Meet the Team
Sue Bradford
An Applied Behavioral Educator, Sue works with autistic children. She participates in training for the walk from a distance, her home in Milford, Massachusetts. Raising money to fight breast cancer is important to her because her mother died from the disease.
Nancy Cerutti
Nancy is a Teaching Assistant at Altamont Elementary School where she works on a team teaching children with special needs. She lives in Guilderland and is active as a religious education teacher and a Girl Scout leader. Nancy is participating in the 3-Day Walk in memory of her mother who died of cancer and in honor of a childhood friend who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
Beth Coco
As Executive Vice President and Chairman of MicroKnowledge, Inc., Beth has been involved in the Fit Tech Chicks since it was only an idea developed by a group of MicroKnowledge women during the Freihofer’s Walk in the spring of 2006. She has been an active community member for many years and has volunteered for Circles of Mercy, the Troy-Cohoes YWCA, the Albany Rotary Club’s Lobster Festival, and Tech Valley Healthy Kids. Beth lives in Albany.
She is walking one step at a time towards a solution for a disease that has touched her friends and their friends.
Eileen Conway
Eileen is Senior Vice President, Risk Management at GE Commercial Finance Aviation Services in Stamford, Connecticut. She is a resident of Stamford and a sponsor of the Stamford Food Bank.
Eileen’s good friend’s 27-year-old daughter recently went through breast cancer treatment and that inspired Eileen to participate.
Sharon Gerson
Sharon is an English Language Arts Academic Intervention Services Teacher and Co-President of the Coxsackie-Athens Teachers Association in Coxsackie. Currently a resident of Nassau, Sharon has been teaching for more than 23 years in Florida and New York. Both her mother and mother-in-law have been treated for breast cancer, and she is celebrating their good health by participating in Fit Tech Chicks.
Nancy Gormley
Previously the Chief Operating Officer at MicroKnowledge, Nancy is currently self-employed and assists small business with operations and accounting functions. She is a resident of Guilderland. Nancy is walking for her grandmother, who had breast cancer.
Amy Haydock
Amy is a medical assistant at McGinnis Women’s Medical Care in Albany. She wants to raise funds to help fight breast cancer because it is a disease she sees affecting people every day at work. Amy lives in Latham.
Courtney Haydock
Courtney is Executive Assistant to the President and Human Resources Coordinator at PBS-WMHT TV in Troy. She is a resident of Rensselaer. Courtney is participating in order to raise awareness about breast cancer for those who are healthy, to celebrate the strength of the survivors and to remember those we have lost. She is proud to be a part of this three-day journey and to help work towards a long, healthy life for everyone threatened by breast cancer.
Gilda-Lee Hitchcock
Gilda-Lee Hitchcock is Helpdesk Self-Service Leader at GE Corporate and is an active member of the GE Volunteers Foundation. She has also participated in Junior Achievement, a group that provides hands-on experiences to help children understand the economies of life. Gilda-Lee has also participated in local school reading programs, promoting proficient reading skills. She lives in Albany.
She is doing the 3-Day Walk because she can. She can walk to demonstrate her support for those who have suffered and/or lost their lives to breast cancer.
Veronica Lyons
Veronica is a Senior Trainer at the SUNY Research Foundation/Center for Development of Human Services in Albany. An Albany resident, she is an active volunteer donating her time to Habitat for Humanity, Animal Lovers adoption clinic and the Liberty Partnership Program.
Veronica’s best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996, and she has participated in the walking event of the Albany Race for the Cure every year since. Participating in a three-day event is just taking the next step. During the 10+ years she has been walking, four more friends have been diagnosed, one of whom died of the disease in July 2006. She says, “I’m sick of hearing about mothers and fathers and kids having to deal with the diagnosis of breast cancer, and I’m sick of seeing people in tears and I’m sick of losing friends and I’m sick of walking. With all my heart, I want it to stop – and I’ll do whatever I can to help ensure that it does.”
Joan McGrath
Joan is a Business Teacher and Work Experience Coordinator at Guilderland High School. She is an active volunteer and coach for the YMCA, the Guilderland Youth Soccer Association, and Capital District Pop Warner. She also serves as a faith formation instructor at Christ the King Church. She lives in Guilderland.
Joan’s participation is the result of having an aunt who died from breast cancer and the August 2006 breast cancer diagnosis of her mother.
Eleonora Morrell
Eleonora is a Technical Trainer/Consultant and Webmaster at MicroKnowledge, Inc. A resident of Clifton Park, Eleonora has three relatives who have had breast cancer. She is participating because she has a goal to keep herself fit and healthy, and she wants to get closer to her co-workers.
