News

May 9, 2017

Better Neighborhoods Welcomes New Board President and Vice President

Better Neighborhoods, Inc., a nonprofit housing organization founded in 1966 to create and preserve affordable housing for residents of the City of Schenectady, recently welcome a new President and Vice President to their Board of Directors:

President Mary D’Alessandro-Gilmore has been actively involved in the revitalization of the City of Schenectady and issues related to affordable housing for many years. Mary is a Board member of the Zoning Board of Appeals for the City of Schenectady, serves on the City of Schenectady Assessment Board, chairs the Mayor’s Task Force Committee for the Real Estate Community, and is an active Partner for the City of Schenectady H.O.M.E.S (Home Ownership Made Easy in Schenectady) program. She served as the Chair for the Governor’s New York State Rising Community Reconstruction Program representing Schenectady and is an Ex Officio President of the Historic Stockade Association, where she served for five years until May of 2015. Mary is an Associate Broker for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Blake, Realtors (formally Prudential Manor Homes) for 14 years, and she is a Board member of Ring of Hope, a youth program for inner city boys and girls.

Vice President Michael Skrebutenas currently works as the Senior Vice President of the Community Preservation Corporation in Albany. He has also held senior positions at New York State Homes and Community Renewal and the Governor’s Office and has more than 20 years of experience in working on issues related to the development and preservation of affordable housing. Michael holds a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science from Columbia University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to serve on the Albany Convention Center Board in 2014. He has also served on the Niskayuna Planning and Zoning Commission since 2013.

Executive Director for Better Neighborhoods James Flacke said, “We are positively thrilled to welcome Mary and Michael as President and Vice President of our Board of Directors. The needs in our community related to affordable housing and community revitalization continue to grow and Better Neighborhoods is working diligently to develop the resources, including a strong Board of Directors, needed to expand our services and meet these needs.”