Core Staff Bios
Anke Wessels, Executive Director
The realization that my own liberation lies in the liberation of others emerged during my post-college years in the global south over 20 years ago. Ultimately, this awareness and subsequent research in development economics and environmental geography drew me to the Directorship of the Center for Transformative Action in 1997. On a daily basis I am grateful to be dedicating my energy toward expanding the reach of social justice.
Recently, the debilitating polarization of our society has led me to question the effectiveness of an adversarial approach to social activism (and indeed to many relationships in our lives). Transformative Action is an alternative paradigm for social action that moves us beyond complaint, competition and us vs. them thinking. Utilizing the power of breaking silences, the art of engaging opposition, and the discipline of envisioning positive solutions, Transformative Action means approaching conflict and injustice with the intention to speak and listen honestly, to understand with empathy, and then to transform opposition into collaborative, out-of-the-box thinking. Increasingly, I recognize racial, economic and environmental dynamics as major opportunities for transformation in our community--and in my own life--and feel hopeful that the practices of Transformative Action can lead us away from often bitter divisiveness toward connection, inclusion, and vision.
I have a B.A. in Economics and French, an M.S. in Agricultural Economics, a Ph.D. in Geography, and teach a course called "Social Entrepreneurs, Innovators, and Problem Solvers" at Cornell University. I currently sit on the Religious Task Force for a Living Wage, Cornell's Truman Fellows Committee, ACTION (Activists Committed to Interrupting Oppression Now), and the organizing committees of Ithaca's Martin Luther King Day celebration, the SisterFriends Luncheon, and the Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair. I am a 2007 honoree of Tompkins County's "20 Outstanding Women You Should Know," and also the mother of three outstanding daughters.
Anke's contact information:
Phone: 607-255-5027
Email: akw7@cornell.edu
Richard Lansdowne, Director of Operations
My core values are patience, purposiveness and heart. My personal mission is to form a space where people can empower themselves in ways that do not depend upon the weakness of others for success. I joined the Center for Transformative Action in 2007, bringing nearly a decade of experience in financial and office management. My knowledge includes core business functions such as budget preparation, financial reporting, and general bookkeeping and payroll functions. Having worked for small organizations, I also brought experience with customer relations, website development, database design, business planning, and other diverse activities. In 2003, I began working for human service agencies (for those who have read Whitman's "Song of Myself," I turned thirty-seven that year). I have since used my training as an accountant toward helping organizations with charitable missions. My life also includes the study of philosophy, and I am dedicated to deepening the understanding of our human situation. Along with a commitment to sound fiscal management, I believe effective organizations must develop operational practices that reflect and further human values, and I enjoy working with people toward that end.
Richard's contact information:
Phone: 607-255-6202
Email: rl369@cornell.edu
Board of Directors Bios
David Bock
Dave Bock grew up a dairy farm in Enfield, graduating from Ithaca High School in 1965. Scholarship aid allowed him to become the first in his family to attend college, after which he began teaching at Linton High School in Schenectady. In 1972 Dave and his young family moved back to Enfield, and he began what would become a long career as a math teacher at Ithaca High. During summer "vacations", Dave worked on the family farm until it ceased operation in 1987, and then taught in a series of programs targeted at enhancing educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged kids. After his retirement from Ithaca High in 2004, Dave worked for four years coordinating numerous Cornell efforts in support of math teachers and students and collaborating with the Associate Provost for Outreach on more ambitious education-related projects. Now self-employed, Dave works with many state and national organizations leading professional development and support programs for teachers and students from disadvantaged schools, both rural and urban. He is also the co-author of an AP Calculus review book and three Statistics textbooks, with revision schedule that keep him from ever describing himself as "retired".
Robin Dubovi
Robin Dubovi has been a licensed clinical social worker in a variety of university and community settings for 35 years. Since moving to Tompkins County in 1982, she has worked at the Franiziska Racker Centers, Catholic Charities and Ithaca College. A significant professional interest is in strengths-based work, and she has been an instructor for the Family Development Credential for the past 11 years.
Since 2003, she has also been a business partner in Clear the Way Organizing, a small business in Tompkins County that provides personal organizing consultation and workshops.Robin is an officer on the Vitamin L Project Advisory Board, and has been on the Board of the Center for Transformative Action for 6 years. Over the years, she has consulted on projects with a variety of local human service agencies.
Beth Fiori
To be completed.
Cynthia Henderson
Cynthia Henderson is an Associate Professor of acting in the Department of Theatre Arts at Ithaca College. She's a director and professional actress who has performed throughout the U.S. as well as in Europe and Africa. Cynthia is also a Fulbright Scholar whose work on AIDS education through theatre was made into a documentary and aired on PBS. In 2008 Cynthia was chosen as one of the 20 Outstanding Women You Should Know. She is the founder of Performing Arts For Social Change. Her theatre work in Ithaca with teens and incarcerated youths was recognized by the College Student Personnel Association of New York State with the award for Outstanding Contribution to Social Justice.
Georgia Howe
Georgia Howe is the Family Development Credentialing (FDC) Coordinator through the Cornell Empowering Families Project. The FDC program uses a train-the-trainer model to provide an interagency, strengths-based, 90 hour training program for frontline family workers, their supervisors, and others who serve families. The Credentialing Coordinator provides training, technical assistance, and support to instructors and portfolio advisors (mentors) who offer FDC programs at the community level in New York State, and acts as the primary liaison between Cornell University and the over 200 community-based New York State trainers. Georgia mentors leadership efforts in the 16 states as they establish or refine their own FDC systems, and is a co-facilitator for FDC Instructor Institutes.
