

ALUMNI COLLECTIVE A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE A
In the decades after the Civil War, as work accelerated on railroads and technology revolutionized industry, people of means sought escape from the noise and heat of our nation’s burgeoning cities. And they found it on the picturesque shores of Lake George.
Boston preacher William H.H. Murray in 1869 published “Adventures in the Wilderness, or Camp-Life in the Adirondacks,” part-fiction book, part-travel guide, that extolled the wonders of Lake George. That, coupled with imagery from artists such as Winslow Homer and Seneca Ray Stoddard, put our region on the map.
A Life Magazine article suggests Lake George defined the concept of vacation in our young nation. So it is fitting our regional economy remains closely tied to tourism and hospitality.
According to the New York State Tourism Industry Association, the economic impact of visitor spending in Warren County is almost $888 million a year, supporting nearly 9,000 jobs. (That number is $876 million in Saratoga County and $39 million in Washington County.)
SUNY Adirondack proudly develops programs that prepare students for jobs that fuel our economy. Many of those offerings change over the years to meet the demands of high-tech industry, but some fields are unwavering, including those centered on the hospitality industry.
In restaurants, hotels, bars, attractions, privately owned businesses, retail establishments, historic sites and recreation companies, SUNY Adirondack alumni are the face of our region. With passion and commitment to excellence, they provide experiences that continue to make our area an idyllic place to live, work and, of course, vacation.
This publication features SUNY Adirondack graduates from the following programs:
Culinary and Baking Arts
Hospitality
Liberal Arts
Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Outdoor Education
They come in as students, searching, find themselves here, then bring their gifts out into the world as caring agents of change. In this quarterly magazine, we celebrate all the ways our alumni shape our world, close to home and afar, with their hearts always rooted right here at SUNY Adirondack.
SUNY Adirondack, a community college of the State University of New York, does not discriminate against any employee, applicant for employment, intern, whether paid or unpaid, contractor, student, or applicant for admission or other members of the college community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) based on a individual’s race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identification, gender expression, sexual orientation, self-identified or perceived sex, the status of being transgender, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, veteran status, domestic violence victim state, criminal conviction or any other category protected by law. The College adheres to all federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination and sexual harassment in public institutions of higher education.
The college prohibits conduct by any employee or any student who disrupts or interferes with another’s work performance or education experience, or who creates an intimidating, offensive, or hostile work or educational environment due to discrimination based on protected status or sexual harassment. SUNY Adirondack is committed to educating employees in the recognition and prevention of workplace and education discrimination and sexual harassment, and to informing students, employees and others how to report a discrimination complaint.
Inquiries about and reports regarding this notice and procedure may be made to compliance@sunyacc.edu or to one of the following: Lottie Jameson, Director of Compliance and Risk Management and Deputy Title IX coordinator, Washington Hall, Room 132C, jamesonl@sunyacc.edu, 518-832-7741; Mindy Wilson, Chief Human Resources Officer, Washington Hall 105, wilsonm@sunyacc.edu, 518-743-2252; Diane Wildey, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs/Section 504 Coordinator, Scoville 324, wildeyd@sunyacc.edu, 518-743-2337. Inquiries may also be directed to the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, 32 Old Slip 26th Floor, New York, NY 10005-2500, ocr.newyork@ed.gov, 646-428-3800.
Bakery Owners
Chefs
Client Services Representatives
Entrepreneurs
Executive Directors
Kitchen Managers
Restaurant Managers/Trainers
Retreat Coordinators
Sous Chefs
Special Events Coordinators
Sports Management Professionals
Trail Guides and so much more!
$888 MILLION
8,448
NUMBER OF TOURISM JOBS SUSTAINED BY WARREN COUNTY
OF TOURISM SALES IN THE ADIRONDACKS REGION WAS IN WARREN COUNTY (38 percent of the total of the six-county region)
$137 BILLION $2.7 BILLION
TOTAL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TOURISM IN NEW YORK IN 2023
TOURISM SPENDING IN THE CAPITALSARATOGA REGION
14.2%
AMOUNT OF ALL LABOR INCOME IN THE ADIRONDACKS REGION GENERATED BY TOURISM
NUMBER OF JOBS IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY SUPPORTED BY VISITOR SPENDING
28,956
NUMBER OF JOBS SUPPORTED BY BUSINESSES DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY VISITOR SPENDING
233,451 33% 10,784
AMOUNT OF VISITOR SPENDING ACCOUNTED FOR BY SARATOGA COUNTY
NUMBER OF TOURISM JOBS SUSTAINED BY SARATOGA COUNTY
“I feel as though there were some classes I took later in life, when I was just going through the motions to get a degree. But at SUNY Adirondack, it felt more like a family. I wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else.”
A smell can transport us back to that indescribable feeling of childhood — loved, like your whole world is surrounding you in a safe embrace and you will never need anything else. Pebbles Linseman creates that ineffable scent for a living.
