EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Anita joined the KAC in May 2023 and she brings over 30 years of experience in arts administration and arts education, having worked at Cazenovia College as the Director of the Arts Management Program and a Professor of Art. She was a co-founder and director of the Syracuse alternative gallery Altered Space from 1990-1996 and she served on the board of ArtRage Gallery for several years; currently she serves on the Syracuse Public Art Commission. She has worked in book arts, collage, printmaking, painting and installation, and she has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. In April, Welych received a 2023 Special Recognition Award in Arts Administration from Le Moyne College for her service to the field. As an artist and educator, Anita is thrilled to join the KAC in its mission of community engagement through the arts.

PROGRAM MANAGER

Madden is a local to the area, returning after her time spent in Albany at Russell Sage College where she received her degree in Health Science and Psychology. After two years of working at a local library as a children's program coordinator, she is excited to broaden her experience with the programs at the KAC. She is recently married to her husband James Lamont. They spend their free time hiking, camping, and attempting to grow vegetables and flowers at their house in the country. Madden hopes to use her experience from working with other local communities to build on to the always-growing artistic community that is the Kirkland Art Center.

OFFICE MANAGER

Maura received her MBA and MA in information systems at the University of Colorado and has had a 25-year career at public and private entities. She leverages her experience with database management to handle administrative tasks and maintain KAC accounts. Maura has a deep interest in the arts, frequently attending exhibitions and theater performances in the region. She and her husband Jim are avid travelers.

CO-PRESIDENT & ACTING TREASURER

Carol and her husband, Steve Orvis, moved to Clinton in 1988. They were delighted to find a great community center in the KAC, and their family enjoyed many musical performances, art classes, and workshops over the years. After 20 years on the faculty at Hamilton College, followed by ten years as a college administrator in off-campus and international programs at Hamilton and later Colgate University, Carol retired. Having served on the board and as co-president in the early 2010s, she was happy to have more to volunteer in the community, especially at the KAC, where she was most recently on the Raise the Roof Capital Campaign committee. She looks forward to working with the great staff and board of the KAC to keep and enhance its role as a center for the arts and artists of all ages into the future. She enjoys listening to and playing music, cooking and especially baking, and traveling.

CO - PRESIDENT

Retired from the faculty of Hamilton College and enthralled with the beauty of nature, Ernest enjoys painting landscapes and photographing the elements of biodiversity, especially birds, butterflies, and wildflowers. He is happy to join the board of the Kirkland Art Center, which contributes so much to our community; he also serves on the board of the Monarch Butterfly Fund and volunteers with Kirkland Trails.

VICE PRESIDENT

Nancy has lived in Clinton with her family for many years and she works as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with Clinton Therapy and Testing Center. She has long been involved with the KAC as a loyal member and volunteer at many events, particularly KAC concerts and music workshops. She always brings positive vibes when she works with everyone to get things done and we are delighted have her on to the Board.

SECRETARY

Kino Ruth and spouse Chris Willemsen came to Clinton in 1999 and have been involved with education, sports and the KAC ever since.  Kino worked for over 25 years in college administration (primarily career services) including 13 years at Hamilton College.  He recently retired from M. Griffith Investments/RW Baird in New Hartford, where he assisted clients with financial and retirement services.  Kino enjoys events management, music, travel and cooking all kinds of interesting foods.

Is excited to be a larger part of the KAC. I have been attending and participating in events here on and off since I was very young, I grew up right up Fountain St.

Nick is very excited for the opportunity to be a part of the KAC. Having grown up in Clinton he understands the importance of the organization, as well as how it fits into the needs of the larger community. Nick has a degree in theatre from SUNY Potsdam and has been working in the arts, on and off stage, ever since, having spent time performing, directing, stage managing, designing lights and sound, and in theatre management throughout his career. Notable positions in the area include Nick serving as the director of performing Arts at View, the marketing and events manager at the Stanley, and as the founder and artistic director of the Wilde Rep Theatre. He hopes his experience will be of value to the KAC and that he can help to further the goals of the organization.

