Board

Meet our Board Members!

Corey Fecteau, President
Corey Fecteau lives with her family in Allegany County and works at Alfred University as the Assistant Dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her personal involvement with the arts includes studies in visual arts and art history, and she has performed with school and community choral groups since childhood. Corey is grateful for the opportunity to support the arts regionally through her service on the Tri-County Arts Council Board. “I wholeheartedly believe in our collective responsibility to foster the arts by sustaining and encouraging the artists, artisans, musicians, and makers whose creativity enriches and uplifts our communities.”

Jason Dilworth, Vice President
Jason Dilworth is a graphic designer, artist, and educator living and working in western New York. Originally hailing from the deserts of the American West, his creative work focuses on the relationship between rural communities and wildlands. This focus has led him to develop a career that is concerned with both the physicality of place and the society responsibly of defending natural ecosystems and bioregions. Trained as a graphic designer, he believes in the power of storytelling and in the importance of learning through listening. As a design educator, he challenges students to take a systems view of the discipline and teaches students how to learn and be critically engaged citizens.
Working collaboratively, he co-founded Designers & Forests in part to help communities respond to the adverse effects of climate change. Through this experience, he has gained an in-depth knowledge of forests ecosystems and the importance of sustainably managing working forests and preserving wild tracts of land for both rural and urban communities. Designers and Forests have led workshops in Utah, Iceland, New York, and Sweden and invite others to collaborate on research and practical efforts.

Jason’s holds a teaching post as an associate professor at the State University of New at Fredonia. He has been a fellow for the Marion International Fellowship for the Visual and Performing Arts where he undertook a creative journey crossing the interior of North America following the proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to a terminal in Missouri. His work has been recognized by and included in exhibitions from Iceland’s Design March to Print Magazine, and American Alliance of Museums.

Photography by David Moog/Courtesy Burchfield Penney

Betsy Matz, Treasurer
An Olean resident, Betsy Matz recently retired from her position as an Professor Emeritus of Accounting at the University of Pittsburgh, Bradford, where she taught accounting for 26 years. She grew up in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, graduated from Lawrence University in Wisconsin, and lived in Minneapolis nine years before coming to Allegany in 1981. Now that she is retired, Betsy has more time to enjoy her pastimes of basketry and needlework. She started knitting and embroidering as a little girl. In college she expanded to weaving and wove her first basket in 1983. Betsy does all types of needlework: canvas, hardanger embroidery, cutwork, and pulled thread. Betsy has always supported the arts where she lived and worked. She was one of the founding members of Bradford Little Theatre in Bradford, and for over 30 years has served with other organizations that have brought or supported art of one genre or another in the region. At the Arts Council Betsy says, “I wanted to do what I can to support the arts community in the region. When I was asked to join, I thought it was a great opportunity to give some of my time - which I have a lot more of since my retirement - to do that.”

Scott Reed, Director

Crystal Abers, Director
Crystal Abers is proud to be a member of the Tri-County Arts Council Board, believing as she does that “Arts - any and all - are important in everyday life.” Crystal is interested in many art forms - painting, woodworking, knitting, crochet - as well as being a Master Gardener and creating Garden Art. A lifelong resident of Olean, New York, and a graduate of the State University of New York at Fredonia, she is the Director of the Cattaraugus County Department of Economic Development, Planning and Tourism. Crystal explains her interest in supporting the arts in our region as a way to “give the opportunity of art availability to people young and old, and bring out the art in everyone.”

Ryann Cooley, Director
Ryann Cooley is an award-winning artist in both the fine and applied arts, working in the mediums of photography, video, sculpture and installation. His work has been exhibited internationally and widely published. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the Brooks Institute of Photography and a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Ryann is also an Associate Professor of Photography and Digital Media at Houghton College.

Debra Eck, Director
Debra Eck is a teaching artist, originally from the UK, she has made her home in WNY for almost 30 years now. In that time she has taught art history and a variety of studio classes at Jamestown Community College and SUNY Fredonia, workshops in book and paper arts all over the world, and curated for many galleries and organizations. She juggles all those things with her own studio practice.

I'm delighted to bring my perspective as a working creative to the board at Tri-County Arts Council where I hope to continue to advocate for the agency of the arts to transform lives from the inside out and the bottom up.

Colleen Connelly, Director

Hayden Haynes, Director
Hayden Haynes is from the Onöndowa’ga:’ (Seneca) Nation. Hayden indicates that his primary focus is his family. He is currently employed as the museum manager at the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum in Salamanca. He has been there since the opening of the then new, Onöhsagwë: de’ Cultural Center in 2018. His past work experiences include restaurant manager and head of customer service. Special events are a specialty for Haynes.
Hayden is also an award-winning antler carver and is deeply involved in the revitalization of the ancient art form of antler and bone carving. He aims to get this culturally and historically relevant medium out to larger audiences, which he hopes will inspire others to carry on the tradition. He often teaches the techniques related to working with this challenging medium, and enjoys presenting on the education and importance of the material and art as it relates to Hodinöhsö:ni’. Hayden is also a freelance curator. And recently, he has gotten into photography.
Interwoven into his professional work and his artist work, is his passion to uplift and support other artists. Hayden states, “For me, sharing knowledge, advocating for others, and helping others get into new networks is equally important and just as rewarding as creating work…” “I look forward to assisting the TCAC in any way I can to help the regions artists and the artist markets. And I am excited to be a part of the continued growth and success of the TCAC.”

Eric Van Druff, Director
Eric is a lifelong resident of the Southern Tier - born and raised in Cuba NY, living for many years in Olean NY, and recently returning to his hometown. Eric has been involved for many years in the performing arts community as an actor, director, conductor, vocal director, musician, and technician, as well as performing with a number of local professional musical groups. He has worked with many of the community theatrical groups in the area, including Olean Community Theatre, Olean Theatre Workshop, Bradford (PA) Little Theatre, and the Palmer Opera House in Cuba Eric has also performed with the Seneca Junction Barbershop Chorus (Salamanca/Ellicottville) and the Southern Tier Symphony, and has shared his technical and musical expertise to Allegany-Limestone Central School District and Dance Arts (Olean NY).

For his “day job”, Eric is employed as a Solutions Consultant for Therapy Brands, Inc., based in Birmingham AL.

Eric hopes that his broad experience in the arts will assist the Arts Council in providing guidance and support to this particular segment of the arts community, as well as all artists that create and provide joy and comfort to our local communities.

John Bartimole, Director
John Bartimole brings years of experience in a variety of leadership and consulting roles for regional organizations and institutions. He is also a past recipient of the LOUIE Award, the area's highest honor for outstanding service to the community.

Jan Comstock, Director