Melissa Marceau
Executive Director
YouthARTS Director
(518) 364-3605
missy@grandarts.org

Born and raised in Bennington, Vermont, Missy has been a part of the Grand Street community since 1979. She taught at the Albany Free School for several years and completed her BA in Fine Arts at SUNY Albany in 2007. As an artist, she brings a creative perspective to Grand Street Community Arts and is involved in transforming it into a vibrant and growing arts organization. Currently, she is taking on the new responsibilities of the Executive Director position, in addition to running our after-school children’s arts program. Missy is committed to supporting programs and artists that are connected and/or related to the mission of our organization.

Tom McPheeters
Development Director
(518) 433-0679
tom@grandarts.org

Tom McPheeters became the first executive director of Grand Street Community Arts in 2004. He has been a central figure during the organization’s rapid and exciting growth in programs and the development of our community arts center. Tom is stepping out of that role to become Director of Development, focusing on putting GSCA on a more sustainable, professional footing, and on raising money for the capital improvements needed to make our building, the former St. Anthony’s, a year-round, fully functioning arts center. Tom’s previous careers include 25 years as a journalist, working as a reporter and editor on local newspapers, and as director of community ministry for the FOCUS Churches in downtown Albany. Tom has also been active in ARISE, the faith-based community organizing project in the Capital Region, the Capital Area Council of Churches, Westminster Presbyterian Church, the Mansion Neighborhood Association and the many enterprises of the Free School community.

Jennifer Simek
Siena College AmeriCorps*VISTA
Development and Volunteer Coordinator
(518) 463.2222
jennifersimek@grandarts.org

Jennifer is from Seattle, WA and went to school at the University of Washington where she received my BA in Law, Societies, and Justice. She relocated to Albany, NY to become an AmeriCorps*VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) in the Siena College AmeriCorps*VISTA Fellows Program. She is working with Siena College to grow their DEEP (Developing Engaging Educational Partnerships) Service Initiative in conjunction with volunteering at Grand Street Community Arts. Her responsibilities include volunteer recruitment, resource mobilization, and strengthening local community partnerships.

Bhawin Suchak
YouthFX Director
(518) 221-8343
bhawin@grandarts.org

Bhawin Suchak is an educator, filmmaker and multimedia producer who works with emerging digital technologies as tools to further expression, communication and connection. Bhawin has been a teacher at the Albany Free School for 10 years and is the founder and project director of Youth FX, a summer filmmaking programs for teens based out of Grand Street Community Arts, a neighborhood based non-profit arts center in the South End of Albany, NY. He has worked with adults and youth in digital film production and multimedia at several locations including: The Albany Free School, 1skate Media Arts in Albany, the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy and the Museum Club after-school program at the New York State Museum. Bhawin has produced several short films and is the co-director of Free to Learn, a feature length documentary about the Albany Free School.

Gaetano Vaccaro
YouthFX Co-Director
Web Developer
(518) 331-1989
gaetano@grandarts.org

Gaetano is the YouthFX Co-Director and Web Developer. He is currently working for GSCA through Albany United Methodist (AUMS) AmeriCorps National Program. More information coming soon.

Rana Morris
Youth Organics Director
(518) 495-5055
rana@grandarts.org

Rana Jennifer Morris was born on a farm and grew up in Valatie, NY. She studied water ecology, climbed giant trees, and did lots of protesting while at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. She has been working with Youth Organics since 2007 and thinks that growing your own food and eating healthy are great ways to subvert the system and sharing the knowledge of how to do so is an important step towards remedying the inequalities in our society. Rana is also a knitting, fire-spinning, accordion-playing mother of one.

La’Toya Robinson
BoardedUP Director
YouthARTS Co-Director
latoya@grandarts.org

La’Toya is from the Bronx, NY and relocated to Albany in June 2009. She is currently working for GSCA through AUMS Americorps mainly Co-Directing the after school art program. She has been working with children and youth for 11 years and she is excited to be a part of this organization. Service unto others isn’t just a job for her but it’s a way of life!

Rebecca Platel
Vacant Lot Project Director
rebecca@grandarts.org

Rebecca played an integral part in developing the Vacant Lot Project in 2009. The first summer of this program she worked with four teens employed by the Albany Youth Employment Program who came up with a project they wanted to do on a vacant lot on Elizabeth Street. They laid the foundation in developing a relationship with the City of Albany and private land owners of these lots.

Jane Wolterding
AmeriCorps*VISTA Summer Service Associate
Vacant Lot Project Intern
jane@grandarts.org

Jane grew up on Grand Street and after a long absence, is glad to be back in the old neighborhood. She is working with us to develop and coordinate this year’s Vacant Lot Project. Jane is responsible for community outreach and program development.  A graduate of Colgate University with a B.A. in Geography, she will be going back to school in the fall for a Masters in City and Regional Planning.