“I just remember standing around the island, baking and cooking, and
it was just happy and a comfortable feeling,” said Linseman, owner of A Spoonful of Sugar, describing time spent with her mom and sister in the kitchen of their family’s Glens Falls home. “I think that’s why I gravitated toward this.”
Linseman makes cakes, cookies, cupcakes and other baked goods, selling her wares at her Hudson Falls shop
and a weekend market in Wilton, and taking orders for custom designs.
As a high school student, Linseman excelled in mathematics, testing years ahead of her class. By the time she was a senior, she only had physical education requirements remaining, so she enrolled at SUNY Adirondack. “I could have graduated early, but I wanted to stay with my
HOMETOWN: GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK
2009 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS
2011 GRADUATE OF SUNY EMPIRE WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
CURRENTLY: OWNER OF A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR
class,” she said. “So I started at ACC my senior year and it was super convenient and just great.”
After graduating from Glens Falls High School, she stayed on at SUNY Adirondack for a year to finish an associate degree in Liberal Arts.
“I’m a firm believer: Your first two years stay local because your feelings change so much on what you want to do,” she said.
She then transferred to Empire State, where she studied to become a teacher. She graduated at a time when teaching jobs were scarce locally, though, so despite being enrolled in a master’s program, she made a major shift.
“Since baking was another avenue I really liked, my mom said, ‘We could rent a spot and you could try that out,’” she remembered. “I did that and it snowballed.”
PEBBLES LINSEMAN RECOGNIZES THAT HER FIRST NAME IS NOT PARTICULARLY COMMON. “IT REALLY SHAPED ME TO BE THE PERSON I AM NOW,” SHE SAID. “IT’S ALWAYS A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION.”
WHILE EXPECTING THEIR FIRSTBORN DAUGHTER,
In the years since, Linseman has owned a few bakeries and an ice cream shop. “I’ve used my degree,” she said. “Everyone says different things about degrees, especially Liberal Arts, but you need it for business. You take business, economics, math, and you take all of that with you.”
“It’s good to be well-rounded,” she added, explaining that she handles all her own accounting and advertising, as well as doing the baking. “When you’re running a business, you need some education behind it; it’s not just baking up some cookies. There is so much more that goes into it.”
Linseman loves that she uses her education, but also her innate gift for numbers.
“Baking is very different from a recipe, it’s very precise, and that’s where I took my math skills,” she said.
“Just because you don’t finish what you started doesn’t mean that what you learned didn’t get you where you are,” she mused. “Everything I took from SUNY Adirondack and Empire, it molded me to be able to do what I’m doing now, even though I didn’t finish getting my master’s for teaching. The dream is to wake up and do what you love, and I luckily get to say that.”
PEBBLES’ PARENTS WERE BOUNCING NAME IDEAS OFF FAMILY MEMBERS. “EVERYONE HAD THEIR OWN OPINION,” SHE SAID. “SO MY PARENTS WERE GOING DOWN THE CEREAL AISLE — FRUITY PEBBLES, COCOA PEBBLES — AND MY DAD’S FAVORITE CARTOON WAS ‘THE FLINTSTONES.’”
THE DECISION WAS MADE. THE FATHER-AND-DAUGHTER DUO THEN DRESSED UP AS FRED AND PEBBLES EVERY HALLOWEEN UNTIL LINSEMAN WAS 6. “MY NAME HELPED ME BE A PEOPLE PERSON,” SHE SAID. “YOU’RE NOT GETTING AWAY WITH ANYTHING AND YOU CAN’T FLY UNDER THE RADAR.”
“SUNY Adirondack was a very special experience and I’m so glad I did it. It’s something I look back on and I’m very proud of what I accomplished, and the backside is that I get to give back what I learned in my education to my community.”
HOMETOWN: ROCHESTER, NEW YORK
1981 GRADUATE OF WITTENBERG UNIVERSITY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
1985 GRADUATE OF UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS WITH A MASTER’S DEGREE IN BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS
2022 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN CULINARY AND BAKING ARTS
CURRENTLY: RETIRED TELECOMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE; COOKING CLASS INSTRUCTOR AND GUEST CHEF
When Michael Tighe retired from a more than 30-year career in telecommunications, he didn’t dream of being on a yacht in the Caribbean or a golf course with perfectly manicured greens; he wanted to be in the kitchen.
“During weekends when I was working, I’d watch PBS shows and start cooking the recipes,” said Tighe, who retired to the Ticonderoga area in 2018.
As a teenager, Tighe worked at a pancake house. “I started at 16 and by the time I was 19, I was running the kitchen,” he said. “It was fun, but it wasn’t gourmet food by any measure.”
He went to college, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and entered the working world, but found adventure in the kitchen. “Cooking was a hobby and passion,” he said.
