About Us
The Montgomery County – Office for Aging, Inc. (Office for Aging) is a private, not-for-profit, 501 (c)(3) corporation funded by the US Administration on Aging, NYS Office for the Aging, local county contributions, and private donations. It was established July 1, 1975, as a result of 1973 amendments to the 1965 Federal Older Americans Act that recognized the government’s responsibility to help the elderly. It is part of the aging network that includes the Federal Administration on Aging, State Units on Aging, and Area Agencies on Aging. The agency is committed to serving the older citizens of Montgomery County. We are an equal opportunity employer/service provider and do not discriminate on basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or any other unlawful basis.
Traditionally, local offices for aging are sponsored by county government, as some local money is required to receive federal and state funding for services. There are 59 Offices for Aging in New York State. Of these, 56 are sponsored by county government and three are not-for-profit agencies. Montgomery County – Office for Aging, Inc. is one of the three not-for-profits.
The Montgomery County – Office for Aging, Inc. has had several sponsors since its inception. Mt. Carmel Church (1975 – 1989), Montgomery County (1989 – 1992), and Catholic Family & Community Services (1993 – March 1996). The Joshua Foundation became the interim sponsor for the remainder of 1996 until a private, not-for-profit corporation, the Montgomery County – Office for Aging, Inc., was established and awarded the sponsorship through a competitive bid process.
According to the 2010 census, the senior population was 11,948, or 24.1% of the total Montgomery County population. It ranks third largest in the state for percent per capita of elderly.
Our Mission
As a private, not-for-profit organization, our commitment is to serve older Montgomery County citizens and their families, by helping them to maintain their independence, dignity, and quality of life.
- Offer core services to older citizens in Montgomery County.
- Employ an appropriate number of staff to manage present and future needs.
- Expand outreach to better serve our non-English speaking citizens.
- Enhance the agency’s financial stability through effective management, grant writing, special events and other fundraising activities.
- Improve visibility and interaction with key stakeholders by developing an agency website and involvement in social media sites.
Staff Listing

Laura Penge Burda
Administrative Assistant

Amanda Curtin
Aging Services Nutritionist, SNAP-ED NY

Megan DePasquale
Nutrition Program Manager

John DiMezza
Client Services Representative,
NY Connects Coordinator

Emily Elrod
Client Services Representative, Health Insurance Counseling

David Jordan
Executive Director

Tracy Paradise
Client Services Representative

Ashley Yacobucci
Client Services Representative, Cupboard of Kindness Food and Pet Pantry, Fort Plain

Sally Romano
Case Manager, Rao Family Meals of Montgomery

Jennifer Savage
Office Manager

Meeghan Stock
Program Manager, Legal Services Program

Tammy Thackrah
Client Services Representative, Transportation Program Manager

Keyshla Torres-Duque
Client Services Representative, NY Connects – Bilingual (Spanish)

Jason Walrath
Business Manager

Tim Yager
Maintenance
Meet the Board of Directors
The Montgomery County – Office for Aging, Inc. Board of Directors steer the organization towards a sustainable future by adopting sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management policies, as well as by making sure the agency has adequate resources to advance its mission.

Jessica Bates
Treasurer
Bio to come…

Joan Cimino
Joan Cimino is Program Director at Arkell Community Center and oversees the Arkell Apartment Complex in Canajoharie, NY. She has been with Arkell Foundation for the past 9 years and enjoys working with the “mature residents” in the community.
Joan has been involved with OFA, volunteering for the Advisory & Board of Directors as well as the Alzheimer’s Association where she is a Support Group Leader.
She currently lives in Canajoharie with her husband and she has 4 beautiful children. She loves gardening, baking and spending quality time with her Grandchildren.

Philip Cortese Esq.
Attorney at Law
Hon. Philip V. Cortese began practicing law in August 1981 as an associate in the law firm Horigan, Horigan, Pennock & Lombardo, PC until 1987. From 1987 to 1989 he was an associate attorney in the law office of Paul L. Wollman. He served as a law clerk to the County Court Judge Howard M. Aison from 1987 to 1988. Phil was engaged in private practice in his own firm from 1989 to 2002. He served as Corporation Counsel for the City of Amsterdam from January 1988 to December 1992, and again from January 1996 to December 2002. Most recently, Phil served as the Montgomery County Family Court Judge for 19 years, retiring in December of 2021. He resides in Amsterdam with his wife Jerri. They have an adult daughter, Anna, a golden retriever and two cats.