Phyllis A. H. Breland, worked at Hamilton College from 2001 – 2020. During her tenure she served as the director of Opportunity Programs, Interim Director of Diversity & Inclusion, and Chief Diversity Officer. She is a1980 Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity (HEOP) graduate of Hamilton College, and received her Master of Education in Instructional Design in 2003. Her work experience includes program development, marketing, empowerment/assertiveness training, volunteer recruitment, health education, quality assurance, motivational speaking, facilitating difficult conversations, and policy development.  Phyllis is currently an Alumni Trustee of Hamilton College, President of the Tri-State Opportunity Programs Consortium, and former president of New York State Higher Education Opportunity Program Professional Organization (HEOPPO).  Her affiliations include the YWCA, Mohawk Valley Junior Frontiers, Boys and Girls Club of Mohawk Valley, Upward Bound, Young Scholars, Liberty Partnerships and United Way. She works closely with junior high schools, high schools, churches, community groups and organizations throughout the State of New York that support access to academic and personal enrichment. Active in her community, she has served on several committees, and facilitated workshops in support of increasing ethnic diversity, developing sustainable inclusion programs, that validate and enhance personal experience. 

Katy Heintz was born and raised in Clinton, NY. She took pottery and dance at the KAC as a child, has enjoyed many nights of great music there, and even had her wedding reception in the gallery

in 2019. Katy has spent more than 15 years as a sales and marketing professional. Currently, she is the Chief Growth Officer at Strategic Financial Services in Utica.

Amy has been involved with the KAC since her childhood days, helping her mom (a consistent volunteer) make pizzelles for the annual KAC Fair, taking watercolor classes, and performing Shakespeare with her CCS “Varsity Shakespeare Club.” When she was in high school, her mom became the Executive Director, and Amy enjoyed stopping in after school to say hi and hang out with the colorful staff members, Bernadine Lohden and Rosette. Amy has performed multiple time (sometimes with her family) on the KAC stage after she returned to Clinton in 2000. She looks forward now to supporting others’ involvement – whether through youth classes, major events, performances, and in other ways. Through her work at Hamilton College, she will continue to send volunteers and interns.

Betsy and her husband, Bob Turner, moved to Clinton in 1984 and raised their two children here; their family has enjoyed the programming of the KAC over the decades. Having retired from the faculty at Hamilton College in 2022, Betsy is happy to have more time to volunteer in the community, including serving as chair of the trustees at the Clinton United Methodist Church and helping with the Kirkland Trails. She looks forward to working with the staff and board of the KAC to plan for the future of this institution that enriches our community.

Gary Leising is Distinguished Professor of English at Utica University, where he teaches creative writing, poetry, and other literature courses; in the past he has served as chair of the University’s English Department and director of its General Education program. He has been recognized for his work with induction into the Genesis Group Hall of Distinction for Lifetime Achievement in Education. He has published four collections of poetry as well as many individual poems, reviews, and essays. His scholarly work has often focused on the poetry of Sylvia Plath. He has lived in Clinton with his wife and two sons since 2014. He has been a member of the Friends of the Kirkland Town Library and a volunteer with the Boy Scouts. He is excited to be a part of the KAC community as a board member. 

Kelsey holds an MFA from Sunderland University in the UK and she is a practicing artist who has also long been involved in community arts organizations, as an administrator and instructor, here in the US and in the UK. She works as an Exhibition Manager at View in Old Forge and has been a Long-Term Resident with Sculpture Space in Utica. We are delighted that she is the chair of the KAC Exhibition Committee.

Image from https://www.viewarts.org/about/meet-the-team/

John is a retired attorney and former Clinton Central School teacher and coach. John and his wife Ellen have lived and/or worked in Clinton since 1978. John’s involvement with the KAC began in the 1980s when he performed at the early KAC Fun Runs and Coffeehouse events with various bluegrass bands. John is also the current president and a founding board member of The Edwin J. Wadas Foundation, Inc. – a private foundation that provides financial support for the enhancement of youth sports, fitness, and recreational programs. John spends his leisure time playing music with friends, hiking, and reading American History.

Louise moved to Clinton in 2018.  She previously lived in Westchester County,  NY, where she worked for IBM and engaged in volunteer work for several cultural and political organizations.  Louise loves living in Clinton and exploring the village with her dogs.  She is an enthusiastic member of the  Kirkland Art Center board and leads the Membership Committee.

With a working background in fashion design and mixed media art, Halycon’s lived social experience has influenced her studies. Obtaining a BFA and MA in Pan-African Studies from Syracuse University has increased her vision for creativity. She has exhibited locally and internationally, most recently in 2018 at the Fenimore Art Museum. A musical event at the KAC has reignited her enthusiasm for the performing arts. Halycon works for a small non-profit and is excited to join the KAC community by contributing to grant research among other areas. She enjoys photography, organizing, interior decoration, music, poetry, and culinary art.