Maureen Pagano
Maureen is an independent Mary Kay Beauty Consultant, a Consultant to Print Connection and the Program Manager for Capital Region Center for Arts in Education. She is the co-founder of the Whole Village Theater and several other student theater programs. She lives in Albany. She says she has watched MicroKnowledge grow in reputation since its founding days and has admired its commitment to the community. In addition, she loves to walk and can walk all day, enjoying the great health it takes to do so. She says, “I’ve remained healthy through the cancer illnesses of many friends over the past several years. My husband and I have lost at least half a dozen friends from our closest circles. I especially walk to celebrate and create wellness for my women friends who are being treated for and recovering from breast cancer right at this moment.”
Elaine Parsons
Elaine works from home as Chemical Engineer Contractor doing long-range planning for Carmagen Engineering, Inc. in Rockaway, New Jersey. She has volunteered for an animal shelter and as a tax preparer for low income and elderly individuals. She lives in Guilderland. Elaine has lost two aunts and, recently, a close family friend to breast cancer. She has been supporting the Susan G. Komen Foundation for nine years because she does not want her children to have to worry about breast cancer affecting their lives the way it has ours.
Kathleen Pingelski
Kathleen is President of MicroKnowledge Inc. and the Fit Tech Chicks Team Leader. She serves as board secretary of Catholic Charities Caregivers Support Services and as a board member for Circles of Mercy. She is also a Troy-Cohoes YWCA volunteer and the Albany Rotary Club’s Lobster Fest volunteer coordinator. A resident of Clifton Park, Kathleen has two reasons for walking: First, she is committed to living a healthy lifestyle and training for the event has forced her to exercise five to seven times a week. As a result, she has lost weight and lowered her blood pressure and cholesterol. Kathleen also has dear friend who is a breast cancer survivor and would like to contribute to all those who are in need of strength to survive this deadly disease.
Andrea Robinson
Andrea is a registered nurse and clinical manager at The Nurse Connection Staffing, a temporary staffing agency. She is an avid hiker and has hiked all 46 of the Adirondack high peaks and is currently working on hiking the Appalachian Trail in pieces at a time. An assistant Girl Scout leader, Andrea also is a member of the Save Darfur Coalition. A resident of Glenmont, Andrea is walking for her daughter, sisters, mother, herself and all women who may one day have to face this terrible disease.
Kelly Ryan
Kelly is a Technology Trainer/Consultant at MicroKnowledge, Inc. She is a member of TRAC (Tackling Racism in Albany County) and is a resident of Clifton Park. Kelly is walking in support of her “strong, beautiful stepmother” and for the huge numbers of women and men who have to fight this disease.
Lisa Ryan
Lisa is Executive Vice President and Technical Consultant at MicroKnowledge, Inc. She is a board member of the Troy-Cohoes YWCA and a member of Cohoes Women of the Moose where she has held various board positions throughout years and is heavily involved in annual conference planning and implementation. Lisa is walking for those who can’t or never got the chance. Lisa lives in Clifton Park.
Sandy Schialdone
Sandy is Senior Executive Secretary at Fidelity Investments, Investment Services in Marlboro, Massachusetts. She lives in Milford, Massachusetts. Sandy says cancer has touched her life in so many ways. She has lost grandparents, uncles and her mom to cancer 15 years ago. Even though it was not breast cancer, cancer in general has become her chosen “cause.” The 3-Day Walk is something she has heard about for quite some time and something that she has always wanted to do.
Carol Thomas
Carol Thomas is a Technology Consultant at MicroKnowledge, Inc. A resident of Albany, she is board secretary for TRAC (Tackling Racism in Albany County) and is a supporter of the Lark Street Business Improvement District, Historic Albany Foundation, and various charity events. She has a family history of breast cancer (her maternal grandmother) and has numerous friends who are all presently breast cancer survivors. Carol’s goal is to see breast cancer cured and eradicated in her lifetime.
Beth Weicman
Beth is Senior Vice President and Director of Finance at Overland Capital Group, Inc. in Clifton Park. She is a former treasurer of the Crohns and Colitis Foundation and has volunteered for Team in Training for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. A resident of Guilderland, Beth’s reasons for participating include fundraising, fitness and making new friends.
Melissa Wilcox
Melissa is sixth grade Special Education Consultant Teacher in the Lansingburgh Central School District at Knickerbacker Middle School. She lives in Clifton Park and is walking in support of all of the brave women who have suffered and fought breast cancer. She is happy to give her time to help raise much-needed funds for research, raising awareness, and prevention.
Kelly Young
Kelly is a Medical Office Assistant at McGinnis Women’s Medical Care in Albany. She volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters and has a little sister who is 11. She is participating to get in better shape in preparation for her marriage in September and because she feels this is a great cause. The doctor Kelly works for is a breast cancer survivor, as is her mother’s best friend.
Carol Zajac
Carol is President of DeVry New York. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York and The Arts Center of the Capital District. She currently lives in New York City.
Her participation is in memory of Zanne and Ruth and in joyous concert with all of you out there (you know who you are). Also, she is walking for fitness of her own mind, soul and body and to support research that she understands and cares about.