Staff

George P. Ferrari, Jr.

Chief Executive Officer

Email George at gferrari@cftompkins.org.

George has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Community Foundation of Tompkins County since August 2005.

George has been a committed and active participant in the Tompkins County community since 1980 with a special focus on mission driven organizations that combine alleviating individual suffering and injustice with working for societal change. Previously, he served as the Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Tompkins and Tioga Counties and as Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service’s Crisis Line Manager. George was the founding Executive Director of AIDS WORK of Tompkins County. He has also served in positions with Head Start as well as in residence life at Cornell University.

George is a past board president of the Grantmakers Forum of NYS, now called the NY Funders Alliance, an association of foundations from across upstate New York. George currently facilitates the Tompkins County Human Service Coalition’s Forum meetings. He is a member of the Ithaca Rotary club and the Estate Planning Council of Tompkins County. George serves on the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Kendal at Ithaca Board of Trustees and the board of directors of NYCON, a statewide membership organization which enriches communities by building the capacity of nonprofits through services and advocacy. He also is a member of Cornell University’s Einhorn Center Alumni Advisory Council.

George has a degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology.

George enjoys camping, working out, opera and many varieties of chocolate. He lives in the City of Ithaca with his spouse Daniel Hirtler, an architect and founder of the firm Flatfield Designs. They enjoy weekly Sunday family dinners with their daughter and grand daughter.

Gloria Coicou

Chief Engagement, Equity & Grants Officer

Email Gloria at gcoicou@cftompkins.org

As a Black American with Haitian roots, Gloria values culture and diversity and welcomes the opportunity to be a tremendous catalyst in the DEI space. She is the newest member of the Community Foundation as the first Chief Inclusion & Community Engagement Officer. Gloria is a service-oriented leader who is passionate about fostering an environment where inclusion, diversity, equity, and racial justice are explicitly recognized as fundamental parts of the Community Foundation. She pledges to begin this work by applying an iterative and intentional process to all that the Community Foundation does such as in grantmaking, hiring practices, daily operations, etc. One of her goals is to create spaces for the Tompkins community to feel empowered and valued regardless of what they “seem” to be on the outside. Gloria champions the foundation’s DEI efforts, all grant-making practices, and community engagement efforts and programming.

She has dedicated her life to serving, healing, and catering to the needs of marginalized communities while advocating for equity. When she joined the Ithaca community in 2015, she dove into community organizing and advocacy. She graduated from Cornell University with her masters in public administration in 2019. While at Cornell, she chartered and served as President of Healthcare Students Association, a graduate student organization that focuses on the intersection of healthcare, humanitarianism, and community. She is best known for her work in mitigating food security challenges among underserved students at Cornell University. Her efforts to feed hungry students from the trunk of her car began the food insecurity conversations around Cornell’s campus. After 2 months, it grew into a movement with 200+ volunteers, 7 community partners, a partnership with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, an executive board, Cornell sponsorship and a location. As a direct result of handling the needs of 1,500 food-insecure students and rescuing over 1,000 lbs. of food, Cornell University has opened a university-instituted food pantry. In addition to taking on such a big task, she organized a first of its kind Cornell’s student professional development symposium, touching the lives of over 500 students. Healthcare leaders nationwide participated in the two-day event. These efforts earned her team the Inaugural Professional Student Organization of the Year Award.

Prior to this role, Gloria served as the Community Engagement Director for the Ithaca Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Program housed at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC). Gloria is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and has served on many boards including the Ithaca Health Alliance and Mutual Aid Tompkins. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering at the Enfield Food Pantry, TC Action, Friends of the Library, and the Friendship Donations Network. Gloria recently completed her eCornell Professional Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Gloria lives locally with her son, Joshua, and enjoys spending time outdoors, reading, cycling, and attending live music events.

Amy LeViere

Chief Philanthropic Services & Systems Officer

Email Amy at aleviere@cftompkins.org.

Amy joined Community Foundation in 2009, coming with experience as an entrepreneur, self-employed, and having managed a wholesale business. Prior to that, as a financial consultant at M&T Bank Investment Group, Amy developed many connections throughout Tompkins County. Amy graduated from Cornell University’s Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Business Management.

