George Duarte, Team Leader
George is a "Latin from Manhattan" born and raised in New York City. After attending The City College of New York majoring in Foreign Trade, George spent many years promoting foreign sales. He would like to have $5.00 for every mile he's flown pursuing sales, even though he has yet to travel to New Zealand or Australia! After his career in sales, he wandered into the Insurance business and spent 17 years in that field.Now retired, George spends a lot of time on Rotary projects. His wife claims he now spends most of his time going to meetings and playing golf. He views the opportunity to serve as the Team Leader with a great team to be the one to "Lead the Way" to Wellington. After 17 years as a Rotarian he wants to show the value of "Service Above Self". Through all of this, he has been supported by his wife Fran, and by his 5 children and 8 grandchildren.
Helen Gutfreund, Licensed Massage Therapist
Bodymind Massage Therapy
Helen has been an energy and bodyworker since 1996. After graduating from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 1995 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, Helen drove West to see what she could see. A weekend workshop in Sedona, Arizona with world renowned Meir Schneider PhD, LMT gave her clear vision - literally and figuratively. She experienced the healing powers of subtle bodywork and knew in her every cell that she had a calling to learn more. She traveled to San Francisco to study with Dr. Schneider at The School for Self-Healing, eventually becoming a Certified Massage Practitioner. Helen worked as a Massage Practitioner both in San Francisco, CA as well as in Sedona. While in Sedona, Helen also learned about the healing art of Reiki, and became a Reiki Master Teacher.
Helen has furthered her education by studying Swedish Massage, Shiatsu, Craniosacral Therapy and is currently training towards certification in The Trager Approach, a movement re-education modality. Her diverse training, interests and sensitivities help make her touch unique - warm, healing, and safe.
Helen is a New York State Licensed Massage Therapist and owns her own practice, Bodymind Massage Therapy. She is also Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. She lives and works in the beautiful environs of New Paltz, NY in Ulster County. She is proud to be a member of the American Massage Therapy Association , The New Paltz Regional Chamber of Commerce, Business Network International, and has recently accepted a position on the Board of the Northeast Trager Association.
Since the healing arts as well as the visual arts pique Helen's interest, she hopes to have a vocational pairing with a Mirimiri, Romiromi, or Rongoa Maori practitioner - one who practices the traditional healing arts of the Maori, as well as with a Ta Moko artist - or traditional Maori tattooist, during her trip to New Zealand.
Noreen Knips, Physical Therapist
Isabella Geriatric Center
Noreen has been a licensed physical therapist since 1997 when she graduated from Daemen College in Buffalo, NY. For the past nine years, she has worked at Isabella Geriatric Center in
Northern Manhattan, and is currently a physical therapy supervisor. Isabella is a 705-bed facility that provides long-term care and short-term rehabilitation services to the residents of New York City and the Hudson Valley. She also has experience in acute-care and rehabilitation hospital settings.She provides physical therapy services for people with all types of diagnoses including, neurological, orthopedic and cardiac problems. Her primary goal with all of her patients is to help them attain their highest level of functional independence. In addition, she works closely with other members of the care team (social workers, nurses, occupational therapists and doctors) in order to ensure that quality care and a safe discharge to their home is provided. She especially feels satisfaction when past patients visit Isabella to say "thank you" and show how well they are doing.
Noreen is a native resident of Rockland County, NY and enjoys its proximity to Manhattan while also appreciating its beauty and sense of community close to her family and friends. She enjoys any outdoor activities such as skiing and hiking, and loves to travel. She embraces any opportunity to learn about new things, especially through experience and feels that the Rotary Group Study Exchange to New Zealand will do just that.
Heather Malcom, Research Specialist
Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Heather works at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies under the supervision of Drs. David L. Strayer and Jonathan J. Cole as a Senior Research Specialist. Her work has focused predominantly on the Hudson River ecosystem and the effects invasive species have on the ecosystem.
She manages and oversees many aspects of each project from the design of the research protocol to the analysis of the data collected. Her position includes the duties of supervising Research Specialists, Project Assistants, students and volunteers. She works both in the laboratory running instruments and in the field collecting samples from the river.The projects that Heather has worked on include: the effects of zebra mussels on native bivalves and macroinvetebrates, Mapping submerged aquatic vegetation to see the role it plays in the ecosystem of the Hudson River including an exotic invader Trapa natans (water chestnut), and looking at the benthic (underwater) communities to see how they relate to geophysical properties of the river. During her time at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies Heather has also worked with many other scientists on various projects including the affects of hurricanes on tropical rainforests in Puerto Rico and resurveying the lakes in the Adirondacks to study the effects of dissolved organic carbon from terrestrial ecosystems.
Heather wouldn't mind learning another person's trade as well. A few of her hobbies include cooking, gardening, party coordination and the outdoors. She takes pride in the ability to grow many of her own herbs, vegetables and fruits to preserve them for winter eating. Heather would love to learn any new techniques in canning and drying. Recently, Heather learned to knit. This is a hobby that brings together the women to share ideas on cooking, relationships and gardening during the winter months. She takes great pleasure in learning new cooking techniques especially when utilizing locally grown products. S he enjoys the meticulous nature of planning, coordinating, and implementing a large event. She also loves to explore the outdoors, typically via waterways. Many weekends are spent paddling a canoe on lakes and streams to watch wildlife. If the occasion arises she is even known to jump out and take a snorkel to look at the underwater life.
Nancy Proyect, President
Orange County Citizens Foundation
Nancy Proyect was appointed President of the Orange County Citizens Foundation in January 2006. She had previously served as Director of Communications and Public Relations for the Citizens Foundation.Prior to joining the staff of the Citizens Foundation, Nancy operated a public relations consulting firm, serving the nonprofit, governmental, and private sectors. She has also served as the Public Relations & Administration Coordinator for the Orange County Partnership. Nancy began her career as a reporter for Market News International, a real-time financial news service.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Leadership Orange, the Nonprofit Leadership and Management Advisory Council, Friends of the Orange County Arboretum, and Congregation Eitz Chaim. She is a past president of the Junior League of Orange County.
A native of Sullivan County, Nancy now lives in Cornwall-on-Hudson with her husband, Bill Webber, and their two children.
