Who We Are

A rare quality among us, Suzy has grown up in the Stockade. Suzy has served on the Board as recording secretary for three years. She has also headed up the ambitious Streetscape Plan, which was completed and adopted by the city of Schenectady in 2020. You may find Suzy fully engaged in the neighborhood in other ways, from choir at St. George’s to the Garden Tour and the Beautification Committee. She and her husband, Rich, moved to the Stockade several years ago from Florida.

Coming soon!

Susan has lived in the Stockade since 2015 and in Schenectady since 2007. She has an MS in Accounting from Syracuse University and was an Auditor and Project Director at the State Education Department. Prior to raising three daughters, she was a Cooperative Extension Agent. Her current interests include service on the Stockade Board, volunteering for Retree Schenectady, cyclo tourism and home improvements to her Stockade homes.

Donna, a Troy, N.Y. native, attended Junior College of Albany (now part of the Sage Colleges system). After college she trained as a legal secretary for Troy attorney, Seymour Fox, Esq. She moved to Boston in 1973 and worked as a real estate para-legal in the law firm of Choate, Hall & Stewart, Esqs. She changed careers, and with her chef partner, opened the restaurant L’Espalier in Back Bay Boston until 1988, when she moved to horse country in Charottesville, Virginia to raise her children. With her children grown, she and her husband decided to move to Mexico to experience that dream of living in a foreign country. They bought a fixer upper in the Pueblo Magico of Todos Santos, BCS, MX, where they lived for thirteen years. During her time in Mexico Donna volunteered with a Mexican non-profit, The Palapa Society of Todos Santos, A.C., as a board member, and went on to develop and direct an after-school English language program for community children. In 2016 she and her husband relocated to Schenectady, NY to help care for a family member suffering with dementia. Donna is the recording secretary for the Stockade Association; a board member of the Riverside Condominium Association, where she and her husband reside; and serves as an Election Inspector with the Schenectady County Board of Elections.

Keith has been a native to the Capital Region his entire life. Born in Schenectady, he has lived all over the region, including Clifton Park, Saratoga, Greenwich, Wilton, Duanesburg, Glenville and Elsmere, but moved to the Stockade in 2008. In a real sense, the move to live in Schenectady's Stockade District felt like coming home. A graduate of Clarkson College, Keith has had lengthy careers in Atmospheric Sciences and Broadcasting, both in an engineering capacity. Since retirement, he has furthered his interests in filmmaking, photography and local history. He is a current member of the Board and heads the Infrastructure Committee which has been instrumental in initiating the Streetscape Study. Keith has kindly offered his expertise for another term.

Christopher Marney is a recent addition to the Stockade having purchased the Sanders-Ellice home on Union Street with his husband, Chris White. A resident of Schenectady for more than a decade, Chris serves on the Schenectady Historic District Commission and is an ardent historic preservationist. Chris has over 12 years of experience working in real estate, development and land use and holds a juris doctorate from Albany Law School. He is also a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson and has degrees in both political science and hospitality. You can follow the Chris’ home restoration on Instagram @schenectadyrestorationproject.

Zakhar Berkovich has been a resident of the historic Stockade since 2011, just recently moving to the Historic GE Realty Plot with his partner John Samatulski and furry child, Sully. Zakhar remains committed to the Stockade by maintaining several historic properties and participating in Stockade events. He is an active participant in the membership meetings. During the daytime, he is a Director of Undergraduate Student Services at Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy within the University at Albany. At night you may find him working on his Ph.D. or restoring one of the buildings. Zakhar is passionate about non-profit organizations and understands how a good and strong board can lead to success for the whole community. He looks forward to working together to preserve, protect and improve the beautiful Stockade.

Dan O'Neill has been a Stockade resident since 2018 after relocating from western NY with his fiancé Hannah, a Schenectady native. As an alum from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Dan works professionally as an Assistant Landscape Architect with project experience in Streetscapes, Mixed Use Developments, Visual Analysis, Parks, and Trail design. He loves the downtown lifestyle and feels strongly about making the streets and sidewalks safer, growing the tree inventory, and being a steward to the rich history of the Stockade. You can typically find Dan cycling about the neighborhood, working on his home, and tending to the garden.

This committee oversees the various gardens maintained by the Association and supports the volunteers who work in the gardens. Jac is a relatively new resident who has already contributed a lot to our neighborhood. His lovely evergreen garden, established by Peter Rumora, was on last year's garden tour. Jac also has some wonderful ideas about making our neighborhood even more beautiful, especially at the Gateway and other amenity areas. Jac served for thirty years in the Air Force and the Army as a flight nurse. He moved to the Stockade in 2019 from Ballston Spa and now lives on Front Street. We are delighted to welcome Jac and very grateful for his generosity!

Chris is already running the association's beautiful website and restoring 205 Union Street with his husband, Chris Marney. His energy and enthusiasm is inspiring and we are very glad he will be taking care of this important task.