Kirsten Dunn
2nd Vice President
Kirsten E. Dunn, Esq., is a partner with Dunn & Dunn, PLLC, a general civil law firm located in Canajoharie, New York, where she focuses her practice in the areas of Trusts and Estates and Elder Law, as well as Municipal Law.
Kirsten lives with her husband and their children on a farm in rural Fort Plain, New York, where they also operate an upscale barn event venue. She loves gardening, skiing, reading and being with her family.
Favorite aging quote:
“I’m pretty sure that eating chocolate keeps wrinkles away because I have never seen a 10 year old with a Hershey bar and crows feet.”
― Amy Neftzger

Joshua Held
Joshua is the Administrator of the Wilkinson Residential Health Care Facility located in Amsterdam, NY. Joshua has worked in health care for the past 30 years, 28 of those being in the Nursing Home setting. He has worked in multiple departments including Dietary, Social Work, Admissions, Marketing, and for the past 6 years in Administration.
Joshua lives with his wife and 3 children in Stuyvesant, NY. When not attending his children’s sporting events, he is a competitive Powerlifter and Strongman. Josh has set several state and world records as well as winning 2 National Championships in Powerlifting over the past 15 years. While he still competes a few times a year, his focus is on training new strength athletes as part of the coaching staff at Lumberjack Athletics in Hudson, NY.

Brittany Kolbe
Bio to come…

Jeanne Rankie-So
Jeanne Rankie-So was born, raised and resides in Montgomery County, NY. She is a mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 6.
Jeanne recently retired Registered Nurse after spending the last 25 years of employment in geriatric care, most notably as the administrator of the Sarah Jane Sanford Home.
As an OFA Board member she is liaison to our Advisory Council and serves on many other local boards as well as being an active Rotarian.

Kathleen Rose
Kathleen is retired from the University at Albany, after 30 years of service to the State of New York. She enjoys reading, traveling to Virginia Beach and spending time with her grandchildren and attending their sporting events.

Deborah A. Slezak, Esq.
Vice President
Deborah A. Slezak is a principal at Cioffi • Slezak • Wildgrube P.C. a women-owned and operated law firm located in Schenectady, NY. Deb’s practice is concentrated primarily in the areas of elder law, guardianship, estate planning and administration. Deb is a member of the New York State Bar Association (Trust and Estates and Elder Law Sections), and is a member of the Elder Law and Special Needs Law Section’s Executive Committee and many local bar associations. She is an active community volunteer, currently serving on many local boards and volunteering for many local organizations. Deb resides in Hagaman with her husband and their three children: Sam, Kate and Luke, their two dogs and the cat.

William T. Winsman Sr.
President
Bill is a life long resident of Palatine Bridge, New York, and has been in the financial services industry since 1991. He is the First Vice President – Investments at Winsman and Hellert Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors. Bill is a graduate of Fulton Montgomery Community College. Bill became the President of our Board of Directors in 2016 and is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fulton-Montgomery Community College Foundation. He received the Father Joseph F. Girzone Crystal Pillar of the Community Award in August of 2021.
He and his wife have two sons William Jr. and Joseph. Bill and Roberta are actively involved in various philanthropic and charitable causes in Fulton and Montgomery Counties.
Bill is also 2022 Rotary Citizen of the Year.
Investment and Insurance Products are:
• Not Insured by the FDIC or Any Federal Government Agency
• Not a Deposit or Other Obligation of, or Guaranteed by, the Bank or Any Bank Affiliate
• Subject to Investment Risks, Including Possible Loss of the Principal Amount Invested
Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

Dennis Yacobucci
Dennis is a Director at Liberty ARC with responsibilities for New Dimensions in Healthcare and Facility Management. Dennis has been employed at Liberty for 27 years.
Dennis has served on many boards and committees over the years. Most enjoyable was President of Montgomery County Habitat for Humanity during their first build.
He and his wife Charlene live in Canajoharie. They have 5 grown children and 4 grandchildren.

Nancy Vertucci
Secretary
Nancy Vertucci was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Albany, NY but has resided in Amsterdam since 1975. She received a BA in Education from SUC at Oneonta and a MA in Education from Russell Sage. She is past president of both the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Montgomery County, and a current Board member of St. Mary’s Hospital. Nancy joined OFA Advisory Council in 2011, was elected to the OFA Board of Directors in 2015, currently holding the office of Secretary and most recently elected to serve on the Foundation Board.
Meet the Advisory Council

Angela Baker

Marilyn Baker

Meagan DeMento

Melanie Dowgielewicz

Kristina Gillmore

Kim Lawrence

Marcia Lyons

Basilia Mendez

Eileen Oakes

Barbara Persico
Chair

Sheriff Jeff Smith
Vice Chair

Elizabeth Smitka

Jeanne So
Board Liaison

Joan Thomas
