Shaker Museum is supported by a committed, engaged, and active board of trustees; daily operations are run by a devoted and tireless staff.
Director of Library & Collections
Advancement Associate
Interim Executive Director
Visitor Engagement Associate
Office Manager
Communications Manager
Board Members
Ben Bischoff is a registered architect and contractor in New York and is the principal of MADE Design/Build, which is distinguished by an embrace of building craft designed with innovation and originality for residential and commercial projects. Ben has been a trustee of Shaker Museum since 2018 and serves as the chair of the building committee leading the development of the new home for the Shaker Museum collection.
James Kocis is the founder and former CEO of Burgiss, a data and analytics financial technologies company recently acquired by MSCI. Jim earned a degree in chemical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and has a life-long commitment to open space and public works, having begun his career in environmental conservation and planning in the New Jersey Meadowlands. He resides in Hoboken, New Jersey and Chatham, New York.
John Schobel is the former CEO/Founder of RegEd Inc., which he transformed into the market-leading provider of regulatory compliance education and enterprise solutions for the financial services industry. John holds a B.A. from New York University and a J.D. from Washington University. His interests include art and architecture, consumer electronics, innovative software, and the promotion of financial literacy for underserved communities.
Paul Cassidy has been a Shaker Museum trustee since 2010 and board chair since 2016. In addition to a keen appreciation of Shaker design, Paul is most interested in building community based on the Shaker core values of integrity, inclusion, and innovation. Paul has a widely varied background in hospitality and construction, and currently lives in Stuyvesant, New York with his husband, Vernon Evenson.
Kenneth M. Kramer, a resident of Old Chatham, is a retired partner in the international law firm of Shearman & Sterling, where he was chair of the litigation group and a resident partner in Paris in the 1980s. He is currently an arbitrator/mediator at JAMS. In addition to Shaker Museum, Kenneth serves on boards for International House, Music for Life International, Sheltering Arms Children and Family Services, and the Berkshire Opera Festival.
Jeremy Stynes is the Managing Director of Innovation at BDO USA, driving new revenue across the Forensics practice through partnerships and technology transformation. Jeremy has worked for Fortune 100 companies, consulting firms, nonprofits, and academic institutions. He holds two bachelor’s degrees from Emory University in art history and French and a master’s degree from Harvard in technology. Interests include AI, architecture, Hudson Valley historic preservation, and LGBTQ+ philanthropy.
Kimberly Driessen is the co-owner and creative director of Silver Brothers, a terroir-driven distillery in Old Chatham, New York. Prior to Silver Brothers, Kimberly spent over fifteen years as an independent designer for the stationery and paper goods industry. A garden and design enthusiast, she currently splits time between New York City and Old Chatham and has been a trustee since 2022.
Joe Kusnick is the founding principal of AE Greyson. Born and raised in Miami/Coral Gables, Florida, Joe earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree with a focus on new urbanism studying with Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk at the University of Miami. Joe is a lead sponsor of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art’s In Your Neighborhood film series, Open House New York, and the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation.
Karen Suen-Cooper, a fashion veteran in the luxury sector and Parsons School of Design alumna, is co-founder of The Punctilious Mr. P’s Place Card Co., a luxury home accessories brand. Their namesake “place card” is the welcome gesture of inclusion and belonging. The brand is inspired by the gracious country life of Old Chatham, home of Shaker Museum.
Carl R. Fischer IV is the Global Head of Marketing for Bloomberg Connects, a free app providing cultural organizations a platform to broaden access to their collections. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bloomberg Connects has more than 2.8 million users and features multimedia guides to hundreds of cultural spaces around the world. Carl’s passion for the arts was kindled by childhood visits to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He holds a B.A. from Hobart College and splits his time between Austerlitz, New York, and Brooklyn.
Lael Locke is a longtime resident of Chatham, where she remains active in both local government and community organizations. A former newspaper editor and publisher whose projects included a free monthly newspaper distributed in Columbia and Duchess counties, she also worked as a project specialist with the New York Planning Federation, a statewide planning and zoning nonprofit. Lael joined the board in 2021.
J. D. Weinberg joined the board in 2021 and serves on its executive committee. J. D. is a partner at the law firm of Covington & Burling LLP, where he leads their global mergers and acquisitions practice. He advises and has served on the advisory board of Young New Yorkers, which runs arts-based diversion programs for court-involved young people, and is a member of Columbia University’s History Department Board of Visitors.
John Frishkopf is the founder and CEO of Klocke Estate, an earth-to-glass destination brandy distillery in Claverack, New York. John is also an advisory/operating partner of several investment funds, serves on the board of directors of two companies, and was a founder of NewStar Financial where he was the treasurer and head of asset management. He received his bachelor’s degree from MIT and his master’s in management science from MIT Sloan.
