Board of Directors
Photo by Nickolas Cooper | Andrew S. Evans, Jr., MPH
President
Andrew has nearly thirty years as an epidemiologist for the Dutchess County Department of Health. He is the Coordinator of Communicable Disease Control and takes the lead in outbreaks and anything emergent or unusual. A lifetime resident of the Hudson Valley, Andrew has earned his Master of Public Health at the University at Albany, SUNY. He also holds a B.S. in Business Administration from SUNY New Paltz, and an A.A.S. in Medical Laboratory Technologist from Dutchess Community College. He is currently working on a Fine Arts Associates at Dutchess Community College. Andrew resides in Dutchess County with his husband.
Nominating Committee |
Photo by Nickolas Cooper | Michael J. Hall, MA
Vice President
Michael is a professor of psychology at Dutchess Community College. He lives in Ulster County.
Finance Committee |
Photo by Nickolas Cooper | Andrew Bell
Treasurer
Andy began volunteering for HVCS on the Hudson Valley AIDS Walk committee in 2012. He was a financial consultant for IBM for several years and now works for the NYS Department of Environmental Protection. He is a lifelong Dutchess County resident.
Chair, Finance Committee
|
 | Aretha Thompson
Secretary
Aretha is a branch manager for Citizens Bank. She is a lifelong Dutchess County resident. She began volunteering for HVCS on the Hudson Valley AIDS Walk committee in 2013.
Chair, Development Committee
Finance Committee |
 | Amy Ansehl, DNP, FNP-BC Dr. Amy Ansehl, RN, MSN, FNP- BC, DNP is a board certified family nurse practitioner with a doctoral degree in administration and leadership. Amy is an Associate Dean, Executive Director and Associate Professor at New York Medical College School of Health Sciences and Practice. She has significant experience in the leadership of community based organizations and coalitions. She served 2 consecutively elected terms as the chairman of the board of directors of Westchester VNS also serving the Bronx, Dutchess, Putnam and Rockland Counties.
Program Committee
Development Committee |
Photo by Nickolas Cooper | Susan Irvin, PhD, PMP Originally from North Carolina, Susan came to New York in 2011 for her post-doctoral fellowship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine where she studied infectious disease, including HIV, in a translational science laboratory. Passionate about helping others, she has volunteered with many different organizations throughout New York including Feeding Westchester, Best Buddies, and Westchester Jewish Community Services where she continues to volunteer. Since 2012, she has volunteered with Girls on the Run NYC and has been part of their leadership team since 2013. Susan currently works at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in Tarrytown, NY and lives in Westchester with her husband. Susan earned her BS and PhD from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC.
Development Committee |
 | Richard Williams, MBA, MST Richard has over thirty years experience in corporate finance/accounting, taxation, and real estate and has worked at large domestic corporations, multi-national conglomerates, start-up companies, and a federal government agency. A native of Massachusetts, Richard earned his B.S. in Accounting from Northeastern University, an M.B.A. from Suffolk University, Master of Science in Taxation from Suffolk University and is a Certified Residential Appraiser and Licensed Real Estate Salesperson.
Richard is currently employed by the United States Department of the Treasury. He resides in Westchester.
Finance Committee |
 | Susan S. Witte, Ph.D., LCSW Susan Witte has been an HIV prevention scientist for over 25 years. Current work addresses structural barriers to women’s risk reduction by examining the added benefits of microfinance and participatory prevention; and how best to disseminate and implement efficacious programming into community agency settings. Susan mentors students and faculty and has published in national and international journals.
Chair, Program Committee |
Executive Team
Andrea Straus
Executive Director
Saqib Altaf
Deputy Executive Director
Ingrid Aquino
Director of Finance
Jennifer Brathwaite
Director of Education & Prevention
Toya Bost-Utsey
Director of Human Resources
LaShonda Cyrus
Assistant Director of Client Services
J.Dewey
Director of Public Relations & Resource Enhancement
Christina Gardella
Director of Compliance, Quality & Data Management
Jacqueline Perez
Assistant Director of Education & Prevention
Virginia Schneider
Director of Client Services
Barbara Zitz
Director of Health Homes
Board member portrait sessions generously donated by Nickolas Cooper.