Who we are
We are a growing community of individuals that care for the animals and land. We have a small staff and a Board of Directors that oversees the integrity of the project.
Our Team
Kim Tateo
(she/her/hers)
Executive Director and Farm Manager
Kim Tateo is a shepherd in many ways, from shepherding the sheep to managing volunteers and projects. She has nearly two decades of experience working with non-profit organizations in various settings, including event planning, team leading, education, grant writing, and project management. Kim is also an artist working towards her MFA in Studio Art from the University of Albany.
Kim has been studying plant spirit medicine and herbalism from the Gaia School of Healing since 2021 and eagerly shares these teachings with the project.
She holds a BA in Music from the University of Iowa.
Contact Kim
kim@friendsoftivoli.org
Tori Roberts
(she/her/hers)
Compost Coordinator
Tori Roberts is a cartographer, avid adventurer, and community farming enthusiast. Tori has a BA in Geography with minors in Environmental Studies and Psychology. She is currently working on her MRP in Environment and Land-Use Planning from SUNY Albany.
Tori loves composting and enjoys getting other people excited about the process as well! She looks forward to working with everyone in the Tivoli Community.
Contact Tori
tori@friendsoftivoli.org
Marie Heffernan
(she/her/hers)
Environmental Educator
LMarie is a freelance designer, artist, and writer. She has been involved with the flax-to-linen garden at Tivoli since 2021 and is excited to be more involved with the community garden in 2024.
Marie is passionate about eco-friendly fashion design and minimizing her impact on the planet. As a designer she feels strongly about working with responsible suppliers, designing in a way that reduces waste, and preserves the Earth’s limited resources. She has led natural dye workshops as part of the flax-to-linen program.
Contact Marie
marie@friendsoftivoli.org
Dan Kelly
(he/him/his)
Flax Coordinator
Hello. I'm Dan Kelly and I've been involved with Friends of Tivoli Lake Preserve and Farm, Inc. since late 2019. I live in Albany, but I grew up in a rural community in upstate NY. I lived in Texas for a few years and got my BA degree from the University of Texas at Dallas.
I've always been interested in agriculture and urban farming. I want to contribute any way I can to projects that promote sustainable farming and that fight climate change.
Since 2021 I've been in charge of our flax project. In this project we grow flax, extract fiber from the stalks, and eventually spin it into linen yarn. We hope to see this project grow in the years to come.
Contact Dan
oldradical54@gmail.com
Avery Hartranft
(they/she)
Environmental Educator
Avery Hartranft is an artist, houseplant collector, nature lover, and gardener. They are currently working towards a MFA in art and hope to become an educator for the upcoming generations of artists.
Avery’s artwork often finds ways to intersect with nature, as the natural world is something they feel is interwoven in everyone’s lives. They make their own recycled paper for collage pieces and hope to have a sustainable art and materials practice in the future.
Helen Klaeysen
(she/her/hers)
Outreach and Little Free Library Coordinator
My name is Helen Klaeysen. I’ve lived in Albany almost 40 years, and I’ve been a resident of the West End neighborhood for 26 years.
I had the honor of working with Brother Yusuf in 2014 in his efforts to promote Tivoli Lake Preserve as a welcoming green space for the residents of the West Hill and Arbor Hill neighborhoods.
I am a recently retired social worker. I enjoy introducing people to the Preserve. I am also an avid reader since third grade and want others to have access to books, so I’ve been maintaining the Little Free Library located at the Judson Street entrance. I also enjoy the hands-on experience of caring for the animals at the Farm, and I’ve been doing this since late 2019.
Contact Helen
johnhelenok@icloud.com
William Fredette
(he/him/his)
Environmental Educator
William Fredette is an environmentalist and musician from Albany NY. After completing undergrad at The College of Saint Rose studying audio production he has worked extensively in the entertainment industry. After just over 5 years after graduating he switched courses, beginning a new undergraduate degree in environmental science. Having grown up in rural upstate New York and spending ample time on his family's dairy farm William was glad to find The Friends of Tivoli and a way to reconnect with nature in the city of Albany.
Our Interns
2024-2025
(from left to right): Xavier Soto, Abdulsobur Fagbenro, A'Lana MacFaline, Logain Alsharif, Shazear Wright-Clements, Meskerem Kelle, Janna Marie Cortez, and Lucy Mae Edvalson
Our Program Stewards
Each year, a handful of our past high school interns join us as “Program Stewards”, supporting the project by helping with garden work days, group visits, and managing the compost piles. We hope that this experience helps encourage and build leadership skills for the students.
