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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Emily Vanston, Administrator & Grant Writer Emily Vanston has been with Choice Words since 2016, and currently manages the company’s administrative activities as she pursues a second degree at SUNY New Paltz. As a grant writer Emily helped her clients secure more than $5 million in grant awards from 2016-2020. 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. Emily is a graduate of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
Consulting Partners
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Jeremy Ellenbogen, The Ellenbogen Group, Inc. – President and CEO In just a few years Jeremy Ellenbogen grew Ellenbogen Group from a one person video company, to the region’s largest and fastest growing firm with a team of twenty professionals: writers, producers, cinematographers, video editors, graphic designers, animators, web developers, and technology specialists. Ellenbogen Creative Media is constantly on the cutting edge of the ever-changing media industry offering an integrated creative approach to communicating any message in the digital space. They work closely with advertising agencies, marketing firms, Fortune 500 companies, and small businesses to deliver outstanding quality productions. |
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Larry Hertz, Public Relations Specialist Larry Hertz handles public relations and communications, specializing in support for non-profits for Choice Words. He is a veteran journalist and longtime resident of the Hudson Valley. He was reporter and columnist at the Poughkeepsie Journal for 36 years until his retirement in April. He currently works part-time at Vassar College writing for their publications. He lives in Highland, NY. |
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Kate Heidecker, Public Relations Specialist Kate Heidecker spent two years covering education and politics for The Daily Freeman in Kingston, NY after graduating with her bachelor’s degree in English from Messiah College. Following her years as a reporter, Kate spent a decade as a school communications specialist, assisting public school administrators in communicating about school budgets, building projects, and changes in the landscape of education both locally and nationally. |
Business Partners
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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
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