The group of four FHAC founding members came together in 2012 with the common goal of establishing a not for profit arts center. Community surveys revealed a strong interest in both adult and children’s music and art programs. The FHAC founding members pooled resources and applied for 501c(3) status which was granted in late 2014.
The FHAC found a home at the 1864 House in downtown Fair Haven and opened its doors there in May 2015. The 1864 House was renovated with the help of a New York State Main Street grant. The vision of its two owners was to provide a place that would bring the arts to the community. As a non-profit organization, the FHAC is managed by a Board of Directors.
Board of Directors – 2024-25
Susan Lemon (President) – is a resident of Sterling, NY. Since retiring from Lockheed Martin where she managed advanced engineering programs, she is focusing her life in ways to give back to the community in which she now resides. Although her advanced degree was in Physics, she has had a life-long love of music, theater & the arts and is passionate to make these available to her new community. As a young adult she studied piano at Westchester Conservatory of Music and participated in numerous plays throughout high school and college. In prior years she directed a senior reader’s theatre group in Oswego, NY. She is also currently co-owner of the local businesses; Hardware Café & General Store and Turners 1816 House B&B.
Pat Hanford (Vice President - Community Affairs) - resident of Fair Haven, NY. Pat is a retired Nurse Practitioner and a long time resident of Fair Haven where she has participated in numerous community activities. A library volunteer for over 10 years, she is a former officer of the Fair Haven Chamber of Commerce, and of the Fair Haven Planning board. Pat has also spear-headed the start and continuance of Fair Haven’s SOFA (Save our Fourth of July) group which has been running the July 4th activities in the town for over 16 years.
Millie Newshan (Treasurer & Vice President - Admin) - is a resident of Sterling, NY. For over 25 years, Millie has used her expertise in financial, accounting and consulting areas to provide freelance services to small businesses. Millie has a Finance degree from New York University. She previously served as Secretary on the board of the Fair Haven Area Chamber of Commerce. Millie also previously served as President of the Oswego chapter of the American Association of University Women. Millie enjoys photography, water color and the arts in general. She was inspired to join the board of an organization that wants to share their love of the arts with the community.
Carroll Grant - (Secretary) is a resident of Fair Haven and has lived partially in the Village her whole life. She recently retired from being the Director of an Upstate Medical University Pediatric Clinic in Syracuse that served young children with disabilities with a special focus on autism. She has a doctoral degree from Syracuse University in Special Education and post doctoral degree in School Psychology from Oswego. Carroll has been a strong advocate for the use of expressive arts as a tool to better understand oneself and others. She created an interactive puppet work shop, "Kidspeak" to help others better understand autism that was presented in elementary schools throughout Central New York. She also authored a curriculum and children's book to augment the messages of the workshop. In addition to her professional work, Carroll is the business owner of Grants' Vacation Park, a RV/mobile home campground, which was opened in Fair Haven in 1952 by her father.
Amy Goggins spent her career in tech but has always dabbled in art and is excited to take it up again in retirement. Born in Maine, Amy spent her high school years in Massachusetts, then college in New Orleans, where she studied art and art history.She moved back to Massachusetts after college and lived in and aroundBoston for the next 40 years.She and her husband, Stefan, had relatives and a house in Fair Haven and decided to escape the city for a couple weeks to ride out COVID in March 2020 and ended up taking up permanent residence. Amy spent the last 14 years of her career as Program Director of the MIT Enterprise Forum, planning and facilitating programs and seminars that helped startups and entrepreneurs launch their businesses. Programs were open to everyone to access the latest technologies and innovations coming out of MIT. Much like working for any small business, Amy was responsible for working with volunteer committees, planning and marketing events, identifying expert speakers and setting up webinars. Along the way she kept her love for visiting museums and art shows and taking after work adult edart classes. When the world opened back up after the worst of COVID,and people wanted to go back to live events, she realized that she could no longer solely do her work remotely and retiredin June of 2023.She is very happy to have found the Fair Haven Arts Center and join the community that helps the arts flourish in a small village that is home to many creative people.
Pamela Hoffman Giovannetti was born and raised in Fulton, NY. She is a graduate of The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam where she majored in Music Education, with a concentration in vocal studies. She also plays a bit of Ukulele, Guitar and Piano. Coming from a musical family, she was involved in the music programs throughout her schooling and in the Hudson Valley and CNY area for many years, including being a member of The Ulster Choral Society, Hudson Valley Madrigal Society, Syracuse Opera Company, Syracuse Chorale, Oswego Opera Theater, Oswego Festival Chorus, Concinnityand Fair Havens’ own Ukeladies!
She taught general music at all levels of public school, retiring in 2021. Her hobbies include creating stained glass art, music jams, yoga, reading, boating, traveling, simple crafts and laughing. Her greatest and proudest achievements are her two adult children, whom she lives vicariously through everyday. She was a summer resident of Fair Haven for 37 years, before becoming a full- time resident in early 2025. She became a FHAC board member after attending yoga classes at the art center and deciding she’d like to be more involved in theFair Haven community, her favorite place on earth.
Stephen Wurst is a resident of North Wolcott, NY. After earning his PhD in psychology from New York University, he was hired as a professor at SUNY-Oswego, he taught for 33 years until he recently retired. He incorporated art into his courses in perception and cognition, using the works of Dali, Pollock, Escher, Calder, Horton and others to demonstrate different concepts. He also taught sport psychology and research methods in psychology. His hobbies include photography, puzzles, stereoscopy, sports, and history. His love of local history came from his mother, who was a Sussex County (NJ) historian.
Paula Yuhas Born in Texas, Paula has lived in eight states, the District of Columbia and Izmir Turkey. She moved to Sterling in 1978 and now resides in Fair Haven. She attended Onondaga Community College in Syracuse and American University in D.C. majoring in art. She worked as an artist intermittently. She taught art to K -3rd grades at Annunciation School in D.C, did newspaper illustrations for a boutique and illustrated a wildflower book for the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. In Sterling she worked in family businesses including a Christmas tree farm. As many people do, she wove art into her life throughout the years. She gathered natural materials and created dried wreaths. She painted, made a stained-glass window, made her own sewing patterns and elaborate costumes. She hopes the Art Center inspires everyone to make art part of their lives even if they don’t think they’re an artist. She started a career with the US Postal Service in 1996 and can now be found at the Fair Haven post office.