Over the past three decades, as a pediatrician and bioethicist, Kathy has served Ulster County and the Catskills by focusing their work at the level of public health and the environment. Kathy played an important role in achieving New York State’s pioneering ban on fracking, providing summaries of breaking research to the Departments of Environmental Conservation and Public Health. With local and regional environmental advocates, they helped bring the power of the people to Albany, with amazing success!

In Ulster County, Kathy has promoted healthy, active lifestyles for children and families, and helped introduce and expand fun, creative, and sustainable forms of regional economic development, such as film production and trail development. They have focused on developing new recreational opportunities, such as the Ashokan Rail Trail, which can bring exciting new economic growth.

Kathy seeks consensus solutions and wants to see Shandaken, Olive, Denning, and Hardenburg benefit from the exciting energy that is beginning to flow in the Hudson River Valley and Catskills, an energy that enriches our lives while encouraging effective management of our natural resources. They believe that if we can bring more to those who have less, we can freely celebrate our shared good fortune!

In addition to serving in the Ulster County Legislature, Kathy works in Woodstock as Catskill Mountainkeeper’s Senior Research Director, focusing on issues related to the health impacts of fracking and fossil fuel infrastructure and spearheading Mountainkeeper’s initiatives in the Catskill High Peaks region. They majored in philosophy and theology at Saint Louis University and graduated with honors, going on to pursue their Medical Degree, along with a Masters of Studies in Law, from Yale. Following a residency in pediatrics and fellowship training in clinical research design, Kathy worked at the Hastings Center, writing and teaching on diverse topics in bioethics. They came to the Catskills in 1989 to pursue residential training at Zen Mountain Monastery and in 2003 became Executive Director of Tibet Aid in Woodstock. In 2009 Kathy founded Catskills Live! Trails and Wilderness Association, and in 2011 cofounded Concerned Health Professionals of New York. Currently, Kathy sits on the Steering Committees of Concerned Health Professionals of New York, and is the President of the New York Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility. Kathy is also a member of the Catskill Heritage Alliance, the Shandaken Community Gardens, and the Friends of the Catskill Mountain Rail Trail, and serves as Treasurer for the Arts Society of Kingston. Before entering the Legislature, Kathy served on Ulster County’s Tourism Advisory Board and Trails Advisory Committee.