William (Bill) Dunkel has strong ties to Putnam County, spending his childhood going through the Carmel School District graduating from Carmel High School in 1991. Bill received a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Management Science from State University of New York Cortland. In 1998, Bill came back to Putnam County starting a career in banking with Tompkins Community Bank (then Mahopac National Bank) as their first Management Trainee. Bill has spent the last 25+ years developing his banking career and experiencing tremendous growth. Today, Bill is a Senior Vice President and Senior Commercial Loan Officer heading up the Hudson Valley Market’s commercial lending team. Bill is President of the Board for Habitat for Humanity of Putnam County, where he’s been a board member since 2014, and belongs to various chambers and business organizations throughout Putnam, Westchester and Dutchess County. Bill lives in New Milford, Connecticut with his wife, Lauren, and four children.
Kerrie Mehalakes is the District Director of New Business at Central Hudson Gas and Electric. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the Cameron School of Business at the University of North Carolina. She has been working at Central Hudson for 15 years and has held multiple positions within the company. In her current role Kerrie is the liaison to the Municipalities within Putnam and Dutchess Counties. She works closely with large commercial developers interested in building their business in the area. She is originally from the Hudson Valley and loves all that it has to offer. Kerrie is an active volunteer in her community and at Central Hudson with their multiple fundraising efforts. She also enjoys volunteering at the Greek Church in her community. She currently lives with her family in Hopewell Junction.
Dylan Miyoshi is a Government & Community Relations Program Manager at New York State Electric & Gas. Throughout his career, he has worked tirelessly to effect change within the Hudson Valley community. Under his direction, NYSEG launched a companywide food drive to provide food banks across New York with food and essential supplies for those in need during the holiday season. He coordinates and leads employees from NYSEG’s Brewster office in monthly volunteer opportunities across Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester counties. Dylan holds a Political Science degree from St. John’s University. In addition to serving on the Putnam County EDC Board of Directors, he serves as a board member for the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation. With his high energy, Dylan is always looking to cultivate relationships with elected officials and community stakeholders on behalf of NYSEG, while continually finding ways to improve the lives of his neighbors in the Hudson Valley.
Alana Daly Mikhalevsky is the Vice President of Communications & Public Policy at the Northeast Gas Association. She is originally from Nelsonville and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Washington College and a master’s degree in business management from the City University of New York. Prior to joining the Northeast Gas Association, she worked at Central Hudson Gas & Electric for over 12 years and previously worked at the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, DC. In 2019, Alana was named Central Hudson’s director of Public and Government Relations, overseeing corporate communications, community relations, media relations, government affairs and economic development. In addition to serving on the Putnam County Economic Development Board of Directors, Alana is a member of the Poughkeepsie Business Alliance, Dutchess County Economic Development Advisory Board’s Marketing Committee, and is a trustee for the Archdiocese of New York’s Dutchess County Regional School Board. Alana lives in southern Dutchess County with her family.
Putnam EDC President Kathleen Abels Kathleen Abels is the President of the Putnam County Economic Development Corporation (PCEDC). Her primary responsibility includes attracting appropriate new businesses to Putnam County. Marketing, public relations and developing strategic alliances are her top skill sets. Abels was appointed to her current position on July 1, 2019, after serving on the Board of Directors of the PCEDC for several years. She brought with her extensive experience in community outreach, customer service, construction and project management, as well as strong core values. Abels previously completed a lengthy career at NYSEG, culminating as their Manager of Community Outreach and Development. More recently, Abels’ focus has pivoted to assisting existing Putnam County businesses to survive and recover from the financial disaster incurred by shutdowns necessitated in order to diminish the spread of the Corona virus. A resident of the County since childhood, Abels presently serves on the Boards of Directors for the Town of Southeast Cultural Arts Coalition and for Friends of Lasdon Park in Katonah, NY. She actively supports the Old Town Hall Theatre project in downtown Brewster and was the former Chair of the Town of Southeast Historic Sites Commission for many years. Abels received a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Mercy College and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Pace University.
Christopher Ryder, Putnam County National Bank Christopher Ryder is Executive Vice President of Putnam County National Bank in Carmel, New York. Christopher is directly engaged in all aspects of the Bank’s lending operations, in addition to serving as the Bank’s in-house legal counsel for a wide range of matters.
Most recently, Christopher helped implement the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program at PCNB, which issued hundreds of loans to community businesses during the COVID pandemic.
Prior to joining PCNB, Christopher was a corporate attorney at a law firm in New York City. Christopher advised clients on a host of complex commercial transactions and provided practical solutions to his client’s legal and regulatory concerns.
Christopher received his Bachelor of Arts from Johns Hopkins University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School. Born and raised in Carmel, Christopher currently lives in Mahopac with his girlfriend, Alley, and Newfoundland dog, Bear.
Dr. Mark Hirko, a healthcare executive with diverse clinical and academic leadership experience, is the president of both Putnam Hospital in Carmel, NY and Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut. The hospitals are part of Nuvance Health.
Dr. Hirko began his tenure with Health Quest Medical Practice in 2017 as associate vice president of surgical services, women’s health and medical specialties. He collaborated with senior and physician leadership to enhance care across the system and helped develop undergraduate and post-graduate medical and surgical education programs.
An Ohio native with more than 20 years of experience in surgery, Dr. Hirko previously held the position of chair of the department of surgery, director of the general surgery residency program, and medical director of the vascular lab at Monmouth Medical Center, part of RWJBarnabas Health System, in Long Branch, N.J.
Dr. Hirko completed his vascular surgery fellowship at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill., and a general surgery residency at Akron City Hospital, a member of Summa Health System, in Akron, Ohio.