She was raised in Ithaca and has an undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Syracuse University, and an M.S. in Early Childhood Education. She taught Kindergarten in Newfield Central School for 10 years, and later was a vice president at Citizens Savings Bank, now M&T. In 1997, she completed her MSW at Syracuse University and joined the Empowering Families Project at Cornell University.
Brigid Hubberman
Brigid Hubberman is a social entrepreneur who was a founder and serves as executive director of the Family Reading Partnership. She believes her work with the Family Reading Partnership really is going to change the world- one book, one family and one child at time.
FRP is a community-based coalition that has joined forces across sectors to create a culture of literacy, by ensuring all children have experiences with books in their young lives. Brigid has helped FRP grow to an alliance of seven communities that is at the forefront of community literacy work in the country. Brigid was recently featured in the latest edition of "The Read-Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease, as one of four people in the country of distinction working on issues of literacy.
Patrice Lockert Anthony
Patrice Lockert Anthony owns a micro-business in the Ithaca community (A Writer's Alchemy), where she also maintains deep ties. She is a community leader. She works with 4-H as a community educator, volunteer trainer, and club leader and is a writer, poet, and child/education advocate. She sits on the GreenStar Community Projects board of directors and the New Roots Charter School board of directors. She also sits on the SisterFriends committee and the Program Committee for the Greater Ithaca Activities Center, and is a member of the Equity and Inclusion Leadership Council for the Ithaca City School District.
Ms. Lockert Anthony's company, A Writer's Alchemy, is the Co-Coordinator for Ithaca High School's new Student Enrichment Program where they hope to inspire a deeper knowledge and appreciation of self and other. Ms. Lockert Anthony is a Artist-In-Residence/Community Partner for Beverly J. Martin elementary school's third grade Geneology/Poetry/Writing project. She has done work with DeWitt Middle school (Poet-In-Residence) and Boynton Middle School (3x presenter @ Black History Month day of celebration). She has lectured, spoken, or presented workshops, both in and out of New York state on issues of diversity and inclusion, generational poverty, board purpose and direction, and youth leadership.
Alicia Plotkin
Alicia Plotkin is a Senior Attorney with Tompkins/Tioga Neighborhood Legal Services, where she began working in 1985. Her work centers on issues in public benefits and housing, and she has handled several hundred cases in those areas. In addition to her casework, Ms. Plotkin has also conducted many trainings for clients, lawyers, and lay advocates, including sessions at the NYS Bar Association Partnership Conferences, where she has given presentations on Public Assistance and on respondent issues in child support proceedings. She has spoken on the law governing eviction proceedings to both the Tompkins County and the Tioga County Magistrate Associations, and has provided continuing legal education sessions on landlord-tenant issues for the Ithaca Police Department. She participates in many community organizations including the Human Services Coalition Forum, the Homeless and Housing Task Force, and the Tompkins County Coalition for Families.
John Suter
John Suter is coordinator of documentation planning for the New York State Archives. His work supports the Archives' commitment to build a balanced historical record of all New York's peoples and has focused on critical gaps in the areas of environmental affairs, mental health, Latino history and culture, and education policy. He is the author of several manuals and guides on documentation. He has served as executive director of the New York Folklore Society and the Center for World Music in San Diego, administrative director of the Center for Traditional Music and Dance in New York City, and festival coordinator for the Center for Theatre Arts at Cornell University. He has served on numerous boards, including the New York State Historical Records Advisory Board, The History Center in Tompkins County, and the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations.
Vivian Relta
Vivian Relta currently serves as the human resource specialist for the Cornell Interactive Theatre Ensemble (CITE) with responsibility for client needs assessment, program design and facilitation, and evaluation processes. Prior to joining CITE, she served as Assistant Dean of Intercultural Affairs at Hobart and William Smith (HWS) Colleges, working with faculty, student and staff populations. She also transplanted a very successful anti-bias program from Cornell to HWS that became a minor course of study with a certicate of completion for undergraduate students. As a training consultant she has over 20 years experience in the design and leadership of programming on diversity and multicultural issues, leadership development, organizational change, conflict resolution, and community networking. She has led programs for students, staff, faculty and high level administrators, from Provosts to Presidents. Ms. Relta is a graduate of Cornell University, with specializations in Social Work and Human Service Studies Administration.
Larry Roberts
Larry Roberts graduated from Ithaca High School in 1983 and attended State University College at Buffalo, doing course work in liberal arts, political science, and women's studies. He has extensive training in disability and mental health peer advocacy and practice. Since 1989, he has done volunteer work for a variety of not for profits, including the Finger Lakes Independence Center, the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County, and more recently, the Friends of the Library Book Sale. Mr. Roberts was President of the Board of Directors of the Finger Lakes Independence Center, and have served as a board member of the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County, AIDS Work, and the Franziska Racker Centers. He currently serves on a number of local government advisory groups, including leadership positions on the Mental Health Board and its Mental Health Subcommittee. He chairs the City of Ithaca Disability Advisory Council. Professionally, Larry Roberts is the Program Director of the Finger Lakes Independence Center.