When he and his wife retired and moved to their vacation home permanently, Tighe started looking for culinary programs. “What’s the next phase of your life? What’s the next big chapter?” he remembered thinking.
He visited SUNY Adirondack’s downtown Glens Falls Culinary Arts Center and student-run restaurant, Seasoned, and enrolled in the college’s Culinary and Baking Arts program. “That facility is super impressive, so I was immediately sold, then I went back a second time and talked to Chef Matt [Bolton] and was absolutely sold,” he said.
So much so that he commuted an hour each way to attend — and said it was worth every mile and minute in the car. “It was incredible,” he said. “The Culinary program at SUNY Adirondack is a very, very special place.”
The program helped the seasoned home chef hone skills and develop new ones. “When I would cook a complex recipe before culinary school, the kitchen would be a mess, pots and pans everywhere, and ingredients everywhere, just running around, and it was kind of a stressful experience, but I enjoyed the final result,” he said. “But culinary school turned something that was a frantic experience to something sane and normal and very enjoyable.”
When the opportunity arose for an internship at the Inn at Erlowest, Tighe jumped at it. “That was an incredible experience — a transformational experience — dealing with very high-end food, and great equipment and teachers.”
Tighe thrived there, and was hired part time. “I learned what it’s like to be a production line cook, the pace of it, the intensity, the amount of preparation you do, the orchestration of bringing not only a single dish, but for a big party coordinating 30 or 40 items, and bring it together on a plate and make it look amazing,” he marveled.
After graduating from SUNY Adirondack, Tighe took a job closer
to home at Ledge Hill Brewery. “I got a chance to leverage all the skills you learn in culinary school — understanding the target market, planning menus, doing the ordering, doing the prep, figuring out the profitability of what you’re serving,” he said.
After a year of that full-time work, Tighe’s wife reminded him that they were meant to be retired. He left the job so the couple could spend more time playing pickleball with friends and pursuing hobbies.
He couldn’t walk away from his passion entirely, though, so now he teaches a monthly cooking class at Ticonderoga Natural Foods Co-Op. “They always sell out,” he said of the classes, in which he selects a menu, prepares it and then enjoys it with the group. “Sometimes we do things like pasta making, which ends up a big sloppy mess with flour all over the place.”
The classes have become a social gathering. “We’ve become like a family of foodies getting together monthly to share stories, eat good food and they can ask any question they want about culinary,” Tighe said. “It’s really about bringing together the community.”
“Fixing other people’s issues makes me happy; I find great pleasure in leaving them with a positive interaction.”
HOMETOWN: QUEENSBURY, NEW YORK
2023 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN MANAGEMENT, MARKETING AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
CURRENTLY: CLIENT SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE AT SHEETLABELS.COM
Daniel Nielsen’s internship at Taste NY opened his eyes to our region’s offerings — and career opportunities.
In his second year at SUNY Adirondack, Nielsen was an intern at the Adirondacks Welcome Center, between exits 17 and 18 northbound on I-87, which has close ties to Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“I got to see what they did — from the agricultural side of things to the more touristy side of things for vacationing,” said Nielsen, whose internship led to a stint as a parttime employee until he graduated with a degree in Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship. “It really opened my eyes to how diverse everything in the state is.”
He grew up in the area, but his time at the Welcome Center provided him a chance to see this region through
a visitor’s eyes. “I realized there are a lot of things you can do in this area, even in the off-season,” he said.
He also discovered the power of social media in marketing. “I was able to manage the Adirondacks Welcome Center’s TikTok page, make TikToks about the Welcome Center, events happening and what’s so great about the Adirondacks region,” he said.
That confirmed his interest in marketing as a career. When the Queensbury High graduate enrolled at SUNY Adirondack, he thought he would pursue cybersecurity. “I decided it really wasn’t for me after my first semester,” he admitted.
He took a variety of classes — English, history, science, economics, but a
marketing class immediately drew him in.
“I like the science behind it: why products are placed where; budgeting money; leading people to your product; what type of ad buys will leverage your product — all the back end of selling a product.”
Nielsen’s time at the Welcome Center built on that, allowing him to work with clientele with diverse interests. “I use that knowledge and experience in a different environment in my work at SheetLabels,” he said. “I’m guiding people in the right direction, helping them find what best suits their needs.”
“SUNY
Adirondack is an important part of the community. In a community with this college, there’s no reason to get general education classes at a four-year college and pay so much more.”
HOMETOWN: GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK
2011 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH DEGREES IN HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT AND MANAGEMENT, MARKETING AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
2012 GRADUATE OF PAUL SMITH’S COLLEGE WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN RESORT AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT
CURRENTLY: PRESIDENT AND OWNER OF JBY TRAVEL; MIXOLOGIST AND CO-OWNER OF MIXARITAS MOBILE BARTENDING SERVICES; PRESIDENT OF WILLIAM H. BARKLEY MICROSOCIETY PTO
In the months following the COVID-19 lockdown, the travel agency where Jenn Berry-Youngs worked faced a $60 million loss in travel commissions and cancellations.
