2026 Colleagues Retreat:
Building and Bolstering Our Capacities as Nonprofit Organizations and Individual Practitioners

Click the image to view the 2026 Colleagues Retreat event program

We are excited to offer the Retreat the first day of the New York Statewide Preservation Conference!

Hosted at The Otesaga resort in Cooperstown on Wednesday, April 15.

During this day-long retreat, we'll focus on the nuts and bolts of our shared work as nonprofits operating during periods of social upheaval. We aim to share tools, case studies, and engage collaboratively throughout the day as we tackle issues of fundraising, coalition building, employee burn out, and ways to foster healthy organizational habits/culture — especially when it feels like the world is on fire.

Click here to register. Note: the hotel room blocks have closed, but there are many other options in and around Cooperstown if you missed the window.

The Otesaga seen across the lake at dusk.

Agenda

Wednesday, April 15, All-Day Retreat
Panels and group discussions will be facilitated by Barbara D. Paxton, Director, BoardStrong, a subsidiary of the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON)*.

8:30-9:30 a.m. - Breakfast and welcome
9:30-10:30 a.m. - Facilitated Discussion: The state of Historic Preservation (Nonprofits)
10:30-10:45 a.m. - Coffee Break
10:45 - 12:15 p.m. - Panel 1: Filling Gaps and Building Community: How Nonprofits Stay Relevant
Panelists:

12:15-1:30 p.m. - Lunch
1:30-3:00 p.m. - Panel 2: Supporting the Work by Supporting Ourselves: Talking About Organizational Culture

3:00-3:15 - Coffee Break
3:15-4:30 - Breakout Group Activity: Build Your Dream Organization
In small groups, discuss current challenges to your workflows and ideas (specifically no- or low-cost ideas!) that could improve employee morale, team building, etc. Each group will report out key takeaways from their conversations. 

Workshop Facilitator

Barbara Paxton is the Director of BoardStrong, an organization that provides nonprofits access to diverse board candidates with a passion to serve, while helping boards make best use of the talent around the table and preparing new board members to serve as effectively as possible. Barbara is recognized as a pragmatic and creative nonprofit leader with experience in board leadership, board development and governance, fundraising and finance.

Barbara has also been the Chief Development Officer at The Child Center of NY, after having served as the Director of Development at Helene Fuld College of Nursing in Harlem and Executive Director of Children of Bellevue. She has served on the Boards of The Pearl Theatre Company and the New York Junior League, and currently serves as chair of the board of the Center for Comprehensive Health Practice and a member of the Community Advisory Committee of the Henry J. Carter Specialty Hospital.

Barbara earned a B.A. at Wellesley College and a Master of International Affairs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Panel 1: Filling Gaps and Building Community: How Nonprofits Stay Relevant

Sehila Mota Casper is a leading historic preservationist and heritage conservationist committed to fostering inclusivity and equity in the field. As the inaugural Executive Director of Latinos in Heritage Conservation (LHC), a national nonprofit, she champions the preservation of Latinx places, stories, and cultural heritage across the United States.

At LHC, Mota Casper has secured significant funding, including a transformative $4 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This funding supports groundbreaking initiatives like the first-ever Latinx preservation granting program, the expansion of the Abuelas Project, and a vital Latinx preservation toolkit for the Borderlands region.

Before LHC, Mota Casper was a senior field officer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, directing projects in Houston, Texas, and contributing to Austin's preservation initiatives with a focus on amplifying a racially equitable grant program.

She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Historic Preservation from SCAD, where her pioneering thesis was the first in the U.S. to directly address the systemic underrepresentation of Latinx heritage in national historic preservation, laying the groundwork for a national strategy to conserve Latinx sites.

Lucy Sexton is an acclaimed choreographer, director, dramaturg, film producer, and arts advocate. Since 2018, Sexton has led New Yorkers for Culture and Arts (NY4CA), a powerful coalition of artists and cultural groups working to strengthen the creative sector in every community so that all New Yorkers can engage in the power of culture and arts. She was named one of City& State’s 2024 Arts and Culture Power 100, and one of POLITICSNY’s 2025 Power Players in Arts & Culture. Sexton and NY4CA are also leading partners in NYC’s Safety Net Coalition addressing emergency preparedness, and the Voices for Creative NY advocacy coalition working to strengthen the creative economy across NYS.

As an artist, Sexton created and performs in the legendary feminist dance performance duo, DANCENOISE, created with co-director Anne Iobst. The groups began life in the 1980s East Village club scene, and went on to perform at Lincoln Center, win a NY Dance and Performance ‘Bessie’ Award, and tour the world. DANCENOISE was invited to do a retrospective of their work to open the new Whitney Museum in 2015, and continue to create and perform their work.

In theater, she developed and directed the off Broadway hit, Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell, which ran at the Minetta Lane Theater. She has also produced the documentaries The Legend of Leigh Bowery, directed by Charles Atlas for the BBC (UK) and Arté (FR), and TURNING a concert film by acclaimed director Charles Atlas and Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Anohni. Most recently she developed and directed singer/songwriter Eszter Balint’s I Hate Memory which ran at Joe’s Pub in 2024-25.

