Locals: People & Businesses
In the News 03/30/2023

PROMISING POWERS: Maya Powers of Worcester was one of several students recently recognized by the Pi of New York chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at Elmira College. The Pi of New York chapter held its annual induction and banquet with nine newly-elected members of high scholarly attainment. Prizes were also awarded to five outstanding juniors and six promising sophomores, including Powers, a member of Elmira College’s Class of 2025. Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most distinguished of all the academic honorary societies, promotes, recognizes, and honors scholarly achievement in the liberal arts and sciences. Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776, and the Pi of New York chapter at Elmira College was established in 1940. Powers is pictured above with her parents, Cherie and Tim.

DECEMBER DEGREE: Cooperstown Central School alum Wriley Hamilton Nelson graduated from Hamilton College in December 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and a minor in economics.

EXCELLING AT EXCELLUS: Kelli Lasher has been named regional director sales for Excellus BlueCross BlueShield’s Central New York and Utica/North Country regions. In this new role, she will be responsible for sales and retention efforts for key and strategic commercial accounts. Lasher earned her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Utica College of Syracuse University and is a recognized Certified Community Leader graduate from Leadership Greater Syracuse. Lasher also sits on the Regional Advisory Board for Junior Achievement of Central Upstate New York. She and her family currently reside in Central New York.

DEAN’S DUO: Sam F. Ficano of Oneonta and Emrys C. Odell of Cooperstown have been named to Clark University’s Fall 2022 Dean’s List with first honors and second honors, respectively. Founded in 1887, Clark University is a liberal arts-based research university located in Worcester, Massachusetts. Students must have a GPA of 3.8 or above for first honors or a GPA between 3.50 and 3.79 for second honors.

QUALIFYING QUARTET: Four local students earned Fall 2022 Dean’s List honors at Le Moyne College: Sara Brean, a freshman political science major from West Edmeston; Maria Farrell, a junior biology major from Oneonta; Ethan Lowe, a senior risk management and insurance major from Otego; and Meredith Smithling, a junior marketing and business analytics major from Oneonta. To make the list, students achieved a GPA of 3.5 or above.

HAPPY AT HAMILTON: Phoebe Smith of Dillon, Colorado, granddaughter of Gilbert and Elinor Vincent of Cooperstown, has been named to the Hamilton College Dean’s List for the 2022 fall semester. To be named to the Dean’s List, Smith, Class of 2026, was required to carry a course load of four or more graded credits throughout the semester and earned an average of 3.5 or above on a 4.0 scale.

SUNY STANDOUTS: Nearly 300 SUNY Oneonta students completed the requirements for a bachelor’s degree following the fall 2022 semester. The following local graduates were honored and recognized during Fall Commencement, held December 11 in the Dewar Arena of the Alumni Field House— Noelle Palmatier, Hartwick; Kaitlyn Worden, Laurens; Montanna Armstrong, Davenport; Alexander Segina, Mount Vision; Shyanne Carreras, Alexander Ceacareanu, Abigail Hubbard, Adrianna Newell, Bethany Peters, Samantha Ruisi, Max Tannenbaum, and Reece Thorsland, Oneonta; Nicole Connolly, Richfield Springs; Samantha Flood, Richmondville; Leonard Larson and Matthew Williams, Sidney; Adrienne Matheson, Unadilla; Naomi Scott of Worcester.

BURGEONING BUSINESS: Coopers-town-based Paperkite has been named to “Inc.” magazine’s list of fastest growing private companies in the Northeast. Ranked number 160, Paperkite joins a regional list representing the most successful companies within the Northeast economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses. Paperkite is a digital marketing and creative studio, as well as a certified woman-owned business, led by CEO Susan Green (shown above). Established in 2009, the company has grown from a two-person shop to a full-service digital marketing agency that handles all aspects of the consumer experience, from brand development to multi-channel marketing campaigns. Since 2019, Paperkite has invested heavily in its digital marketing division, doubling its staff, expanding into new markets, and embracing emerging digital marketing channels. “I’m honored to be a part of this impressive list of businesses. This accomplishment is truly a testament to the talent and hard work of our entire Paperkite team. We have grown so much during our 14 years as a business, and it’s gratifying to be recognized for our efforts,” said Green. From 2019-2021, the companies on this list had an average growth rate of 450 percent.

DEAN’S LIST DESIGNEES: An impressive group of students hailing from Otsego and surrounding counties are among those named to SUNY Delhi’s Fall 2022 Dean’s List. Local students who enrolled in six or more credits and earned a 3.5 or higher grade-point average for the semester include: Raven Brown; Burlington Flats; Eugene Yeboah, Cooperstown; Shaelah Butler, Dominick Dalton, and Dylan Waid, Davenport; Morgan Manchester, East Worcester; Madison Bolton, Garrattsville; Mason Hovick, Hartwick; Travis Bookhout, Laurens; Dylan Brundege, Alexis Stanford, and Andrew White, Maryland; Jonah Mathieson, Mount Vision; Sierra Snell, New Berlin; Tara Austin, Lucas Breakey, Reginal Dessources, Erika Ferguson, Molly Germain, Ethan Grant, Marcos Hernandez, Marisa Kanai, Emma Knudson, Taylor Lopez, Claudia Luey, Catherine Lusins, David Marvel, Logan Monroe, Kelsey Morgan, Liliana Ortiz, Rachel Ouimet-Edson, Gregory Pickhardt, Tyeshia Stevens, Zosia Thibault, and Jacob Weiner, Oneonta; Emma Cusimano and Chris Jones, Otego; Patrick Twomey, Richfield Springs; Jennifer Johnson, Hannah Osborne, Anthony Poliseno and Owen Schneider, Schenevus; Ryan Cole and Julia Obeada, Sidney; Aidan Cutting, Isabel Horan, Emma Lobdell, and Maggie Washburn, Unadilla; Kaylan Ogden, West Oneonta; and Krystal Utter, Worcester.

