Our Team

	Steve Densmore, President and Founder Steve Densmore has spent the last 25 years working as a communications professional in the Hudson Valley. An award winning writer and journalist, Steve spent much of that time working in the trenches for several weekly newspapers and magazines, serving as a reporter, editor and publisher (sometimes all at the same time!) Steve’s career path evolved substantially in 2005 when he began working as a communications consultant for several Hudson Valley nonprofit organizations. This grew to include the Dyson Foundation and the Walkway Over the Hudson nonprofit organization, where he has spearheaded public relations and grant writing for the last several years. Steve launched Choice Words in 2010 in response to an increasing call for supportive communications services among Hudson Valley nonprofits. He has served on various boards of directors during his career including the New York Press Association, the Vassar Warner Home of Poughkeepsie, the Barrett Art Center, and the environmental advocacy organization, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. He lives in Montgomery.
	Briana Maloney, Vice President Briana Maloney has been grant writing for twelve years and has won nearly $30M for Choice Words’ clients. She is a research and information specialist with experience in social media and web design. She previously worked as an academic librarian at Rockland Community College, Mount Saint Mary College, and at the New York State Library as a public information advocate where she sought funding for various statewide public education programs. She is on the board of the Rondout Valley Education Foundation, serving as chair of the grants committee and is a member of the Music Institute of Sullivan and Ulster Counties’ High Strung Orchestra. She currently resides in Kerhonkson, NY, with her two kids, husband, and adorable mutt.
	Emily Vanston, Administrator & Grant Writer Emily has been grant writing for Choice Words since 2016, and currently manages the company’s administrative activities as she pursues master’s studies at SUNY New Paltz. Prior to joining the Choice Words team Emily spent more than a decade working in publishing and communications in New York City. She is on the board of directors of the Vanaver Caravan Dance & Music Company, and is passionate about education and the arts. Emily is a graduate of the University of Texas, and currently resides in Wappingers Falls with her husband and son.
	Jennifer Gutman, Senior Grant Writer Jennifer Gutman has been with Choice Words since 2013. In addition to grant writing, she’s worked in publishing and academia. She is currently pursuing a PhD in English and Comparative Media at Vanderbilt University.
	Aaron Fumarola, Grant Writer Born and raised in the Finger Lakes town of Homer, NY, Aaron is a 2007 graduate of the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he studied political science and philosophy. In 2010 he completed a Masters of Professional Studies in Environmental Policy from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. After working for three years as Development Coordinator for Lime Hollow Nature Center in Cortland, NY, he transitioned to Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining, NY, where he worked for nearly two years as the organization’s sole grant writer. With a lifelong enthusiasm for the arts and humanities, he joined Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in 2015, where he was responsible for cultivating and soliciting donations from new and existing donors in support of arts and education programming. In April of 2017 he transitioned to Choice Words on a part-time basis to research and write proposals on behalf of a number of our clients.
	Teryl Mickens, Grant Writer Teryl is a seasoned grant writer experienced in both non-profit and for-profit business sectors. Over the last 12 years she has secured federal, state and private sources to fund projects ranging from affordable housing, community development and the arts. In addition to grant writing, Teryl specializes in procuring federal and state historic preservation tax credits. Teryl is a current board member of Ulster County Habitat for Humanity, the Business Alliance of Kingston and has served as a panelist for Arts Mid-Hudson. She is a former Kingston Landmarks Preservation commissioner and was appointed to serve on the Kingston Comprehensive Plan committee. Originally from Manhattan, she now resides in Kingston.
	Amanda Heidel, Manager of Choice Words Ithaca & Small and Emerging Nonprofit Grants Program Amanda helped direct the development of Choice Words Small and Emerging Nonprofit grants program, which she now manages. She recently moved to Ithaca, NY and is in the process of spearheading a new branch of the company, Choice Words Ithaca. Her background in marketing dovetails with grant writing to create an innovative framework for guiding emerging nonprofits who often need diversified funding streams to get on their feet. She is also an artist, educator, and founder of the community project, Mushroom Shed, a fiscally sponsored organization dedicated to environmental education.
	Alyssa Barrett, Grant Writer Alyssa Barrett is a grant writer for Choice Words’ Small and Emerging Nonprofit Grants Program. She is originally from Rochester, NY, and holds an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University and a BA in English from Vassar College. Her experience includes a stretch of life in Washington state, where she taught at a local college, farmed, and worked as an independent writing consultant and editor. Since returning to the Hudson Valley in 2018, she has been part of the Development team at the Omega Institute.
