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 ten years. She is a research and information specialist with experience in social media and web design. She has 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. She currently resides in Kerhonkson, NY.
	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.
	Emily Vanston, Administrator & Grant Writer Emily Vanston secured roughly $6 million in grant awards for her clients from 2016-2021, and currently manages the company’s administrative activities as she pursues a second degree at SUNY New Paltz. Prior to joining the Choice Words team, Emily enjoyed a 10-year career in publishing and communications in New York City. She served on the board of directors of the Vanaver Caravan Dance & Music Company from 2016-2019, and is passionate about arts and education. Originally from Austin, TX, Emily is a graduate of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas.
	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 ChoiceWords 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, Grant Writer Amanda Heidel oversees Choice Words’ Small and Emerging Nonprofit Grants Program. She graduated from SUNY New Paltz with an MFA in sculpture in 2019 and a BA in communications from Lynn University in 2009. Amanda’s past work experience includes NJ State Council on the Arts and over a decade in marketing experience starting at Viacom Media Networks. In addition to her work with Choice Words, Amanda teaches in the art education department at SUNY New Paltz and co-founded a nonprofit community education program in New Paltz called Mushroom Shed.
	Jennifer Robichaux, Grant Writer Jennifer Robichaux is a writer, educator, and fundraising professional from Texas. She joins Choice Words after working as a grant writer at Houston Ballet for nearly three years. While in Houston, she worked to ensure greater equity, inclusivity, and access to the arts in her community. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College and a BA in composition and rhetoric from St. Edward’s University.
	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.

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