Vera House Announces 2020 Board Members and Officers

We are pleased to announce our new slate of officers for the 2020 Board of Directors. Heading up the list of officers is Board President Barbara Karper, LeMoyne College Advancement Associate for Alumni Relations. Valerie Cushman, Mortgage Loan Originator with Movement Mortgage, and Sabrina Tipton, Application Systems Analyst at Empower Federal Credit Union, will serve as Vice Presidents. Danielle Chabot, Director of Compliance at SRC, has been named Treasurer. Virgie Townsend, communications specialist and writer, will serve as Secretary.

New Vera House Board Members that will serve a three-year term commencing January 2020 include Darrell Buckingham, Foundation and Facility Operations Manager at Central New York Community Foundation; Nakeia Chambers, Director of Multicultural Affairs & Student Inclusion at SUNY Upstate Medical University; Patricia “Katie” McBride, Deputy City Clerk at City Hall; Rebecca Ortiz, Assistant Professor in the Department of Advertising in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and Marissa Saunders, Founder and Facilitator at Nurturing Individuals Abilities (NIA) Ministries Worldwide.

Click HERE for a complete list of the Vera House Board of Directors.

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A Message to Andrew Cuomo

“The Friends of Andrew Cuomo” spent over $300,000 to launch an ad campaign designed to paint former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as a victim of political attacks because of the sexual harassment claims against him. We cannot allow this gaslighting to continue while the ad revictimizes victims of not only Cuomo’s sexual harassment but ANYONE who has ever experienced abuse. The tactics used by Cuomo and his supporters further represent the barriers that survivors face every day that prevent them from coming forward and getting support.

We at Vera House have asked Andrew Cuomo to take accountability for the harm he has caused on multiple occasions. Instead of admitting to his wrongdoings, he continues to use power and control to suppress and invalidate the truths of the survivors. Today we released a video, produced by Solon Quinn Studios and supported by Survivors’ Network, that sends a powerful message to survivors, "I believe you."

We are asking you to help us amplify the video so that survivors throughout New York and the rest of the world know that we believe and stand with them.

Here’s how to get involved:

1. Share our post on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter

2. Engage with our content on Instagram and TikTok

3. Share survivor support resources from your organization

4. Tag @verahouseinc

For any questions or to request an interview with a member of Survivors' Network, please contact us at: communications@verahouse.org