“I had to fight with all those businesses to get people’s money back,” she remembered, describing a tough few months. “My job has always been to advocate for the person in front of me.”
That commitment to customer service is ingrained. After high school, she enrolled at SUNY Adirondack with her sights set on a career in hospitality. “My father was a chef, so going into hospitality — tourism, restaurants — was natural for me,” Berry-Youngs said.
Her second semester, she took a class with Kelli Hatin, Ph.D., distinguished professor of Business, and that changed her life — and that’s not hyperbole.
“A female professor was exactly what I wanted,” Berry-Youngs gushed. “I took Marketing, Business 101, one after another, and that really got me into the business program and I ended up taking all the classes.”
With Hatin as a mentor, BerryYoungs thrived. “She is an amazing professor — her teaching style, her honesty, she was working in the field
at the time, so that gave her more clout and viability.”
At Hatin’s encouragement, BerryYoungs applied to Disney’s College Program, where she spent a semester as a vacation planner at the theme park. “I was Disney trained in sales, and that was the most amazing thing, to go down there and learn from them,” she said.
Throughout her time at SUNY Adirondack — in which she earned two associate degrees and then completed a bachelor’s degree through an agreement with Paul Smith’s College — Berry-Youngs stayed close to Hatin. “I would go sit in her office, we’d talk all the time, we really connected on the student-professor level and on a friend level,” BerryYoungs said.
One night in 2011, the duo was sitting at Hatin’s kitchen table, discussing what businesses our region was lacking, and they noted there was no private-party bartending service.
“We started snowballing this idea, I went home that night, and I had a name and a logo and, the next day, we were ready to roll,” Berry-Youngs remembered.
Mixaritas, the company born in a conversation sparked by a recent purchase of a frozen margarita machine, has been in business since.
“We are very busy,” Berry-Youngs said. “We do weddings, private parties, cocktail parties, home events, kids’ birthday mocktail parties, anniversary parties …” she listed.
The duo also taught a bar operation and mixology class through SUNY Adirondack’s Office of Continuing Education.
“I get to use every piece of my degrees — the marketing, the hospitality and tourism with bartending and the travel agency, and as president of the PTO, I run large events and I got all that from my conventions and events classes at SUNY Adirondack,” Berry-Youngs said. “I live a life of loving everything I do.”
“I use all the connections I made along the way, starting with my SUNY Adirondack days, to fulfill our mission of providing quality and affordable entertainment and education opportunities.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic closed arts venues throughout the region, Chris Ristau, then newly appointed director of Park Theater, knew he had to get creative.
“I remember thinking, ‘I don’t think we can do anything in the theater,’” said Ristau, who today is executive director of Park Theater Foundation. “But I had an idea in my back pocket from my SUNY Adirondack days.”
In a Business of Music class, Ristau and a classmate developed a plan for
a business venture that capitalized on the bandshell in Crandall Park. “We made up this whole music festival, with made-up band names we thought were hysterical at the time.”
The result is Park Theater’s Summer Concert Series, which started in the aftermath of the pandemic lockdown and proved so successful it is still a fixture for the downtown Glens Falls arts venue nearly five years later.
Ristau grew up in Pilot Knob, at the base of the Buck Mountain Trailhead. He loved music and spent much of his
youth searching for cool acts to see live and ways to get to concerts.
“I was always interested in music, but didn’t know if I wanted a degree in music,” he said. “Somebody said, ‘Give ACC a shot; you can do the Liberal Arts thing, get credits out of the way and decide there.’”
HOMETOWN: PILOT KNOB, NEW YORK
2008 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN MUSIC
2010 GRADUATE OF SUNY ONEONTA WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN MUSIC INDUSTRY AND A MINOR IN RECORDING ARTS
CURRENTLY: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PARK THEATER FOUNDATION; CO-CHAIR OF THE ARTS DISTRICT OF GLENS FALLS
He enrolled and dove in to music classes. “That definitely helped get me on the right track,” he said. “I met great people there — lifelong friends — and musician friends.”
He earned a degree, then transferred to SUNY Oneonta, where he studied Music Industry. After graduating, he moved back to this area and started looking for work at a music studio. He secured an internship at Glens Falls Music Academy, then was hired and stayed on for five years.
There, he organized recitals, manned a retail shop, ran schedules for 25 instructors and worked in the recording studio.
“It was really cool, but one thing I discovered during my time there was that I did not have the patience to actually be a recording engineer,” he said. He moved on from GFMA and, after a stint as a cook, started at Arts Center of the Capital Region. He booked shows in its black-box theater, developed artist contracts, and gained experience in writing and managing grant programs, eventually being promoted to artist services coordinator and working with NYSCA on a community arts program.
