Meet Our Officers
Kimberly Manning
President
Kimberly Manning is a communications professional with more than 20 years’ experience in marketing, marketing strategy, communications, and public relations. She has helped companies and organizations, both private and not-for-profit, define the voice of their brand and tell their story.
Kim started her career as a process validation engineer, however, she soon realized that her passion, and one of her best skills, is communication. She has led marketing and communications for Team Capital Bank, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, Sunny Coast Lithuanian Center and others, creating cohesive messaging and strategies that helped to build the brand. Passionate about teaching her craft, Kim has been an adjunct professor at Cedar Crest College and Northampton Community College.
Kim is a member of the Board of Directors of Lithuanian Americans and Allies for Democracy, and a former board member of the Lithuanian Cultural Center of Philadelphia, the Weller Center for Health Education, and Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital.
She holds a B.S. in Sciences from Villanova University and an M.A. in Environmental Arts from Syracuse University where she was awarded the Masters Prize.
Kim speaks three and a half languages, enjoys knitting, reading and spending time in the outdoors. Kim and her husband live in the Finger Lakes with their American Bully and three cats.
Aimee Dars Ellis
Vice-President
Aimee Dars Ellis is Marketing Specialist at Atwater Vineyards. She received her Ph.D. from Arizona State University, her M.S. in Curriculum Design and Informational Technology through the University at Albany (SUNY), her M.B.A. from the University of Oklahoma, and her B.A. from the University of Chicago. A long-time vegan, Aimee is passionate about animal welfare. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, George, and rescue pugs, reading, and crafting. Aimee also serves on the Board of Directors of the Watkins Glen Public Library.
Sarah E.J. Collier, JD
Treasurer
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.
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.
Georgie Taylor
Executive Director
Georgie has been actively involved in the Humane Society since 2000 as Board member, Vice President, and as Executive Director since 2002. Georgie holds an MBA from the State University of New York and a BA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She has held managerial positions in sales, marketing and communications for Corning Incorporated, Digital Equipment Corporation and NCR Corporation. A resident of the Town of Montour since 1979, Georgie has also served as Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals and as a Literacy Volunteer. She is a 2014 recipient of the Rotary Club’s Paul Harris Award, a 2015 recipient of the Jefferson Award, and was inducted into the Schuyler County Hall of Fame in 2018. She makes her home in Montour Falls with a cat and her husband Mark.
Meet Our Board of Directors
Chris Cutter
Board Member
Chris hails from Northern NJ, but has called multiple places home, including Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Kentucky, Germany, and Japan. Chris and his wife, Vickie, have resided locally in Montour Falls for the past 10 years. They have welcomed many shelter pets into their lives over the years and currently have 3 dogs, 3 cats, and 3 chickens, with an additional canine joining the family very soon.
Chris received his undergraduate degree from Northern Arizona University and was commissioned as an Army 2LT in the Signal Corps. After deployments to Korea, Germany, Bosnia & Croatia, Chris left the active duty military and worked as a Retail Store Manager in Charlotte, NC and then in Lexington, KY. Corning came calling, and Chris began an 18-year adventure as an IT tech, manufacturing supervisor, facilities maintenance supervisor, project manager, and finally precious metals manager. Simultaneously, Chris served in the US Army Reserve and then in the Kentucky Army National Guard where he retired from service after 23 years. Additionally, Chris has a Master of Science in Technology & Engineering Management from Eastern Kentucky University.
Chris enjoys travelling the U.S. with Vickie and their 3 dogs in their Bowlus travel trailer and visiting as many National and State Parks as they can. He also enjoys global travel when time permits. Chris has been to all 50 states and 24 countries to date.
Chris is looking forward to helping enhance the Schuyler County Humane Society’s positive impact on the community and its animals through this service opportunity.
Carmen Ek
Board Member
Carmen Ek is a mom to two rescue dogs. Winston Woof an 11-year-old black Lab-Rottweiler mix and Livie the Dingo a 3-year-old Pit Bull Terrier-Australian Cattle Dog mix. When she is not playing or snuggling with her two favorite pups, she works as a senior manager at Regal Rexnord Corporation, with 27 years’ experience in marketing, product management, and sales. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Alfred University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Isenberg School of Management. As a Senior Marketing Manager at Regal Rexnord, she is focused on launching new conveying solutions, capturing voice of customer, and enabling customer success for the food and beverage industries.
Lee "Bear" Smith
Board Member
With a long history of working in construction with his father, Bear Smith earned a BA in Architecture from Alfred State University. Upon graduation he spent several years coaching gymnastics at a state, national, and worldwide level. He returned to his architectural roots in 2015 and has served as a Project Manager at Holt Architects since 2016. Bear’s primary interest lies in creating sustainable, affordable community projects for people of all incomes. He has been recognized for his contributions to developing affordable housing and historic preservation.
Bear lives with his wife and three dogs in an historic home in the village of Burdett.
Verne Smith, J.D.
Board Member
Verne R. Smith, Esq. is a past chair of the Animal Law Committee of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and adjunct professor of Animal Law, Business Law, and Personnel Law. He earned his B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, and his J.D. from the Dickinson (Penn State) School of Law. Verne recently retired from the active practice of law and a career in higher education administration which included positions as the associate dean of business at two graduate schools. Dedicated to advancing the rights, interests, and welfare of non-human animals, Verne enjoys living in the Finger Lakes region with its abundant wildlife and scenic beauty. Verne is also the author of “The Law and Feral Cats,” published by the University of Pennsylvania’s Journal of Animal Law and Ethics, 3 J. Animal L. and Ethics 7 (2009), online at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1513534 and “Animal Hoarders: Good Intentions Gone Awry or Inexcusable Cruelty,” published by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (2008), online at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2224101.
Ellen Tremante, DVM
Board Member
Dr. Ellen Tremante, our newest board member, hails originally from Long Island. She obtained her undergraduate education at the State University of New York at Geneseo, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1996. Dr. Tremante then returned to the State University of Stony Brook to complete her prerequisites for veterinary school. In 2006, she graduated from the University of Minnesota with her DVM degree. Following that, she successfully completed a one-year rotating internship at Long Island Veterinary Specialists.
In March of 2009, Dr. Tremante relocated to the Ithaca area, where she worked at Colonial Veterinary Hospital until August of 2018. At that time, she transitioned to Veterinary Care of Ithaca.
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Tremante enjoys spending her free time hiking and being with good friends and loved ones. She resides in a farmhouse in Mecklenburg with her six cats (five of which were adopted from the HSSC) and her dog, Mary.”