ALIWA Board of Directors 2025

Carl is a retired Agricultural Educator/Executive Director with Cornell Cooperative Extension Franklin County NY. He was born and raised on a farm in New England, transplanting to NY with his wife over 40 years ago. He embraces outdoor activities from motorcycling in the Adirondacks to gardening and working in the woodlot. He and his wife Sue enjoy every minute with their kids and grandkids.

Donna is originally from Concord NH. She moved to Northern New York with her family in1980, and homeschooled her nieces and nephews for 15 years. She started with the postal system in 1985 retiring in 2015 as postmaster.  She is a volunteer tour guide and treasurer of the ALIWA.

Karen brings many years of small-town newspaper marketing and retail experience to her efforts for the Wilder Homestead. She has served on the local United Way and Malone Revitalization Foundation boards. She enjoys outdoor activities, reading, gardening, and a long walk with her dog. Her family has multi-generational roots in agriculture, giving her an appreciation for the challenges, hardships, and joys of the homesteading life of years gone by and the importance of preserving that history.

David taught at Brushton-Moira Central School from 1980-2013 after graduating from SUNY Potsdam in 1979, and earning a Master’s in Elementary Education and Special Education (K-12) from SUNY Plattsburgh in 1985. He has been married Lynn Fowler since 1979 and has four grown children and twelve grand kids. He often volunteers at the Wilder Farm as the school teacher.

Justus and Martha, a married couple, were both raised on farms in northern New York.  They had held a variety of occupations, including teaching at a private school.  They have raised our family in the Moira area of Franklin County since 2003, when they started Martins Country Store.  In 2019 they acquired local business Martins Handmade Pretzels (est. 1936) and moved it to Moira.  Their children are all involved with the business and most of them help with a retreat center in the bush of Alaska.  They have been involved in many community projects since we live in Franklin County including town and county government.

Sharon has an associate’s degree from in business management.  After a career at Malone Central School, she obtained Real Estate License and is a member of the LaPoint Realty team.  She was a 4H leader for many years and also worked for the Franklin County Fair in the 4H department. 

Bruce co-owns Bonesteel's Gardening Center, with wife Arlene and family, which has been in operation for 41 years, providing northern NY with residential and commercial landscape, construction and design. Bruce retired after 31 years as a high school agricultural teacher.

Robin is an occupational therapist, massage therapist, yoga instructor, and outdoor enthusiast, she and her spouse of 25 years, Chris, have traveled and lived worldwide as an Army family. They have 2 grown children. Being new to Burke, they charmed but it’s small-town friendliness.

Diane was born and raised in Burke NY on a dairy farm. She credits her dad with fostering her interest in farming, including making butter, repairing machinery, and the value of hard work. She has been married for 51 years with 4 children and 10 grandkids. Diane operated a dairy farm for 37 years and worked for Franklin County Cooperative Extension for 22 years as a 4-H educator. She shares her butter-making skills at the Wilder Farm during special events.

Richard grew up in northern New Jersey.  In 2017, he retired from Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Franklin County where he received several certifications in horticulture, forestry, and natural resources management. He also authored a popular feature column, which appeared in several  northern New York publications. 

Chris was born in Chateaugay, NY, but traveled to Glendale, AZ for college.  Has had a career that included working in the Printing Industry, Sales, Finance, Construction Lending, Mortgage Banking and Accounting.  She co-owned & operated a Real Estate Company in Cincinnati, OH.  In addition, I obtained a CAAS designation (Certified Accounting Application Specialist).  She finished her career & retired in NY working with Cornell Cooperative Extension Franklin County as a Finance Manager & Key Accountant, heading up a statewide, 47 county accounting software conversion.

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• Ann lives in Chateaugay NY and was raised on the family farm. Currently, she’s an active housewife who enjoys traveling to new places, volunteering, and spending  time with my husband and family.