Our Team

	Steve Densmore, President and Founder Steve Densmore has spent the last 35 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 spearheaded public relations and grant writing for 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 is currently on the board of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation. He lives in Montgomery.
	Briana Maloney, Vice President Briana Maloney has been grant writing for 15 years and has won more than $52M 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.
	Amanda Heidel, Manager of Choice Words Ithaca & Small and Emerging Nonprofit Grants Program Amanda came to Choice Words in 2020 after six years of working in advertising and marketing for Viacom Media Networks. She moved to Ithaca from the Hudson Valley in 2022 and has helped develop Choice Words’ new office in Ithaca. In addition, she helped Choice Words develop the Small and Emerging Nonprofit Grants program in 2019, which she also manages. 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.
	Yesenia Morales, Administrator Yesenia Morales pursued her undergraduate education at Russell Sage College in Upstate New York in Psychology. While at Russell Sage College, She became a writer for the school newsletter and published many articles covering events, social topics and kept students up to date. After finishing her studies, her professional journey has been primarily rooted in the insurance industry. Yesenia actively joins volunteer events of nonprofit organizations that focus on the environment and social well-being. Her passion for volunteerism with nonprofit organizations has flowed into the professional world, and is one of the many reasons she has joined the Choice Words team. Yesenia is critical to generating proposals, responding to bids, and is in charge of billing, amongst other organizational tasks.
	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.
	Alyssa Barrett, Grant Writer Alyssa Barrett is a grant writer for Choice Words’ Small and Emerging Nonprofit Grants Program, with a focus on the arts and education. She has a background in creative writing and teaching, and brings a love of storytelling to her work. She has been with Choice Words since 2021. She also is an independent writing consultant and editor, and is part of the Development team at the Omega Institute. Originally from Rochester, NY, she now lives in Kingston.
	Jennifer Leao, Grant Writer Jennifer Leao has over 12 years of experience as a non-profit administrator and capacity builder. She specializes in post-award management and governmental grant proposals at all levels. Jennifer has worked in supportive housing and homeless services, legal services, and university community-based initiatives and research projects. Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, She has lived in New York, NY for over 15 years.
	Rebecca Morgan, Grant Writer Rebecca Morgan has spent her career between international human rights projects and farm and food system development work. Her international work included consulting with Human Rights Watch in Kosovo and with the United Nations Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Guatemala. In food system work she led the National Immigrant and Refugee Farmer Initiative for Heifer International’s USA Country Program prior to being the executive director for the Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship in New York State. Rebecca has been growing food her whole life and currently lives in Upstate New York with her husband and their four children.
	Maureen Mooney, Grant Writer Maureen has been grant writing for nearly ten years and has secured funding for municipalities, nonprofit organizations, businesses, museums, and universities. She specializes in writing state and federal proposals and applies her background in business and economic development to assist clients with short and long-term funding strategies, project development, research, and procurement. Maureen has obtained funding for a wide range of projects including downtown revitalization initiatives, municipal infrastructure improvements, community and workforce development programs, and open space restoration projects. She genuinely enjoys the diversity of people and projects that she has connected with through grant writing over the years, and is thrilled to have recently joined the Choice Words team. After several years of living and working in Chicago and Philadelphia, Maureen is happily back home in Central New York with her husband and two young children.
	Barbara Weinstein, Grant Writer For three decades, Barbara has been helping nonprofit organizations talk about their work in ways that ensure other people feel it and fund it. She has served in both corporate and foundation account management positions, and has written countless grants, websites, and donor communications for organizations in sectors including arts and culture, youth development, education, health and wellness, and more. A seasoned public service warrior with a deep commitment to social justice, Barbara writes to build connections, whether that means inspiring a single individual to care about a unique mission or matching a large, complex project with an international institutional funder. Barbara is based in Westchester County, New York.
	John Barry, Grant Writer John W. Barry is an award-winning journalist who worked as a staff writer for the USA Today Network for 25 years and freelanced for RollingStone.com. A graduate of the State University of New York at New Paltz, John began his journalism career as a municipal reporter and wrote on a range of topics, including the Northern Ireland peace process and the Sept. 11 attacks. More recently, John has written extensively about the arts and the music industry. He has interviewed such musical luminaries as Ringo Starr, Pete Seeger, and Carly Rae Jepsen, and analyzed the many ways in which culture impacts the economy. In 2022, John published his first book, Levon Helm: Rock, Roll & Ramble—The Inside Story of the Man, the Music and the Midnight Ramble, about the late drummer for The Band. John lives in New York’s majestic Hudson Valley with his wife, Amy, and their two cockapoos, Guthrie and Sam.
	Stephanie Andres, Grant Writer A native of the Ithaca area, Stephanie is dedicated to advancing missions through community building, impactful initiatives, and innovative best practices.She brings a proven track record in nonprofit fundraising, governance, communications and community relations, having contributed as both an employee and volunteer in the scientific research, community service, and the performing and visual arts sectors.
	Michelle Landers, Grant Writer Michelle Landers has more than 25 years experience in grant writing and matching projects with funding possibilities, with a particular focus on education. Throughout her 20 years serving Wells College as Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, Michelle has helped to secure funding from local, regional, and national foundations and government agencies. Michelle enjoys the process of working with people at all levels of leadership to transform their project ideas into competitive grant proposals, and helping the team to identify and articulate goals, methods, measurements, and relevant data needed to build a strong case for their project’s need and impact. Michelle has lived in or around Ithaca (except for a 4 year adventure in West Virginia) since 2000 and loves calling the Finger Lakes home.
	Jane Rigler, Grant Writer Musician and organizer of multi-disciplinary events, Jane Rigler specializes in writing arts-related grants for non-profits. She was a professor of music for 14 years at the University of Colorado, and recently relocated to the Hudson Valley to promote the arts in this region. She specializes in local, regional, state, and federal grants.

Our Team

Professional Associations