TUFTS TALENTS: Four area students were named to the Dean’s List at Tufts University for the fall 2022 semester. They are: Stephen Albright of Mount Vision, Class of 2025; Audrey Dutcher of Cooperstown, Class of 2025; William Friedman of Cooperstown, Class of 2023; and Finn Hall of Oneonta, Class of 2023. Tufts University has campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville and Grafton, Massachusetts, and in Talloires, France. Dean’s List honors require a semester grade point average of 3.4 or greater.

ANTHROPOLOGIC ART: Six SUNY Oneonta students from several anthropology courses—including Jacob Lyons of Morris—have their work featured as part of the “Unessays” exhibit in the Anthropology Teaching Gallery. In lieu of writing a final paper, the students created physical displays of their topics in paleoanthropology and the anthropology of death, reproduction, sexes, and gender. Lyons completed the paleoanthropology program during the spring 2022 semester. His project, shown below, explores paleolithic cave art by recreating the style of “Cueva de las Manos” in Argentina using duck cloth, pine frame and a putty made from plaster and pulverized paper.

DESERVING OF DEAN’S LIST: Two local students were named to the Dean’s List at Hamilton College for the 2022 fall semester. Aben Carrington of Oneonta, a senior majoring in physics, is a graduate of Oneonta High School. Piper Seamon of Cooperstown, a junior majoring in psychology, is a graduate of Cooperstown Central School. To be named to the Dean’s List, a student must have carried a course load of four or more graded credits throughout the semester and earned an average of 3.5 or above on a 4.0 scale.

SPRING STUDIES: Kenneth Dukes of Oneonta has enrolled at SUNY Delhi for the spring 2023 semester, where he will pursue a degree in physical education studies. SUNY Delhi’s hands-on approach to teaching and learning includes over 60 academic programs in specialized areas, including applied technologies, nursing, hospitality, veterinary sciences, applied sciences, business, and liberal arts and sciences.

EMMANUEL EXCELLENCE: Surya Daniel of Cooperstown has made Emmanuel College’s Dean’s List for the fall 2022 semester. To earn a spot on the Dean’s List, Emmanuel students must achieve a grade point average of 3.5 or higher for a 16-credit semester. Emmanuel College is a co-educational, residential institution with a 17-acre campus in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts’ educational, scientific, cultural and medical communities.

TRIOTA TAPPED: Morgan Kelly of Fly Creek has been inducted into the Elmira College Chapter of Iota Iota Iota (or Triota), the National Women’s Honor Society. Triota strives to maintain the feminist values central to women’s studies: egalitarianism, inclusiveness, and a celebration of the diversity of women’s experiences. The featured speaker for the 2023 induction ceremony was Sarah Grossman, director of communications and content strategy at Elmira College. In her keynote address, Grossman encouraged students to identify their core values so that, as they go out to make career and life decisions, they can communicate who they are and align themselves with people and organizations that share those values. “When I started my college journey, feminism was a bad word. I knew many women who believed in the ideals but wouldn’t call themselves feminists. But that is thankfully changing and this is an exciting time. Culturally we’re exploring many new concepts and at times it will be messy. But if you know your values, you can make choices that will be right for you. Enjoy this journey and good luck with your endeavors.”

CUDA CARES: Herkimer College has appointed Kasper A. Cuda to the position of grant administrator. Cuda will oversee the college’s participation in the Health CARES Consortium, an initiative funded through the United States Department of Labor’s Strengthening Community Colleges grant program. The Health CARES Consortium is led by Onondaga Community College and includes 11 SUNY community colleges, including Herkimer College. CARES stands for “Career, Acceleration, Retention + Employment Support.” The goal of the consortium project is to increase the healthcare and social assistance workforce in New York State. Cuda most recently was a teaching assistant for biology at Clarkson University. She was previously employed at the Utica Chamber of Commerce where she gained experience in event planning, public relations, marketing, and social media. Cuda, of Herkimer, holds a master’s degree in health administration from Utica University and two bachelor’s degrees from Clarkson University—one in biomolecular science with a minor in biology, and the other in chemistry.

BATES’ BEST: Elizabeth Patrick of Cooperstown was named to the Dean’s List at Bates College for the fall semester ending in December 2022. This is a distinction earned by students whose grade point average is 3.92 or higher. Patrick, the daughter of James K. Patrick and Stephanie S. Patrick, is a graduate of Waring School. She is a senior at Bates majoring in psychology and minoring in mathematics. Cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action, Bates College—located in Lewiston, Maine—prepares leaders sustained by a love of learning and zeal for responsible stewardship of the wider world.

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