Program Stewards - 2023 Interns
(from left to right): Sean Smith, Ibrahim Mohammed Alsaeah, Bella Paige VanFonda, Evelyn Mizer, Kercel Montes
Program Stewards - 2022 Interns
(from left to right): Samira Sefadine, Anaya Thomas-Sylvester, Mary Minala, Sadaf Ahmadi
Board of Directors
John W. O’ Grady, President
Rich Polec, VP for Program Development
Donna Perry, VP for Community Engagement
Michalina Kulesza, Secretary and Treasurer
Gail Golderman
Josh Farrell
Our board meetings are open to the public.
Please contact us if you would like information about our upcoming meeting.
Past Interns
We have been fortunate to mentor high school students since the beginning of the project. Scroll through to view our past interns!
Past team members
Tatianna Moragne
(she/her/hers)
Macramé Educator Extraordinaire and Garden Coordinator
Tatianna Moragne is an artist, community advocate, and urban farmer. Tatianna is studying invasive species management and uses her passion for regenerative agriculture principles to guide the organization’s farming practices, community garden, and land stewardship efforts.
Amarissa Crescenzi
(they/she)
2nd year UAlbany MSW Intern
Amarissa Crescenzi is a lover of mycology, as well as mindfulness. They enjoy a good forage regardless of the harvest. Being in green spaces provides them access to a deeper calm and inner energy. Acknowledging how nature has benefitted her, she would like to share the earth as a healing tool with others.
In 2020, she earned a B.A in Psychology with a minor in Sociology at City College of New York and is thrilled to be interning at Friends of Tivoli!
Cait Denny
(they/them)
Cultural Ecological Storyteller
Cait has worked as an educator, land steward, and community organizer for the past 15 years. Cait holds a B.A. in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado Boulder and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Geography and a Master's Certificate in Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Analysis at UAlbany. Cait's current work explores the role of the solidarity economy on sustainable economic, cultural, and environmental development in upstate New York.
Contact Cait
cait@friendsoftivoli.org
Robert Beard
(he/him/his)
Garden Coordinator
Bobby is an aspiring permaculturist, avid forager, and amateur mycologist. Bobby seeks to have his own farm one day and brings with him all the learning he has done in preparation for that day.
He seeks to create a space where all garden participants can learn from each other
...while he sleeps in his hobo hammock.
Lydia Navedo
(she/her/hers)
Garden Coordinator
Lydia Navedo is a yerbera, urban gardener, and artist. She works with three nonprofit organizations in which she focuses her work on liberation through environmental education.
Lydia is passionate about being a farmer in the future, beekeeping, and growing flowers. Lydia is currently pursuing her certification in Caribbean Herbal Medicine from Yucayeke Farms!
Contact Lydia
lydia@friendsoftivoli.org
Iris Whalen
(she/her/hers)
Interpretive Signage Project Assistant
Iris Whalen is a junior at Albany High School, a graduate of the City School District of Albany’s Dual Language Program, and a candidate for the NYS Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish. For two years, Iris served as a weekly volunteer for Friends of Tivoli; feeding the sheep, alpaca, and chickens. Iris also worked with other Friends of Tivoli volunteers to develop a composting brochure in the Spanish language which earned her the Girl Scout Silver Award. In addition to her language interests, Iris loves opera, musical theatre, hiking, and being in nature.
Contact Iris
iris_whalen@yahoo.com
KT Bierman
(she/her/hers)
Fiber and Flax Co-Coordinator
Katherine Lynn Bierman is an illustrator, textile artist, and urban farmer. In 2015 Bierman graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a BFA in Fiber and a concentration in Sustainability and Social Practice.
Bierman shares her background of textiles and creative brain to help organize and lead community events, long-term programs and all things sheep, alpaca and fiber at the farm.
Maggie Mang
(she/her/hers)
Education, Outreach and PRISM Liaison
Maggie grew up as a desert rat in Southern Arizona and now enjoys experiencing all four seasons -- and snow! -- in Troy. She is a student, a crafter, and a lover of community-led projects focused on sustainability, food/environmental justice, and education. In her free time, Maggie loves to swim, work with fabric, find new graphic novels to fawn over, and deepen her medicinal plant knowledge. She is beyond excited to join the Tivoli Team and looks forward to meeting everyone!"
Contact Maggie
mang.maggie42@gmail.com