“I love the visual arts, but my entire upbringing was all in music, so I kind of had my eyes, my ears, out for other opportunities that might arise,” he said, “but I was enjoying learning there
and the staff was great.”
A friend from SUNY Adirondack who worked at Doc’s Restaurant, then part of Park Theater, heard a front-of-house manager position was opening, and thought of Ristau.
He jumped in, working under the director who, just months later, had an opportunity elsewhere.
“The owner and board approached me and said, ‘What do you think? Think you can take on the director position?’” he remembered. “I said, ‘I can tell you what my strong points are — all the connections I’ve made, I can write a mean contract, I haven’t booked many bands, but I’ve been in bands — and I can definitely learn all the things I have no experience in.’”
Ristau was appointed director. The programming planned by his predecessor wrapped up in February of 2020 — just before the start of the pandemic. His solution to keep programming going — inspired by that assignment at SUNY Adirondack — started off with a crowd of fewer than 100 in the audience and now regularly attracts nearly 600 attendees.
Introducing people to music and providing acts a performance space are important to Ristau, a new dad who said he spends any free time he has scouring the internet for new and interesting sounds. “Growing up, I was always looking for that kind of thing,
and a space to go see it and enjoy it,” he said. “It’s been really great to offer this space, which is a perfect venue for what I felt was always missing from this area.”
CHRIS RISTAU IS CO-CHAIR OF THE ARTS DISTRICT OF GLENS FALLS, A COLLABORATION OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN DOWNTOWN GLENS FALLS THAT WORK TOGETHER TO PROMOTE THE REGION’S CULTURAL OFFERINGS.
“SUNY Adirondack professors don’t just do their jobs because they have to; they go above and beyond for you.”
HOMETOWN: BRASHER FALLS, NEW YORK
2024 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN CULINARY ARTS
CURRENTLY: KITCHEN
For Rachel Major, studying Culinary Arts in college was an obvious next step. The Brasher Falls native attended a culinary program at Seaway Tech BOCES in high school and loved it.
“I did super well: both years was an all-star, was a senior leader, on the National Technical School Honor Society and was at the top of my class,” Major said.
But she visited a culinary school closer to home and didn’t find it interesting. “Then I took a tour and visited SUNY Adirondack and loved it,” she gushed.
At SUNY Adirondack, she built on what she picked up during a lifetime of cooking with her mom and in the high school program she attended. “I learned a lot of different meals and techniques I hadn’t been introduced to, a lot of new tricks and things I had never heard of,” she said.
She especially enjoyed classes that focused on the front-of-house experience. “They want you to understand how a whole restaurant works,” Major said.
She learned among
friends,
as her cohort of classmates grew
together. “Everybody is
a family there,” she said of the Culinary program. “There are no issues, everybody is really supportive and helpful; it’s easy to succeed because that’s what everyone wants for you.”
Major graduated in May, then moved back to Brasher Falls, where she worked for her dad and picked up occasional catering gigs. Then, she applied for an open position at Southpaw Bistro, a restaurant that Chef Shaun Hazlitt opened in downtown Glens Falls in September.
“Chef Matt [Bolton, SUNY Adirondack Culinary instructor] is friends with Shaun and talked to him,” Major said. “I wouldn’t have gotten the job without him.”
Since securing the role, Major was promoted to kitchen manager, ensuring equipment is cleaned properly, creating a list of what needs to be done each night, ordering and organizing inventory, among other tasks. Perhaps her favorite part of the job, though, is contributing ideas to the menu.
“Chef Shaun is super patient and understanding, and I’m learning so much,” Major said.
“It was fulfilling to know that I earned a degree, and I did it because I wanted to make my mom proud. Maybe in the future, I’ll go get a bachelor’s or master’s in culinary, but right now I’m content and I feel like the future is bright.”
HOMETOWN: GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK
2022 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN CULINARY ARTS
CURRENTLY: KEY MANAGER AND TRAINING COORDINATOR AT TEXAS ROADHOUSE, QUEENSBURY
Like most teenagers, Antonio Murphy did not want to spend his summer learning, so he wasn’t looking forward to attending Upward Bound at SUNY Adirondack, but his mom insisted.
“I wouldn’t change it for anything,” said Murphy, who completed the four-year program, then enrolled at SUNY Adirondack and earned a degree in Culinary Arts. “Upward Bound opened my eyes to see, ‘Hey, I can do this if I really try and apply myself.’”
As a first-generation college student, Murphy relied on Upward Bound to help guide his college search. He was offered scholarships to four-year universities to study education, thinking he might like to teach social studies.
“I really thought about it, and I thought, ‘I can’t do teaching,’” he remembered.
Knowing about Murphy’s love of cooking, his Upward Bound advisor suggested he check out SUNY Adirondack’s Culinary Center and Seasoned Restaurant.
