Board of Trustees
Ann Douglas has been a Trustee of The Field Library since 2017 and facilitated the Contemporary Fiction Book group for 10 years at the library. Ann and husband, Dwight, have lived in Peekskill for 55 years and participated in many civic organizations and events. Ann’s other life consists of serving as an Ordained Deacon at All Saint’s Episcopal Church in Briarcliff Manor; lots of birdwatching with buddies in Cape May; and anything to do with making quilts.
Benjamin Bloom has served on the Field Library Board of Trustees since 2019. He teaches English in the Peekskill City School District, and has lived in Peekskill for over twenty years. His wife, Maria, and Ben are the proud parents of two daughters: Daniela, a 2021 Peekskill High School graduate, and Sara, currently a student at Peekskill Middle School. In his free time, Ben enjoys listening to music, attending concerts, walking, baking, and—of course—reading.
Catalina R Fortino is very proud to be serving the Peekskill community as a member of the Board of Trustees, as we carry out the mission of The Field Library and envision its future. Promoting, sustaining and facilitating growth and development in individuals, teams and organizations has been the central work of her career across New York State public schools. Her focus has been to draw on and build on the diversity of cultures, languages, and beliefs that are at the heart of families and communities. As an immigrant New Yorker, native born in Argentina, she values the importance of public libraries as places which inspire and support lifelong learning, engage the imagination and most importantly, build a sense of belonging and community.
Born and raised in Ireland, Trevor Noble emigrated to North America in 2008. Following a couple of years in Toronto, he moved to the United States and settled in New York City. In 2018, he and his wife, Amie, relocated to Peekskill. He has twenty years experience working in financial services. During the pandemic, he returned to full-time education and received a Master’s in Public History from SUNY Empire State University. As the creator of the Peekskill History App, and its associated instagram account @peekskill_history, he is passionate about presenting an exciting and accessible history of Peekskill. In addition to serving as a Trustee of The Field Library, he is a volunteer docent at the Lincoln Depot Museum.
Alan Most has been a Field Library trustee for eight years, serving as secretary, vice president, and president. He moved to Peekskill with his wife, Ellen, nine years ago and loves living in our vibrant and diverse community. Alan has retired from the publishing industry, and now – aside from volunteering as a trustee – conducts tours at Manitoga, tutors an English-learning student, hangs out with his kids and grandkids, travels as much as possible, and takes classes at WCC.
Karen Kelley has over 30 years of experience working in the public health and health care delivery fields in management, policy development, advocacy and outreach, serving in both the public and private sectors. She received her public health degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. She currently serves on the Westchester Library System Board of Trustees as the representative for District 12 (Peekskill) and is a former board member of the Peekskill Arts Alliance.
Joseph Galella is a real estate attorney and the owner of the Kenneth Pregno Agency, a title insurance company in Peekskill. He resides in the Town of Cortlandt with his wife Elaine Galella, a retired Peekskill School District art teacher. He has had the privilege to have served on the Field Library Board of Trustees for over 40 years.
Dr. Deborah Grimshaw is a retired school administrator, and has served as a trustee on the Fulton Public Library and Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery boards. In 2020, she and her husband followed her daughter's family to Peekskill to care for their granddaughter. In addition to serving on the Library Board, Debbie works as a coach/ mentor for new school administrators and consultant for school districts. She also creates magic for children with cancer as a volunteer with The Magic Yarn Project. They are happy Peekskill residents.
Nina Levine-Apicella is a 38-year resident of Peekskill who loves to read, garden, and library-hop with her young granddaughter. Her educational journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology which led her to pursue a Master’s degree in special education. After a fifteen year career as a special educator, Ms. Levine-Apicella returned to school and received a Masters of Library Science. She is now retired after 15 years as the Peekskill Middle School Library Media Specialist. Ms. Levine-Apicella looks forward to bringing her skills and enthusiasm to support library services for the benefit of all community members.
Michael Spencer is a lifelong resident of Westchester County currently residing in Cortlandt Manor with his wife, Ivy, and his two children, Hailey and Jordon. He is a commercial lender with over 30 years of experience assisting businesses and individuals. Mr Spencer enjoys spending his spare time with his family, as well as hiking the Hudson Highlands.
Dr. Sinduja Srinivasan is a former UN economist, specializing in evaluating poverty reduction programs. With UN News, she started the podcast UNcomplicated, which distilled the behemoth bureaucracy into conversations that conveyed how the UN is relevant for everyone. She took a break from the UN to become a full-time podcaster, and ended up joining a science podcast on the day that the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then she’s worked on several science shows, each of which translated scientific and mathematical concepts into engaging radio for a general audience. Sinduja and her husband are raising a tiny human who loves the library and is on track to become a Trustee in 2039!
2025 Meeting Dates of The Field Library Board of Trustees
Third Thursdays at 7pm
January 16th Minutes January 2025
February 20th Minutes February 2025
March 20th Minutes March 2025
April 17th Minutes April 2025
May 15th Minutes May 2025
June 17th (moved for Holiday) Minutes June 2025
July 17th Minutes July 2025
August 21st
September 18th
October 16th
November 20th
December 18th