Interested in joining our Board or a committee? Have a question or comment?
Brian Adams (he/him)
Brian Adams is a Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science at Greenfield Community College and an author of romantic comedies about environmental issues. He and his wife Morey, an active Survival Center volunteer, are the owners of Phippenadams Solar and install solar systems on non-profits throughout the valley. He lives in Northampton.
Angela Combest, Vice President (she/her)
After 22 years in Chicago, Angela returned to the east coast in 2016. She quickly became involved with NSC, first as a supporter, then as a member of the Events Committee, and eventually joining the board in 2019. She lives in Florence with her cats, Phinneas and Phoenix, and she is the Development Manager for Amherst Cinema. In her spare time, she participates in storytelling events and slams, travels, attends theatre and concerts, and plunges into very cold bodies of water.
R. Jordan Crouser (he/him)
R. Jordan Crouser is an Associate Professor and Chair of Computer Science at Smith College. He enjoys teaching introductory programming, data visualization, and machine learning, and his research program investigates how people understand and reason about complex data. Jordan lives in Easthampton with his family, where they are active in the Buy Nothing community and passionate advocates for food justice. In his spare time, he enjoys growing and cooking food, being outside, audiobooks, and exploring science museums with his kids.
Lisa Downing (she/her)
Lisa Downing is the director of the public library in Northampton, Forbes Library. She lives in Easthampton with her wife, two kids and several rescued pets. She is also a Girl Scout troop leader.
Aurora Fields (she/they)
Aurora Fields (she/they) is a dentist from New York who fell in love with the valley after attending Smith College. She is a dentist who owns the practice Refresh Valley Dental. She lives in Northampton with her wife Erin. They have two wonderful cats and enjoy bike riding in the summer.
Ellen Frank, President (she/her)
Ellen Frank is the Chief Operating Officer for 18Doors, a national nonprofit. She has more than two decades of experience in finance, fundraising, and nonprofit management. Ellen, her husband, and their dogs Panko and Ruckus, live in Northampton. She has three adult children who were raised in Northampton.
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Rick Katsanos (he/him)
A native and life-long lover of western Massachusetts, Rick experienced a wonderous childhood in the happy if insulated community of Wilbraham. After a brief excursion to study Architecture at Penn State and abroad, he returned to his homeland where he has worked at the same company for over thirty years, HAI Architecture, now serving as its President and CEO. When not juggling multiple commitments, Rick enjoys the dark, star-filled skies of Westhampton, where he sips bourbon in the company of his best friend and wife, Karen Chauvin Katsanos, and their adorable tail wagging Cockapoo, Sammie.
Dane Kuttler (she/her)
Dane Kuttler is the Hampshire County Community Collaborations Coordinator at Community Action Pioneer Valley. When not collaborating in community, she writes liturgical poetry and lots of Facebook posts about food. She and her partner Rowan are foster parents and live in Northampton.
DeLea Mowatt (she/her)
DeLea Mowatt became a client of the Survival Center following a severe house fire in 2014, and was so impressed by everyone’s generosity and support that she soon became a volunteer as well. She was also impressed with the Pioneer Valley overall and has stayed in the area, now residing in Easthampton, MA.
Diane Porcella, Clerk (she/her)
Diane Porcella works for Northampton Neighbors. She lives in Northampton with her partner Paul, putters in their garden and has not found a hobby yet.
Jenna Rahilly (she/her)
Jenna is the Human Resources Director/Senior Vice President at Florence Bank. She has over 27 years of human resources management experience, primarily with financial institutions. Jenna is a lifelong resident of western MA, only leaving for college in upstate NY in the early 90’s. She currently resides in South Hadley with her husband. They have two grown daughters in whom they’ve instilled a deep appreciation for the Valley and all it has to offer. Jenna joined the Northampton Survival Center’s Finance Committee in 2023 and the Board in 2024.
Anthony Scibelli (he/him)
Anthony Scibelli is currently the Vice President, Operations and Chief Administrative Officer for Cooley Dickinson Health Care in Northampton. Prior to working in healthcare, Anthony was a human resources professional in the retail food industry. A native of Springfield Mass, he eventually moved back to the area in 2014 after living in Central New York for the previous 15 years. He and his husband reside in South Hadley. Anthony joined the Survival Center Board in 2019.
Michael Skillicorn, Treasurer (he/him)
After working in the fair trade coff
ee industry for a farmer’s cooperative in Peru and roaster in the U.S. for many years, Michael began working with local food and farm initiatives back home in Western Mass. These included running a mobile farmer’s market in Springfield and serving on the Board of the Quabbin Harvest Cooperative in Orange. He now works at Grow Food Northampton as the Director of Programs, delivering fresh produce to the Survival Center, among other things. Michael joined the NSC Board in 2018.
Jo Ella Tarbutton-Springfield (she/her/ella)
Sometimes goes by the nickname ‘Jada’ (the initials of her grandmothers). Originally from Texas, she came to the Happy Valley over 20 years ago for college and learned to somehow survive the harsh winters. She describes herself as an Activist posing as an Educator, Substance Abuse Counselor, and Actress. Her most famous role is of former slave and social justice advocate: Ida B. Wells-Barnett. In joining this board, she says she’s fulfilling her maternal grandmother’s role of caring and feeding the community. She refers to the staff and volunteers of the Survival Center as ‘Angels on Earth’.