“Once I stepped foot on to the Glens Falls campus and Seasoned, I thought, ‘Whoa, this is amazing,’” remembered Murphy, who grew up cooking dinner for his family and
has great memories of grilling with his dad.
His first impression proved to be good instincts. “I loved getting to work side by side with Chef Matt [Bolton],” he said. “He really made the experience fun and he showed me that you might have forks or bumps in the road, but you just have to keep on, keep your head down and everything will be fine.”
As key manager and training coordinator at Texas Roadhouse in Queensbury, Murphy finds the things he loved at Seasoned: a close-knit team working together in a fast-paced environment.
“The thing I love most is all my co-workers and my managers,” he said. “We really try to make it feel like more a family.”
That can be a challenge in a restaurant that rakes in up to $45,000 a day during the region’s tourist season.
“I try not to let it get to me and just have fun,” Murphy said. “I try to be the class clown, get people laughing and get everyone’s energy up. I know it can be hard. Some people have stressful lives or days at home, and I try to make sure work is a place you can escape all that and have fun.”
“With life, someone’s going to have those bumps — those high and lows — but no matter how low of a low, there’s always going to be a high,” he said. “Life is a rollercoaster of hills and valleys, and you just have to ride it out.”
“SUNY Adirondack is in my backyard and they offer some great classes. Why don’t I look into that?”
HOMETOWN: CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
2001 GRADUATE OF JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN INTERIOR DESIGN
2023 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A CERTIFICATE IN HOSPITALITY
CURRENTLY: SPIRITUAL LIFE DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR AT SILVER BAY YMCA
Marge Anderson has a dream of running a bed and breakfast — and a resume to support such a venture.
“All these little bits and pieces of my life add up and are leading me in this direction,” said Anderson, Spiritual Life Department coordinator at Silver Bay YMCA. “I can pull on some of my design background, incorporate organization; each different thing I’ve done in my career has led to the next step, which is leading to this new goal and dream.”
Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree in interior design, then opened a professional organization and staging company, which she ran for nearly a decade while her husband was a pastor in New Hampshire.
While he was busy nurturing his congregants and she was handling the stresses of running a business, the couple found an escape in pastoral retreats at Silver Bay YMCA. “It was just quiet time together,” she said of their bi-annual trips.
When her husband moved on from ministry and became a full-time student with online coursework, Anderson started looking for a job in hospitality. She saw a listing for a reservationist at Silver Bay and felt a nudge from the universe.
“I’ve been there as a pastor’s spouse, I’ve experienced Silver Bay as a guest, and now I get to be on this side and help new guests experience Silver Bay,” she said.
She learned a lot about hospitality on the job.
“I found within the first three to six months that I didn’t even know about the hospitality lingo and field, so I started thinking, ‘Where can I go to get this education?’,”
she said. “SUNY Adirondack is right in my backyard and has a great hospitality program, so I applied.”
Anderson took classes that allowed her to tour local businesses. “We saw hotels and event spaces and were able to ask questions and see things firsthand,” she said.
Her favorite class, though, was Principles of Hotel Management. “There were just six of us, so we got to know each other probably better than in bigger classes, so I felt more
comfortable sharing and talking in class,” she said. “We talked about current events and how they would affect the industry, or ‘If this were happening,’ ‘What would you do in this situation?’ And it gave us some real-world thoughts.”
While working on a certificate in Hospitality, she changed roles at Silver Bay, being named Spiritual Life Department coordinator. “The same program that first brought us to Silver Bay is what I’m now responsible for coordinating,” she marveled.
Realignment of services at Silver Bay recently added respite programs for people battling cancer, those in the military, first responders, and foster and adoptive families, to the Spiritual Life Department.
“I know that sometimes what they do can be difficult because they’re basically working 24/7, and I’ve seen the responsibilities they have firsthand; I’ve been in their shoes,” she said. “I just like meeting the guests, answering their questions, and hearing when they’re getting ready to leave, they say, ‘This is just what I needed.’ When they say, ‘This is just what I needed to be able to go back to work and be recharged,’ I just sit back and say, ‘This is why I do this,’ to think I had a small part in providing that for them.”
“I love having a super crazy day with a lot to do, with numerous events going on, and the best part is getting through that day, through that push, coming out on top and everything being perfect.”
HOMETOWN: CHESTERTOWN, NEW YORK
2018 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN CULINARY ARTS
CURRENTLY: SOUS CHEF AT THE QUEENSBURY
Laura Tennyson spent her first few years of college daydreaming about being in the kitchen of her on-campus suite.
“Once I was away at college doing something I thought was boring, cooking was always something I was thinking about in the back of my mind: ‘What can I cook for dinner?’” Tennyson said. “I remember sitting in an astronomy class thinking, ‘I have no interest for this’; I’m a hands-on learner and sitting in a classroom just didn’t do it.”
