facility, and currently serves on the RSVP Board. She and her husband deliver Meals on Wheels and she enjoys hobbies such as travel, sewing and reading. Lee and her husband David have two grown children and four beautiful grandchildren. Lee believes serving on this board will round out her perfect retirement years with the piece of helping out the hospice program in her hometown.
Ashley E.A. Lawton
MS LMHC NCC RPT-S CCPT-S
Ashley Lawton is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with several post graduate certifications in working with children using Play Therapy and additional training in working with traumatized populations. She has worked at Integrative Counseling Services in Oswego, NY since 2010 and became one of the Assistant Directors there in 2015. Ashley has also been a volunteer with Camp Rainbow of Hope, a bereavement camp for children run by Friends of Hospice in Oswego County, since 2009 where she coordinates Healing Circles (group therapy activities for campers). When not working Ashley enjoys spending time with her two children, her family, being outdoors, and can often be found with a good book.
James Karasek
Jim and his wife are transplants from Iowa. Both were offered jobs in the same week from different companies. Pat, with Birdseye and Jim was asked to locate in the northeast and open stores for PaylessShoes. Jim has worked with fortune 500 companies for over 30 years in management positions. He alsoserved as the Planning Board Chair for the Town of Granby for 20 years and was the lead in theGranby/Fulton Wal-Mart development and approvals. He currently is the Outreach Liaison for AISE andworks in Madison. Cayuga and based in Oswego County. He is a person with a disability and as such hasa service dog named Isabel. He has been an Oswego County Legislator for 14 years and chairs the HealthCommittee, Vice Chair of the Board of Health and sits on various community committees.
Katrina Cummings
Katrina is the V.P. of Plastics at Oswego County Federal Credit, and has been a part of their family since 2008. She is responsible for the overall operations of the credit union’s Debit Card and Credit Card portfolio’s.She is an alumni of Leadership Oswego County, class of 2012, and is a member of their Advisory Council. Oswego County Hospice holds a special place in her heart, as they were huge support system for her and her family during a difficult and unexpected time.In addition to her family, her biggest passions are helping people and supporting her community where she was born and raised. In her free time, you can find Katrina on the golf course, or going on adventures and making memories with her husband and their two children. She is their all-time greatest fan!
Michelle Dowd
Michelle recently joined the board that she initiated 25 years ago while acting at the volunteer coordinator for the Oswego County Hospice Program. As an RN she was employed at the Oswego County Health Department for 22 years. For the last 13 years of her career at OCHD she acted as the Volunteer Coordinator and a member of the hospice team. She is proud of the role she had in the growth of the Hospice program. She is delighted to see some of the early projects (Camp Rainbow and the Hospice Regatta, for example) have continued to remain an integral part of the work of the board and that there are volunteers that joined during her tenure who are still active and support hospice in various ways. The philosophy and goals of hospice work never left her as she continued to work as an RN, described by her as a “hospice heart”. She retired in 2017 from Upstate Medical Center and enjoys living on Sandy Pond with her husband, Don and her dog, “Luna”. She has 3 grown children. She and Don love to travel in the winter months with their RV “where ever the weather is good”.
Steve Chirello
Steve Chirello formed Chirello Advertising in 1996 and has been a professional marketer/communicator for more than 30 years.He has worked for two Central NY advertising agencies, was chief advertising writer for the Transicold Division of Carrier Corporation, served as public relations manager for The Miller Brewing Company (Philip Morris USA), and was the first Director of Community Relations for Syracuse University. He is also an adjunct professor in Communication Studies at SUNY Oswego.He brings the unique combination of having worked for two Fortune 100 companies, a large, private university, and the entrepreneurial experience of a small business owner.
Donna DuBois-Taylor
Donna DuBois- Taylor has lived in Oswego County her entire life. She has been involved in medical care for her community since 1986 as an EMT, Nurse Aide, Home Health Aide, LPN, RN and lastly obtaining her NY State License in Massage Therapy in 2004. She has been involved with Hospice since 2008. Above everything else, Donna loves to give back to her community. She is a member of the United Baptist Church of Scriba where she has been chairman of the Missions committee for approximately 10 years. When she is not serving her community, she enjoys fly fishing, camping and connecting with nature.
Gail Cooper
Gail Cooper grew up in Oswego, graduated from Oswego High School and Mohawk Valley Community College with an AAS in Human Services. She worked for the Oswego City School district for many years and then moved on to work for Catholic Charities of Oswego County. She was Director of Youth and Family Services when she retired from CC. Gail recently became a board member for Catholic Charities. She has a blended family of 5 grown children who also live and work in Oswego. Gail has been a hospice volunteer for many years and has worked on the Regatta Committee and is now part of the Hospice Fundraising Committee.
Jim Oldenburg
After a hiatus from the board, Jim has returned to serve on the board. He is a Past President of the Friends of Hospice Board of Directors. Jim is retired from Constellation at Nine Mile Point, also is retired Town of Scriba Supervisor. His other community involvements are, member ConnextCare Board of Directors, Past Exalted Ruler of Oswego Elks Lodge, presently serving as a State Trustee. Member of the Scriba Seniors Club and a communicant of Christ the Good Shepherd parish. He loves his community and also to keep busy.
Jim Soule
Jim has lived in Pulaski all of his life and has one daughter. He attended Morrisville College graduating in 1980. He was a volunteer fireman until he started Scriba Electric 32 years ago.
He has sat on the Water Board for Pulaski for 40 years and is on the Tree Committee. With being on the Water Board he has worked with the Health Department over the years and his father was the chairman for many years when he was a county legislator.
