Chrissy Knapp, President
From 2013-2014 Chrissy Place served as a Parks Commissioner for the Village of Nyack. In 2015, Chrissy completed the Master Gardener program at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rockland County. She utilizes her training to educate children and adults in the community on various horticultural topics and as a volunteer in the local school garden network. She currently works for Morgan Stanley in Tax Compliance. Prior to her current roles, Chrissy earned her BA in Finance from the University of Connecticut and is a 2018 graduate of Leadership Rockland. Chrissy has resided in Nyack for the last 20 years where she is raising her four daughters.
Morgan Strand, Vice President
Morgan is a Rockland County Native, who has lived in Nyack since 2004. She was a Special Education teacher for 10 years, and is currently a Youth Services Information Specialist for the Nyack Library. She is a mentor for the SOAR Mentorship Program at Nyack Middle School, the chairperson for a Rockland County election polling site, and is involved with the Young Democrats of Rockland County. She was also a special guest on the 2015 John Newbery Medal winning author and poet Kwame Alexander’s web series “Bookish”. Morgan is a 2018 graduate of the Leadership Rockland Program.
Elizabeth McGrory, Secretary
Elizabeth has spent her career in the not-for-profit and philanthropy sectors, currently as an independent consultant in international public health. Recent clients include the World Health Organization, the Population Council, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), AVAC and the Public Health Institute. She helped start and served as the first Director of Access at the International Partnership for Microbicides, a new public-private partnership to develop and deliver new HIV-prevention products for women in developing countries which developed the dapivirine ring. Prior to joining IPM she worked at the Population Council, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation and several non-governmental organizations. She has worked on a wide range of initiatives related to research, programming and advocacy on women’s rights, reproductive health, HIV and clinical trials in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Liz is an honors graduate of Brown University in International Development Studies and holds a ScM from the Harvard University School of Public Health.
Linie Chang-Rand
After 15 years as a Manhattanite, Linie moved to Nyack in 2009 with her husband Joe, a Rockland native. Like all good suburbanites, they immediately got an SUV, a dog, and two kids -- Jake and Relly. Linie joined the Nyack Parks Conservancy Board of Directors because, as a mother of two young children, she appreciates everything that the parks have to offer the people of Nyack. A graduate of Duke University, Linie is a Realtor in the Nyack office of her family's real estate company, Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty, and also volunteers with United Hospice of Rockland
Jim Willcox
Jim is a Nyack resident who also serves as the chairman of the Nyack Parks Commission. By day he gets to play with cool gadgets as senior electronics editor at Consumer Reports, and as a freelancer he's written for numerous national publications ranging from BusinessWeek to Rolling Stone. His favorite assignment, however, is being dad to his son Tyler. In his spare time he builds guitars and jams with a band, rides motorcycles, and enjoys sailing—hobbies he hasn't yet successfully figured out how to combine.
Valerie Schmidt
Valerie is a Rockland native and has been a Nyack resident since 2006. She holds an MS in Special Education and has been working as a special educator in a variety of settings for twenty plus years. Valerie currently provides special intruction services and suppoort to families and children of the birth-5 population. She resides in South Nyack with her husband and two children.
Melissa Curley
Melissa Curley is an Upper Nyack, NY resident who has served on the board of the Upper Nyack Elementary School PTA as communications secretary, the Nyack Parks Commission and has volunteered with the Nyack Chamber of Commerce for special events. She also has participated in the past as a board member of the Pascack Valley Chamber of Commerce in Westwood, NJ. Melissa works as an editor at Happi, a magazine that covers the household and personal products industry, and also is a freelance contributor to The Journal News covering new business and real estate. A globally published journalist for over 20 years, her articles have appeared in The New York Times, Time Out New York and The Record. Her career also includes public relations experience at Spin Magazine and HarperCollins Book Publishers.
Nancy Blaker Weber
Nancy has been a Nyack resident since 1976 and has served Nyack as a former Village Trustee and as Mayor. Nancy is a full time Real Estate Broker Associate and is the Director of Hudson Valley Gateway MLS. She is also a former member of the Advisory Board for The Rockland Parent Child Center and the Nyack Library Expansion Committee. Nancy resides in Nyack with her family.
Martha Singer
Martha moved from Pomona to Nyack in 2016. She retired from a 35 year career as a New York City High School Assistant Principal and Athletic Director. During her tenure at Stuyvesant HS she organized, instructed and supervised a diverse student population on a daily basis while also supervising over 30 athletic teams. She worked tirelessly with students, parents, and administrators to continually improve student education, added diverse class offerings, and all the while making sure after-school programs were available for all students. Now retired after 30+ years she finally finds the time to travel and of course “play” in her garden.