Eventually, she left that college a few hours from home, returned to Chestertown and enrolled in SUNY Adirondack’s Culinary Arts program. “It was close to where all my family was and everything fit into place,” she said.
Having grown up in the same hometown as SUNY Adirondack Culinary Arts Instructor Matt Bolton — a bit of a celebrity in the culinary world after a significant career at Friends Lake Inn and numerous honors, including James Beard awards for Excellence, AAA Four Diamond Restaurant awards and being named among
the 5,000 Best Chefs in America repeatedly — was part of the draw for Tennyson. “He was somebody I wanted to learn from,” she said.
Long before the buzz Bolton created in the small town reached Tennyson, she has memories of helping her grandmother prepare family meals. “It was always something I looked forward to,” she remembered.
Working in the kitchen at SUNY Adirondack didn’t disappoint. There, she found a camaraderie like what she experienced holiday mornings at her grandmother’s, and learned
about menu preparation, budgeting and execution. “It deepened my love,” Tennyson said.
While a student, she had an internship at the esteemed Inn at Erlowest. “That was a great finer-dining experience,” she said.
Today, she is sous chef at The Queensbury Hotel. “I do a lot of banquet prep and execution, run numerous banquets when the executive chef is out, do the ordering, inventory, scheduling, make sure everybody is doing what they’re supposed to be doing and following the standards of The Queensbury,” she said. “I love how busy I always am, how there’s always so much to do.”
“I
don’t think people realize you can still have a nice, traditional college experience when you’re a commuter. I will never forget the days just hanging out at Einstein’s Bagels, chatting with friends, hanging out in the theater.”
HOMETOWN: HADLEY, NEW YORK
2014 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS
CURRENTLY: SPECIAL EVENTS COORDINATOR AT PROCTORS
The only thing that could make Jessica Cameris love her job more is if she could bring her dog, Wesley, with her to the office every day.
As special events coordinator at Proctors Collaborative, a nonprofit arts collaboration that oversees Proctors, Capital Repertory Theatre and Universal Preservation Hall, Cameris is surrounded by performing arts and creative people.
“I feel like I’m living my dream job,” said Cameris, who grew up in Hadley, where she fell in love with
music and theater.
After graduating from high school, Cameris took a year to regroup. “I had sort of a rough high school experience, and I wanted to take a breath,” she remembered.
Both her parents attended SUNY Adirondack and Cameris knew the college offered classes in music and theater, which she had loved since being cast as an evil stepsister in her high school’s production of “Cinderella.” “My interest skyrocketed from there; I loved it and knew I wanted to do it forever,” she said.
She enrolled as a Liberal Arts major focusing on theater and American Sign Language classes. “The structure of high school wasn’t one where I felt I learned and was challenged enough,”
Cameris said. “But in college, I thrived, I was on the Dean’s List. I felt really alive, coming into my own, figuring out my personality and who I was in the world.”
Cameris got involved on campus, joined Theater Club and loved her experience at SUNY Adirondack. She transferred to a bachelor’s degree program, but after a semester realized she was ready for the working world. She applied to a job listing for a box office service agent at Proctors.
“I got my foot in the door,” she said.
Then, she worked her way up the ranks to a trainer, then assistant to programming, and now special events coordinator. “Proctors is great at cultivating their talent internally: If you’re interested in growing and willing to put the work in, they will invest back in you,” she marveled. “I’m very privileged.”
As events coordinator, much of her work is project management, developing concepts for events, then communicating with vendors to bring the event to fruition while staying on budget.
“I could be coordinating a comic con one week and a corporate conference the next, and a Taylor Swift dance party the following,” she said.
“One of my favorite things about this job is that it’s always different.”
Her respect for the Proctors organization is evident when she discusses its impact on the greater Capital Region. “I can’t see myself wanting to work anywhere else,” she said. “Proctors’ mission statement to bring leadership and education to communities is so fitting with what I want to do.”
“SUNY Adirondack helped me ease in to the college experience. I wouldn’t have been able to transfer to a college like St. John Fisher if not for the foundation SUNY Adirondack provided.”
HOMETOWN: BALLSTON SPA, NEW YORK
2022 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES: INDIVIDUAL
STUDIES WITH A CONCENTRATION IN SPORTS MANAGEMENT
2024 GRADUATE OF ST. JOHN FISHER UNIVERSITY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN SPORTS MANAGEMENT CURRENTLY: SEEKING EMPLOYMENT
As Mason Messina spent his summer zipping around the St. John Fisher University campus in a golf cart, catering to the needs of the Buffalo Bills training camp, he was confident studying Sports Management was a good decision.
“That was a really cool experience,” Messina said of the summer he spent as a training camp operations intern with the NFL team at St. John Fisher.
Messina grew up in Ballston Spa, playing baseball and basketball.
“I always knew I wanted to work in sports,” he said.