As an arts administrator, Sexton served as the Associate Artistic Director creating the vision for the PAC at the World Trade Center. From 2009 to 2019 she served as Executive Director of the NY Dance and Performance Awards ‘The Bessies”, and built the dance awards into an independent producing organization.

photo credit: AK47 Division

Lukee Forbes is a community advocate whose life has been shaped by deep personal loss and hardship. After his mother was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, Lukee began skipping school and running away, a pattern that led to him being labeled a person in need of supervision. As his behavior continued, he was placed on probation, and eventually, a warrant was issued for his arrest. At just 15, he was incarcerated for his part in an assault and spent 7 years behind bars.

Coming home to the loss of both parents and experiencing homelessness, Lukee’s early struggles fueled his determination to change the system that once failed him and his community. He’s worked with organizations like VOCAL-NY and the Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition, and he co-founded We Are Revolutionary with Qubilah Sale, where he now serves as Executive Director, devoting himself to addressing the school-to-prison pipeline, ending adverse childhood experiences, and supporting those most impacted by systemic injustices.

Lukee’s journey is one of raw resilience and commitment, driving him to ensure that no young person or community member ever feels as abandoned as he once did.

Hanna Stark is the Director of Policy and Communications at the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, a membership-based nonprofit advocacy organization that shines a spotlight on the places that make the Philadelphia region special and gives a voice and a toolbox to those who care deeply about protecting them for the future. She leads advocacy initiatives related to zoning, historic designation, and preservation incentives, and works closely with community stakeholders, elected officials, and partner organizations to advance preservation-first approaches to sustainable development. 

Prior to her current role, she worked for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Government Relations department. Hanna holds a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Clemson University. She also serves on the board of the Preservation Action Foundation and Young Involved Philadelphia and is the staff liaison to the Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance. 

Benjamin Prosky became President of the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation in 2023. With a degree in Urban Studies from Vassar College, followed by graduate work in Urban Planning at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Prosky has devoted his career to a range of projects dedicated to the promotion and interpretation of architecture and design. Previously he served for seven years as the Executive Director of American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY) and the Center for Architecture. He has held prior leadership roles at several prestigious academic institutions, serving as Assistant Dean for Communications at Harvard University Graduate School of Design and Director of Special Events and External Affairs at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. In earlier roles at international museums and cultural institutions, such as the Canadian Center for Architecture in Montreal, Canada, and the Institute français d’architecture in Paris, France, his work focused on developing public educational programs and exhibitions. He currently serves on the board of directors of NYCxDesign and the Association of Architecture Organizations (AAO). A Native New Yorker, Prosky divides his time between Brooklyn and Woodstock, New York.

Panel 2: Supporting the Work by Supporting Ourselves: Talking About Organizational Culture

Chris Kelly joined RUPCO in 2023 as the Vice President, Portfolio Management, overseeing property management and maintenance.  Mr. Kelly is responsible for overseeing the management of all RUPCO owned and managed rental properties throughout the Hudson Valley.

Mr. Kelly brings over 15 years of state and local government experience primarily in executive management, budgeting, operations, and capacity building across a diverse array of departments and services.  Most recently, Mr. Kelly was the Chief of Staff and Deputy Executive for the County of Ulster where he oversaw operations, public safety, intergovernmental affairs.

In addition to his work experience, Mr. Kelly holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Marist College, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Siena College.

Jacob R. Moore is the Executive Director of The Architectural League of New York, a role he has held since September 2023. There he leads the staff of 11 and serves as publisher of Urban Omnibus, shepherding all of the organization's operations, partnerships, public programs, and research initiatives, with oversight from the organization’s board of directors. Previously, Moore worked as the Associate Director of The Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture at Columbia University, as founding and contributing editor at the Avery Review, and as an editor at Princeton Architectural Press.

John Garrison Marks serves as the Vice President of Research and Engagement with the American Association for State and Local History. He directs AASLH’s field-wide research initiatives about the public history community and the role of history in American life. He also manages several other partnerships, initiatives, and special projects, including advocacy, partnerships, and internal survey and data efforts. He has written for TIME, Smithsonian Magazine, Washington Post, and other outlets and is the author of Thy Will Be Done: George Washington's Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory. 

Aaron Noble is Assistant Council Leader for Division 194 of the New York State Public Employees Federation, representing more than 1,200 professional, scientific, and technical employees in the New York State Education Department. He serves as a senior historian for the New York State Museum and Office of Cultural Education in Albany. As a historian, museum professional, and labor leader, Noble is a member of the Labor Task Force for the National Council for Public History (NCPH) and is working to build a labor working group for the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). He has presented at the Museum Association of New York annual conference about the role of unions in the museum workforce and in conversations about new/different models for museums and history not-for-profits. 

Hannah Marshall is the Head of Operations for Museums Moving Forward (MMF), an independent, limited-life nonprofit devoted to envisioning and creating a more just museum sector by 2030. Her background is in art history and library science and she worked as a librarian and/or archivist at Cornell University, ITHAKA, and the Chinati Foundation before transitioning into nonprofit management and operations.  

Thank you to our sponsors:

*BoardStrong is a subsidiary of the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON).

The Preservation League of NYS is supported in part by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. As a 2026 NYSCA grantee, the League was able to receive support from NYCON, which has helped make this year’s Colleagues Retreat possible.