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ROOST makes changes on board of directors

LAKE PLACID — The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism recently announced changes to the board of directors effective Jan. 1.

ROOST’s board of directors, responsible for governing the organization, is comprised of 12 individuals, with at least one director from each region ROOST supports. Recent changes to the board include electing Sarah Wilson to chair and welcoming Chip Grundon and Hillarie Logan-Dechene to the board.

Leaving the board are Jill Cardinale Segger, Andrea Holderied and Shawn Goodway.

“We are all excited to be on the ROOST team. Our goal is to provide direction for the ROOST organization and go above and beyond to promote our local communities, as places where locals can thrive alongside visitors,” Wilson said in a press release. “As we work through the public health crisis we are focused on ensuring that our tourism economy is positioned for sustainability — economic, social and environmental.”

The board consists of Wilson, chair; Chandler Ralph, vice chair; Marc Galvin, treasurer; Lisa Hess-Marks, secretary; and the following members: Michael Doran, Grundon, Mark Jessie, Leslie Karason, James Lemons, Logan-Dechene, Nick Politi and Garrick Smith.

“With representatives from varied backgrounds, the board represents a broad range of perspectives, insights and expertise,” said ROOST CEO James McKenna. “Our volunteer board of directors dedicates a lot of time on behalf of our destinations, and we extend our thanks to our outgoing directors.”

Wilson brings a communications and public relations background to the board. She is the founder of PoP! Communications and has managed a variety of media for agencies ranging from Lionsgate Entertainment to Hillshire Farms. She has also co-managed a U.N.-funded nonprofit in Harare, Zimbabwe, with the U.S. Peace Corps. With her husband, teenagers and pets, Wilson lives in Keene. Her alma maters include SUNY Albany and Boston University, and she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in emerging media at The New York School in New York City. She has served on the ROOST board since 2014.

Grundon retired after 22 years as a firefighter, has won Life Saving Awards and has worked with the Whiteface Visitors Bureau and town of Wilmington zoning and building board. He and his wife currently manage the Lake Placid / Whiteface Mountain KOA campground in Wilmington, which they first visited in the 1980s. They got hooked on the KOA then and decided to become full-time campers. They have been managing the KOA since 2009. Aside from camping, he enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, hunting and fishing, especially with his wife, six children and 14 grandchildren.

Logan-Dechene currently works as the deputy director at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake after previously working in the development department at what is now the Adirondack Experience, the Museum on Blue Mountain Lake, and as the director of institutional advancement at Paul Smith’s College. In addition to serving on ROOST’s board, she also is the chair of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s New York State Commission on National and Community Service. She is an adjunct professor at Skidmore College and has been a guest lecturer at Syracuse University, SUNY Adirondack and New York University. She lives in Long Lake with her husband and family.

The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, based in Lake Placid, is the destination marketing and management organization for Hamilton and Essex counties, along with the communities of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake.

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