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 and educator in the Capital Region, providing art enrichment programs.
A common theme for art is interconnectedness—to each other as humans and to the Earth. She is also inspired by her observations of being a shepherd on the land.
Kim is also involved with zero-waste efforts and plays music in a local band. 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Our Interns
2023-2024
(from left to right): Sean, Rosie, Bella, Kaleeyah, Evelyn, Kercel, Lavender and Ibrahim
Past Interns
2022-2023 - Samira Sefadine, Sadaf Ahmadi, Mary Minala, Flora Ayoo, Dah Chit, Alia Zadran, Anaya Thomas-Sylvester, Seyed Mojtaba Mousavi, Mohammad Ifham, Elizabeth Lawlor,
2017-2018 - Ian Gutierrez
2018-2019 - Nadia Sabo and Lucas Young
2020 - Adeja Wright and Ingrid Colafati
2021 - Jake Madden, Jana Hasan Nayfeh, Aeon Marsico, Scarlet Carrera
Our Program Stewards
A handful of our 2022-2023 high school interns joined our team as “Program Stewards,” supporting the project by helping with garden work days, group visits, and managing the compost piles. This experience helped create leadership opportunities for the students. Two students from our 2023-2024 internship program will also become program stewards joining the existing group.
2023-2024 Program Stewards
(from left to right): Mary, Sadaf, Samira, Anaya, Flora, Kirk and KT (staff)
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 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!
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.
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.