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Leadership Orleans starts new year with 28 people committed to bettering community

Photos by Tom Rivers: The Leadership Orleans Class of 2024 incudes first row, from left – Stacy Silker, Gregory Hallock, Liz Mastromatteo, Reita Fletcher, Melinda Daniels, Becky Robinson, Debbie Schiavone, Melinda Rhim, Mike Winter and Lisa Stenshorn. Back row: Walt Breese, Marsha Rivers, J.T. Thomas, Lisa Bors, Tina Bell, Trisha Borrero, Scott Robinson, Pam Rounds, Justin Robinson, June Robinson, Barbara Koert, Darren Brodie, Tiffany Smith, Betty Sue Miller, Brad Pritchard, Jeffery Pasnik and Courtney Henderson. Missing from photo: Linda Weller.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 January 2024 at 12:43 pm

Group will meet monthly throughout year to learn many facets of county

Skip Helfrich has been the Leadership Orleans executive director since the program started in 2018. He leads the class in a discussion on Friday at the White Birch in Lyndonville.

LYNDONVILLE – A new class of Leadership Orleans has started with a two-day retreat on Thursday and Friday. This is the seventh year of the program that graduated 149 in the first six years.

This year’s class is the largest yet with 28 members, and includes representatives from 10 organizations that haven’t been in the program before.

The 28 class members cover many sectors of the community, from agriculture to manufacturing, education and government, small business owners to nonprofit service providers, and a church leader and a director of the local arts council.

The program aims to build the “citizen capital” of the community, helping develop leaders who are educated on the many facets of the community. The class in the opening retreat did many ice-breaker activities to get to know each other. They also learned about their individual strengths and weaknesses, their personality types and how that shapes their decision-making and tendencies.

The class will meet monthly in the coming year, building leadership skills and gaining knowledge, experiences and meeting people from many different sectors in the community.

The program receives a stipend from the county, and there are many sponsors of programs throughout the years. The class members also pay tuition to be in Leadership Orleans.

This year’s class members include:

  • Tina Bell, office manager for Art Hill Excavating in Medina
  • Trisha Borrero, operations manager for Claims Recovery Financial Services in Albion
  • Lisa Bors, public relations director for Arc GLOW
  • Walt Breese, president of Subway in Albion
  • Darren Brodie, environmental health director for Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments
  • Melinda Daniels, executive assistant for Community Action of Orleans & Genesee
  • Reita Fletcher, branch manager of M&T Bank in Lyndonville
  • Gregory Hallock, executive director of Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO Art!)
  • Courtney Henderson, owner of Babe Cave Inc. in Albion
  • Barbara Koert, assistant director of UConnectCare (formerly GCASA) in Albion
  • Liz Mastromatteo, coordinator/assistant principal of Orleans/Niagara BOCES in Medina
  • Betty Sue Miller, director of Hoag Library in Albion
  • Jeffrey Pasnik, council rep for North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters in Cheektowaga
  • Brad Pritchard, principal of Albion Middle School
  • Melinda Rhim, coordinator of care management for Orleans County Mental Health Department
  • Marsha Rivers, pastor of First Baptist Church in Albion
  • Becky Robinson, partner with The Vintage Cigar in Medina
  • June Robinson, associate director of quality at Baxter Healthcare in Medina
  • Justin Robinson, dairy farmer with Poverty Hill Farms in Albion
  • Scott Robinson, director of marketing for Orleans Community Health
  • Pam Rounds, supervisor at Baxter Healthcare in Medina
  • Debbie Schiavone, payroll administrator for Community Action of Orleans & Genesee
  • Stacy Silker, court clerk for Town of Ridgeway and Town of Yates
  • Tiffany Smith, assistant chief of nursing for Rochester Regional Health
  • Lisa Stenshorn, clerk of the Orleans County Legislature
  • J.T. Thomas, operations director at Iroquois Job Corps in Medina
  • Linda Weller of Albion, president of Info Advantage Inc. in Rochester
  • Mike Winter, controller for Western New York Energy in Medina

Skip Helfrich said there are significant changes in how different generations approach daily living, from older people tending to pay with cash and trying to avoid debt, to younger people more geared to paying with debit cards and not carrying cash. Helfrich said the younger generation seeks a better “work-life balance” and doesn’t necessarily want the most overtime hours. The older generation tended to get as many OT hours as they could, seeking that higher pay rate, he said.