Contact us

Opportunities for Otsego Board Appoints New President

02.24.2022 - Oneonta, N.Y.

Opportunities for Otsego is pleased to announce the appointment of a new President to its Board of Directors and welcomes two new members. The new slate of officers are President, Lisa Samols; Vice President, Melinda Murdock; Secretary, Dr. Benjamin Friedell; and Treasurer, David Merzig.

Lisa has been a member of the Opportunities for Otsego board for four years, since she and her family moved to Oneonta. Lisa grew up in Cleveland and spent formative years in New York City where she graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor's degree in biology. After three years in Phoenix, Arizona, she and her husband and son moved to Oneonta. Seeing the diverse issues that affect each of these very different cities and their different demographics sparked an interest in digging into local issues and helping to find broad solutions.

During the week, Lisa is Executive Development Editor for High School STEM titles at Bedford, Freeman and Worth Publishers. Through her job, Lisa has been able to express her passion for helping students learn how to be responsible citizens, providing instructors with the tools and education they need to help students achieve their goals, and communicating science.

As per federal legislation, Opportunities for Otsego Board of Directors has a tripartite structure, in which one-third of members represent elected public officials, one-third represent the private sector, and one-third represent the low-income population. New members Diandra Sanghetti-Daniels and Laura Carpenter represent the low-income population.

###