He enrolled at SUNY Adirondack, which, at the time, offered a Sports Management concentration.
“I chose SUNY Adirondack because I wanted a smallerschool experience,” Messina said. “It ended up being a perfect fit, with a close-knit environment where I could get extra attention from professors.”
Starting college during the pandemic proved challenging, but SUNY Adirondack professors made the most of a difficult situation, Messina said. “They made it a great experience, despite everything that was going on in the world.”
After graduating, he transferred to St. John Fisher, where he majored in Sports Management. There, he secured the on-campus internship working with the Bills, a dream job for a young man who hopes to become a sports agent.
For now, he’s looking forward to gaining experience in any sportsrelated field. “I’m open to any sports,” he said.
During horse racing season, Messina worked for NYRA. “I feel like it wasn’t just about selling tickets,” he said. “It was about creating a memorable visit.”
“The
big thing I love about SUNY Adirondack is the people. It’s such a wonderful environment. The professors — all of them are wonderful — are so good at creating a strong connection between all the people in our classes and, really, we’ve all become friends because of that tight-knit connection.”
HOMETOWN: CAMBRIDGE, NEW YORK
CURRENTLY: OUTDOOR EDUCATION STUDENT AT SUNY ADIRONDACK; TRAIL GUIDE AT MOUNTAIN RIDIN’ ATV; PHOTOGRAPHER
Grace McFarren still has a semester left at SUNY Adirondack, but through her work in the classroom and the region’s wilderness, she already landed an adventure-packed job.
McFarren is a trail guide for Mountain Ridin’ ATV and is working to establish a rock-climbing attraction for the business, which is owned by Chandler Atkins, a distinguished professor of Business at SUNY Adirondack. Atkins hired McFarren after she created a business plan for an entrepreneurship course he teaches.
The project pulled the Outdoor Education major’s love of climbing in to her work for other classes.
“I took my rock-climbing class out to the cliffs, and we figured out some rappel routes and places that would be good for climbing,” McFarren said of the Via Ferrata challenge and climbing course she is planning to unveil on Atkins’ Hadley property in spring 2026.
McFarren grew up in Cambridge and selected SUNY Adirondack in part because of its proximity to home, where she already had an established photography business. A lifelong love of travel led her to look for beauty closer to home, where she found herself immersed in it. She started to photograph her surroundings, then began selling prints and notecards of her images in local shops.
“I started because I really love flowers and wanted to document them,” she said. “Then I realized what I really wanted was to share the beauty of nature with others.”
That led her naturally to Outdoor Education. “I really liked the program and the idea of learning more about the environment right where I live,” she said.
“It has been so much more than I could have hoped for,” McFarren gushed. “The classes are so amazing, being able to go on a fourday canoeing trip, and going on climbing trips in the Adirondacks is awesome.”
She is able to share her love for our region’s beauty with guests at Mountain Ridin’, where she leads ATV trips. That job is good practice for her dream career as a travel guide. “I want to take people on different trips around the world — scuba diving, rock climbing, canoeing,” she said.
In the meantime, she spends as much as she can with friends, climbing and in nature — all with a camera in hand, of course. “One of the reasons I love photography so much is, I believe in living in the moment, but to be able to look back on those moments when you had a good time is really valuable.”
“The Culinary facility is unrivaled, having the bake shop with state-of-the-art equipment, the main dining and cooking areas, having really first-class equipment, having someone with Chef Matt’s background and experience, you have someone who isn’t just a professor but has really been in and understands the industry and is committed to making every service at Seasoned topnotch.” — Michael Tighe
HOMETOWN: GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK
2017 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK
2019 GRADUATE OF PAUL SMITH’S COLLEGE
2024 GRADUATE OF WILLIAM & MARY’S RAYMOND A. MASON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS WITH A MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
CURRENTLY: ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER AT GRAND ADIRONDACK HOTEL IN LAKE PLACID, A MARRIOTT TRIBUTE PROPERTY
Donovan Miller was featured in the first edition of Community Roots in December 2020. (issuu.com/suny_adk)
In the short time since, Miller has been busy. The 2017 graduate of SUNY Adirondack last spring earned a Master of Business Administration from the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William & Mary, where he specialized in marketing and leadership development.
“This experience has been transformative, providing me with the skills and confidence to take on new challenges in the hospitality industry,”
Miller said.
Miller, who is a graduate of the highly competitive Marriott Voyage program, also started as assistant general manager at Grand Adirondack Hotel in Lake Placid. Grand Adirondack is a newly renovated Marriott Tribute Property that combines modern elegance with Adirondack charm.
He also serves as a FLEX Above Property Rooms controller with Marriott International, working remotely to support multiple hotels, collaborating with diverse teams and optimizing operational efficiencies across various properties.
“Both positions reflect my deep passion for hospitality, a field where I strive to make every guest’s journey memorable and seamless,” Miller said.