Amy has served on various boards, including AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) Finger Lakes Chapter and Cornell Club of Ithaca. She has served in various roles in her community including volunteering as an Ombudsman through Office for the Aging, and as a supporter and as a founding officer of Dryden Sports Boosters (DSB).   Amy has stayed active by seeking to improve financial systems in the non-profit sector and serving as an officer for FINZ Finance Officers Association of Tompkins County. She stays involved in her church and faith community. Amy has raised five sons and continues to enjoy sporting and outdoor activities. Amy is excited to be a part of Community Foundation and looks forward to continuing to promote the intersection of philanthropy with all aspects of community life.

Nancy Massicci

Chief Development Officer

Email Nancy at nmassicci@cftompkins.org.

Nancy joined Community Foundation as its first Chief Development Officer in 2015, following over 12 years in officer positions at both Tompkins Financial Advisors and Cornell University Alumni Affairs and Development. She established Tompkins Charitable Gift Fund, a donor-advised and pooled income fund, to help facilitate bank clients’ charitable giving plans and grantmaking.

She received her bachelor’s degree in economics, business, and management from Empire State College. She earned Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy credentials mastering financial details involved in different forms of charitable giving and completed Plus Delta a disciplined approach of fundraising. In addition, she is a graduate of Trust and Estate Administration schools offered by the New York Bankers Association.

Nancy is on the Board of the Estate Planning Council of Tompkins County and Planned Giving Advisory council for Unity House. She served as president and board member of the Finger Lakes Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Rotary International, United Way Pacesetter Campaign and Ithaca High School Sports Booster. She volunteered on the Endowment Committee for the City Federation of Women’s Organizations, Tompkins Learning Partners Capital Campaign, and Tompkins Cortland Community College Foundation Alumni Committee.

Nancy resides in Ithaca with her husband, Peter. She is a Certified Group Fitness Instructor and as often as possible gets away from her laptop to go cycling, hiking, to play Pickleball and to participate in Women Swimmin’ on Cayuga Lake to support Hospicare.

Madeline Rosas

Administrative Manager

Email Madeline at mrosas@cftompkins.org.

Madeline joined the Community Foundation at the end of 2021. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Business Management from Phoenix’s Art Institute and a Certification in Medical & Dental Office Assisting from Atlanta’s Professional Career Development Institute. Madeline earned a Certification from the 2023-2024 Leadership Tompkins Program and is continuing her education in Human Resources Management Program at Cornell University. Over her 20+ year career in the medical field, Madeline has held various positions. She also managed a family music business, creating a vision for a universal sound called “Ragin’ Mambo, Mambo Escalante.” Her diverse background encompasses music creation, dancing, and event coordination.

A proud mother of two, Madeline moved to Ithaca in 2020. Her daughter graduated from Cornell University in 2024 with a degree in Animal Science, and her son, after graduating high school, is working full-time while pursuing further education. In addition to volunteering in various direct care roles for those in need and raising funds to support the community, Madeline co-authored a children’s book with her daughter titled “The Girl with Blue Hair, The Springin’ Fling”.

Madeline enjoys dancing, music, food, reading, nature, and communion/engaging with others.

Melinda Serifoski

Community Engagement Associate, Cornell University Intern

Ying Lin Zhao

Community Data Analyst, Cornell University Intern

Ying Lin is a sophomore at Cornell University, majoring in Statistical Science. Ever since graduating as a math major in high school, she knew that her interest lies in mathematics and working with data. This interest led her to the Community Foundation and she joined the Community Foundation in the Spring of 2023 as a Community Data Analyst. Currently taking courses about data analytics and data science, she is eager to not only learn from the people she interacts with at the Community Foundation but also look to apply what she learned.

Coming from the mixing pot of mixing pots, New York City, Ying Lin has always enjoyed working with diverse groups of people and has always felt a sense of reward when she can contribute to communities she feels connected to. In New York City, she has worked with many non-profit organizations to help educate youths and raise awareness for autism. In Cornell and Tompkins County, she aspires to continue helping local communities and learning from people of diverse backgrounds.