Former Professional Advisor Council Members

When Vicki served on the Community Foundation board, she was president of Brackens Financial Solutions Network. Brackens co-hosted Financial Fitness on PBS affiliate WCNY-Syracuse, from 2012-15. She served on the board of directors at Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, and served as a board member of the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology. She was a member of the Syracuse Area Salvation Army advisory board, and The Raymond von Dran IDEA board of advisors.

Watch Video

When Caragh served on the Community Foundation board, she had more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Caragh earned the Certified Financial Planner™ certification through the American College. She was Past-President and board member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA). She was also invited to be one of 500 financial advisors to attend the exclusive Barron’s Top Women’s Summit. Prior to joining the board, Caragh served on the Community Foundation’s Professional Advisory Council. She also formerly served as Chair of the Women’s Fund of Central New York, an affiliate fund of the Community Foundation, which provides grants to local organizations that serve the needs of women and girls. Read More

When Marion served on the Community Foundation board she was partner at Hancock Estabrook, LLP and a board member of several organizations including the New York State Bar Foundation, Onondaga Citizens League and Stone Quarry Hill Art Park. She was also involved with the Visiting Nurse Association of Central New York, and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Foundation.

Watch Video

When Madelyn served on the Community Foundation board, she had been with Dermody, Burke & Brown since 1983 and served as the firm’s chief executive officer. Madelyn is a graduate of SUNY Cortland and holds an MBA from Syracuse University. She is a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Women Presidents’ Organization, and was on the Firm Management and Nominating Committees for Allinial Global. Madelyn served as a board member for both CenterState CEO and the WISE Women’s Business Center, and was involved with the Professional Advisor Council and Mentoring program at Syracuse University.

Watch Video

Mike graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo and Syracuse University College of Law. He works as a trust and estate attorney and is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He once served as its past state chairman. He was an adjunct professor of taxation in the Syracuse University School of Law Master’s Program. He also served as board chair of Aurora of CNY and the Community Foundation.

“My field of practice is trusts and estates, and I do a lot of estate planning. I was very happy to be asked to be on the board. It’s always been thought of as one of the best boards to be on, the most pleasant experience, and it was. One of the purposes of the board was to have your finger on the pulse of the community. My fellow board members were on various boards and knew an awful lot about the community. Everybody didn’t know everything about everything, but in a group, you got a lot of input, which was very important.”

Watch Video

Compliance Officer

After graduating from Wellesley College and the Syracuse University College of Law, Christine has been leading a successful law career. When she served on the Community Foundation board, she was a partner with Bousquet Holstein, PLLC. Her philanthropic contributions include board service with Manlius Pebble Hill School and Loretto Management Corporation.

Watch Video