Phil Meeks recently retired as the EVP/President at Spectrum Enterprise and was formerly at Time Warner Cable, Cox Business, MCI, and AT&T. He is board chair for the Harlem Valley Rail Trail and on the board of advisors for the New York State Trust for Public Land. Phil earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing/journalism at the University of Georgia and currently resides in Ghent, New York, and New York City.
Kathy Weiser was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and currently divides her time between Columbia County and New York City’s Upper West Side. Kathy is a retired lead paralegal/administrator for a commercial litigation practice group at a major New York City law firm. The former secretary of the board for the Anderson School, Kathy joined the board in 2019 and is the current chair of the development committee.
Rae Gilson enjoyed a long and successful career in real estate sales and property management in New York City and recently brought her real estate expertise to the Hudson Valley where she has had a home for decades. Rae has served on the board since 2014 and is a passionate student of the Shaker legacy. She leads the volunteer team that helps maintain the historic Mount Lebanon site.
Stephen Williams is the youngest son of Shaker Museum’s founder, John S. Williams. In his youth, Stephen accompanied his father on his visits to the Shaker communities and witnessed the close relationships and trust Williams established with the Shakers as he sought to preserve their history. He is a graduate of William Allen White School of Journalism and Temple University with a graduate degree in psychology. He is a proponent of strategic family therapy and is an accomplished and widely published photojournalist. He has produced three books: Chosen Land, A Place in Time, and Quitingtuk, the Inuit Today. He has also worked on the production of stories and books focused on man’s understanding of humanity. He is grateful for the work of his late older brothers John and Warden to keep the importance of the museum alive and is amazed to see where the museum is today.
Director of Library & Collections
Jerry Grant came to Shaker Museum in the fall of 1987 following a decade of experience working in various capacities at Shaker museums and as a maker of Shaker furniture. Jerry has published and lectured widely about the Shakers. Jerry and his wife live in East Chatham, New York, equidistant from Shaker Museum’s historic site at Mount Lebanon and its upcoming new facility in Chatham.
Advancement Assistant
Katie Krocheski (Advancement Assistant) is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she majored in art history, co-founded the Art + Art History Club, and interned at the Wadsworth Atheneum and New Britain Museum of American Art. In addition to supporting all aspects of Shaker Museum’s fundraising and membership initiatives, Katie will also be greeting visitors at our Kinderhook pop-up exhibition space.
Interim Executive Director
Lisa Malone Jackson brings a wealth of experience and dedication to her role as Interim Executive Director of Shaker Museum. For the past seven years, she has been an integral part of the museum’s executive leadership team. As Deputy Director and Director of Advancement at Shaker Museum, she has worked closely with the Board of Directors and the staff to execute the strategic plan for the institution. Her vision and leadership have been instrumental in the museum’s growth and success during her tenure.
Lisa conceived of and continues to spearhead the highly successful Be in the Gift capital campaign. Her strategic approach to major fundraising efforts has consistently yielded impressive results. Additionally, Lisa has played a crucial operations role, helping the museum navigate the pandemic, thoughtfully recruiting new staff members, and creating key positions to build the museum’s capacity and broaden its reach. Her commitment to a dynamic organizational structure has allowed the museum to develop and offer increasingly diverse and engaging programming that delivers on its mission.
Visitor Engagement Associate
Elizabeth Miller lives in Chatham, New York and has been working with Shaker Museum pop-ups since 2021. Elizabeth was formerly the owner and buyer for Jenny B. Goode New York, a renowned retail home goods and specialty gift boutique, and she was also a personal stylist for Bergdorf Goodman.
Communications Manager
Dana Rasso has 20+ years of experience with non-profits developing specialized media content and strategies for diverse audiences. Her work encompasses advocacy in reproductive justice, discriminatory policing, abusive immigration practices, religious discrimination, and LGBTQ persecution. Dana has a BFA in art history from Savannah College of Art and Design and an MA in communications management and technology from New York University.
Programs and Outreach Manager
Sarah Van Buren (she/they) joined the team at Shaker Museum this past June and has been developing new public programs in tandem with community outreach. Sarah is an artist and educator with 20 years of nonprofit arts management and event production. She has lived in the Hudson area for almost a decade, co-curating Basilica Hudson’s annual 24-HOUR DRONE festival, DJing, and making sound art. In 2019 she participated in the Mount Lebanon residency program, installing a site-specific sound piece in Shaker Museum’s Great Stone Barn.