	Steve Bean, Grant Writer Steve is a 30+-year veteran of non-profit leadership and social entrepreneurship with executive- and senior-management experience across the fields of community economic development, workforce development, K-12 education, public health, positive youth development and the arts, among others. Before joining Choice Words, Steve was the Deputy Executive Director and Founder Emeritus at Digital NEST (Nurturing Entrepreneurial Skills with Technology) a start-up, youth career development program and community technology center for predominantly Latinx youth on California’s Central Coast. Steve was key to growing Digital NEST and its programs from an annual operating budget of $350,000.00 to $5.5 million in six years. This resource development success is characteristic of Steve’s career, in which he’s funded his own, innovative work by raising more than $24 million in 2022 dollars over the course of 15 years, with the vast majority of it coming from federal, state, private philanthropic and corporate social responsibility grant funders.
	Michele Miller, Grant Writer Michele has over twenty years of experience working with non-profits of various sizes, missions and programs. She has worked as an Executive Director with responsibilities overseeing all programming, fundraising and daily management of a mid-size conservation and education non-profit, as Development Director with responsibility for overseeing all fundraising efforts for several small and mid-sized arts organizations, and as Campaign Manager and other development positions for larger nonprofit organizations. She has also worked as a Grants Manager overseeing the grant-making and administration of private foundations. This experience has provided her with insights into all aspects of nonprofit development and administration–from raising funds to distributing them to spending them on essential programming–and has enabled her to form a holistic and strategic approach that can adapt to the needs of each organization.
	Shannon Wichlacz, Grant Writer Shannon holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and has 20 years of experience in public health research and workforce development, program evaluation, and survey design. She has authored/co-authored 16 articles that have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Over the past 15+ years she has assisted with writing successful grant proposals that have been funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including HRSA, NIH, NSF, and SAMHSA. She’s also an adjunct faculty member with the University at Buffalo’s Department of Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology, where she teaches the graduate online course Understanding Statistical Research. In her spare-time, you can find Shannon hiking in the woods with her German Shepard or dabbling in photography while enjoying nature.
	Brenna Robinson, Grant Writer Brenna grew up in and continues to live in the Kingston, NY, area. She has appreciated the beauty and diversity of this region her entire life and is delighted to join the Choice Words team in supporting Hudson Valley communities through its work. As the former Director of Economic and Community Development for the City of Kingston, NY, Brenna honed excellent communication skills and acquired extensive experience in economic and community development activities. She has supported a wide array of businesses and non-profit organizations over the last thirteen years and possesses a broad knowledge of local, state, and federal grants regulations and requirements. Prior to that, Brenna earned her B.A. in Environmental and Organismal Biology from the State University of New York College at New Paltz and was a small-business owner herself, and these experiences have served her well in identifying the needs of those organizations she has assisted. In her spare time, she enjoys long-distance running, spending time with her family and two rescue dogs, and boating on the Hudson River.
	Christine Kelly, Grant Writer Christine has more than 10 years of grant writing and non-profit experience. As a former teacher, Christine has a particular interest in educational programs and youth development. She has worked at nonprofits and within higher education to: identify, solicit, and steward funders; administer grant-funded programs; and write and edit communications. Christine also works as a Grants Manager at the West Point Association of Graduates at the United States Military Academy. In her spare time, Christine enjoys taking walks with her family, reading, and doing crafts with her daughter.
	Joe Bish, Grant Writer Joe Bish has been with Choice Words Ithaca since 2022. Native to the Finger Lakes Region, Joe brings 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector with him, previously serving as a departmental director for an international development NGO. Joe excels in situational analysis, problem solving, and thought leadership. A persuasive and polished writer, he also has experience in branding and brand voice, marketing, and organizational development. He lives rurally in Candor NY with his wife and son, enjoying the great outdoors, friends, and his hobbies of art, music, and reading.

Business Partners

The Chazen Companies Founded in the historic Hudson Valley region of New York in 1947, The Chazen Companies provides engineering, land surveying, planning, environmental and safety services, landscape architecture and construction services to clients throughout the Northeast and beyond.

Professional Associations