Meet Our Officers
Chad Hendrickson
President
Chad Hendrickson serves as President of the Humane Society of Schuyler County and has been a Board Member since 2020. Chad currently also serves on the Boards of The Schuyler County Industrial Development Agency, The Town of Reading Planning Board as Chair, The Schuyler County Cornell Cooperative Extension Committee as Treasurer, The Schuyler County Farm Bureau as Vice President and as the Environmental representative to the Southern Tier Central Regional Planning and Development Board. He has also served as Chair of the Schuyler County Planning Commission and on the Boards of The New York Wine Grape Growers Association, The Schuyler County Environmental Management Council and The Farm Bureau State Membership Board. Having been employed at Lakewood Vineyards for 15 years in production and sales, Chad currently serves as the winery’s wholesale manager. He holds a degree in horticulture and recently completed Cornell’s CALS LEAD NY (Class 16). Chad makes his home in Reading with his wife Anisha and two sons.
Michael Lausell
Vice-President
Michael was born and grew up in Puerto Rico, and made the Finger Lakes area his home when he was 20 years old. Michael received a Bachelor of Science. from New York University in Musical Theatre, and his law degree from Syracuse University College of Law, where he received the Onondaga County Bar Association Award for his work at the College of Law Public Interest Law Firm. He spent many years working as a staff attorney at Legal Assistance of the Finger Lakes, providing representation to low income clients in civil cases in Yates, Wayne, Seneca, Ontario and Livingston counties. After an absence from the area for seven years to care for his parents in Puerto Rico, Michael returned to his farm in Hector in 2011 and began raising beef cattle using the techniques of rotational grazing to improve soil fertility. He was elected to the Schuyler County Legislature in 2013 and is currently in his second term on the legislature. He is a member and secretary of the Valois-Logan-Hector Fire Company and secretary of the Schuyler County Democratic Committee as well as serving on the boards of Schuyler Headstart and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County. Michael has adopted numerous strays over the years, including one found on the beach of his father’s hometown in Puerto Rico. Most recently, he adopted Walter from the Schuyler Humane Society, and looks forward to helping the organization further its mission.
Joanna Snyder
Treasurer
Joanna Snyder serves as Treasurer of the Humane Society of Schuyler County. Joanna is a lifelong resident of this area growing up on a farm in Painted Post, NY. For many years her animal passion was everything “horsey” – Quarter horses, Appaloosas and especially Arabians. As often happens though life evolves, and horses were replaced with college, work, and family. For 21 years Joanna worked for Corning Incorporated where she held various management positions in planning, marketing, sales, and customer service. Now happily retired, she enjoys babysitting the grand dogs, volunteering at the library, local blood banks, and of course the Humane Society.
Lydia Wickham
Secretary
Lydia graduated Magna Cum Laude from the State University of NY at Fredonia in 1985 where she received a BA in Music and a BS in Business Management.
Her early career was with Walt Disney World where she served in the Guest Relations Division, and later as project Manager overseeing television and film production for the Walt Disney World Property.
Beginning in 2002, Lydia served as the Regional Humane Resources Representative for Cargill,Inc. for ten years. Lydia left Cargill in 2012 to become the Director of Human Resources for Alternatives Federal Credit Union based in Ithaca, NY. In 2017, she joined Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services as the first Human Resources Director to be a part of the meaningful work of that organization.
In addition to her work with CARS, Lydia serves on the Board of Directors for (and sings with) the Canata Singers of Elmira, NY, is a member of the Hector-area Lions Club, and proud mom of her adopted rescue dog, Nova.
Meet Our Board of Directors
Sarah Agan
Board Member
Sarah is among the ranks of those who visited and fell in love with the Finger Lakes region. In 2015 she and Robert (the man of her life) unplugged from lives in the Washington, D.C. area and settled in Montour Falls where they make their home along with their German Shorthair Pointer, Jazz, and two horses: Linus and Bruce Almighty. In addition to serving on the Board of the Humane Society, Sarah also serves on the Board of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County and the Schuyler County Planning Commission. An independent consultant, Sarah’s paid work includes working with clients on Strategic Planning and Visioning, Organizational Development and Change Management, Facilitation and Offsite Design, and Leadership Coaching and Team Development/Training. She attended Virginia Tech where she earned a double major in International Studies and Political Science as well as a minor in French (most of which she’s forgotten). Sarah also completed Georgetown University’s executive programs in Leadership Coaching as well as Organizational Development and Change Management.
Dr. Margaret Coffey
Board Member
Dr. Margaret Coffey is a native New Yorker currently living on Sugar Hill, outside of Watkins Glen with her husband, Calvin. Dr. Coffey has been involved in business management for most of her career, having directed and worked in both corporate and small business enterprises nationally and internationally. Dr. Coffey has held managerial positions at Digital Equipment Corporation and Corning Incorporated and has directed several start-up organizations. She served as Director of The Veterinary Hospital at the University of Prince Edward Island and recently retired as Director of The Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Louisiana State University. She continues to serve as President of The Coffey Corporation, manufacturers of innovative rowing products world-wide. Educated at Mount Holyoke, Dr. Coffey also holds an MBA from Harvard University and a DVM degree from Cornell. Dr. Coffey brings her training as an MBA and DVM and vast experience to the Humane Society and is looking forward to contributing to and collaborating with the organization.
Sarah E. J. Collier, J.D.
Board Member
As an equestrian herself, Sarah enjoys bridging her passion of personal financial planning with the equine and agriculture community. Whether her client is a business owner, horse owner, or is an EQUINE sport fan, Sarah understands the importance of taking a tailored approach by creating a customized financial plan to assist them in achieving their short and long term financial goals.
Sarah’s interest in the agriculture community began early on growing up with horses on a small hobby farm and being an active member of the local 4-H Youth Program.
Expanding on her personal experiences, Sarah received her Juris Doctor from Albany Law School with a designated concentration in Equine, Racing and Gaming. Sarah has been recognized in the American Bar Association Tort, Trial & Insurance Practice Fall 2018 newsletter for contributing her research on The Safety in Agriculture Tourism Act and has been actively speaking on liability, estate planning and other equine and agriculture related financial planning topics for the horse owner. Her biggest achievement thus far is presenting on the topic of estate planning for the horse owner at the 2019 Equine Affair held in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Sarah also enjoys being an active part of the community as a board member and volunteer in various agriculture and equine organizations such as the New York State Horse Council, Chemung County Farm Bureau and 4-H.
Erin McMurrough
Board Member
Erin McMurrough works in the trenches of the Finger Lakes craft beverage scene–she’s the brand manager for Lakewood Vineyards and also part of the Stamp family. She is WSET3 certified and holds an introductory certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers. A lover of words, she is a contributing writer and former editor of Edible Finger Lakes and she was the Events and News Editor for the Finger Lakes Wine Gazette. A native of Chicago, McMurrough has a background in theatre production and has lived and worked in Chicago, London, New York, Sydney and Perth. Since moving to the area in 2012, she has fallen in love with the Finger Lakes–the beauty, the food, the wine and most of all, her husband, vineyard manager Dave Stamp, their daughter Quinn, and Australian shepherd Cake Pan.
Vern Smith
Board Member