He earned his medical degree from the Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He also received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from the University of Akron. Outside of the office, Dr. Hirko enjoys golf, exercise and traveling to Manhattan with wife, Pamela, to visit their two children, Geoffrey and Marie.
A lifelong Hudson Valley resident, I’ve been a journalist, ad executive and economic developer. I’ve built a unique skill set and knowledge of the economy of the region, and am putting it all to work in commercial real estate. Being involved in regional economic development for the past 10 years, I’ve focused my energy on site selection, data centers, food and beverage, ecommerce/logistics. I’ve got my finger on the pulse of industrial and office investment and business activity and possess the knowledge and relationships to make deals happen. More
Professional Awards & Achievements 2020, 2021 NYSCAR Hudson Valley Economic Developer of the Year Award 2020, 2021 Houlihan Lawrence Commercial TOP PRODUCER 2018 Leadership Dutchess Class Graduate and Community Advocate Award Winner 2017 Dutchess County 40 Under 40 Mover and Shaker Award Winner
Professional Associations & Designations New York State Commercial Association of Realtors – President, Hudson Valley East Chapter Dutchess County Economic Development Advisory Council – Real Estate Committee Member Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce – Associate Board Member Putnam County Economic Development – Board Member
Community Involvement Leadership Dutchess Student Mentor 2018-2019 Poughkeepsie Open Kitchen Food & Bev Academy Mentor 2019-2020 First Friday Poughkeepsie Co-Chair 2017-Present Special Olympics NY Annual Volunteer 2016-2018 Special Olympics NY Fishkill Polar Plunge Participant 2010-2020 Sparrow’s Nest of the Hudson Valley Destination Runner 2017-Present Abilities First Inc. Board Member 2020-Present More
Real Estate Expertise In my first year, I closed 10 commercial deals, including the sale of a 2ac parcel of land with a building in Downtown Poughkeepsie to a cinema enterprise that plans to open a 9-screen complex in the coming years – the first of its kind in the area. I enjoy adaptive reuse and lease deals, as they often come with new jobs and new investment to the areas I serve. Prior to becoming an agent, I worked with numerous regional economic development agencies and local governments on marketing and sales strategy and tactics to attract new business and… More
Education Bachelor of Arts in Marketing Communications, Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, N.Y. Associate of Arts in Business Administration, Dutchess Community College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Walter J. Recher Strategic Marketing & Communication Expert SmallBall Marketing Walter Recher is a strategic marketing and communication expert with over 25 years of experience as an innovative business leader, management consultant, marketing executive, entrepreneur and educator. Walter is the principal management consultant at SmallBall Marketing, a firm that specializes in developing new market strategies and communication for entrepreneurs, start-up companies, small businesses, nonprofits, and high growth organizations.
Over the course of his career, Walter has led the successful launch of new businesses as a founder and managing partner at InTouch Media, HomeBuyers Network, and Diamond Sports Careers. Earlier in his career, he held senior management positions at pioneering Fortune 500 companies, including MCI, University of Phoenix, Cablevision and Izod LaCoste.
Walter has served as a management consultant and member of a public/private sector partnership team working with employers and job seekers on a $9.8M Federal Return to Work Grant that assisted in helping over 80% of long-term unemployed find employment. As an educator, Recher served as Internship Director of the Manhattanville College Sport Business Management during the launch of the fastest growing sport business management program in the U.S. He has designed curricula and led courses in entrepreneurship, marketing, emerging technologies, communication, leadership and global markets at Fordham University, Manhattanville College, Marist College, and Pace University, and led the development of a Putnam County Veterans Job Development event. Recher has been featured in Entrepreneurship Magazine, NBC News, Cablevision, WCBS NewsRadio, New York Times, and Westchester Magazine.
Walter serves as Chair of the Lake Carmel Advisory Board, and on the Kent Beautification Committee. He is a graduate of Carmel High School, earned an MBA at Fordham University, and BA in Psychology at State University of New York, College at Oswego. Walter lives in the Town of Kent with his wife Ellen and son Jack.
NYC Chamber Orchestra – Violinist, Concertmaster Concerts Around the Corner – Director Violinist, Robert Zubrycki, is the Concertmaster for the New York City Chamber Orchestra, a member of the American Symphony Orchestra and the Stamford Symphony. He is the acting Concertmaster for the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, and has recently performed as Concertmaster for the New York Choral Society at Carnegie Hall, Encores! at City Center and Opera Orchestra of New York. He also performs in the orchestra for American Ballet Theater at Lincoln Center, is Assistant Concertmaster for Orchestra Moderne and a regular performer at the 92nd St. Y’s Lyrics and Lyricists series. A veteran of dozens of Broadway shows, Robert was recently in the orchestras for Kiss Me, Kate, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, She Loves Me and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. He has recorded extensively for musical theater, and can be heard on many cast recordings, including: An American in Paris, Disney’s Aladdin, Gypsy, Paint Your Wagon (violin and mandolin) The Mad Ones, and The New Yorkers. He has won an Emmy Award for his musical contribution to the documentary, The Curse of the Bambino, among others. His appearances on television include the Today Show, The Tonight, Good Morning America – with various artists. Robert is the Director of the Concerts Around the Corner Series at the Studio Around the Corner in Brewster NY. As a chamber musician, Robert was the first violinist for the Queen’s Chamber Band and the Queen’s Chamber Trio. The Trio’s recordings of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven are available on the Lyrichord label. Robert toured the United States with the Abaca String Band, including performances at the Chautauqua Institute and the White House. In his spare time, Bob is an avid gardener, as well as a US Masters Swimming level 2 Coach, Adult Learn-to-Swim Instructor, and an American Red Cross certified lifeguard
