Homeward Bound Adirondacks - About Us - FREE VETERAN RETREATS: HOMEWARD BOUND ADIRONDACKS

Our Mission
Guiding our Veterans through their challenges.

Our Vision
For our Veterans and their Families to be Secure, Productive and Confident

HOMEWARD BOUND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MARK MOELLER
BOARD PRESIDENT
Mark lives in Tupper Lake, NY. He is an executive with Community Bank, NA. Mark served as an Army officer on active duty from 1981 until 2001 in armor and cavalry units retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He is a graduate of Clarkson University, the University of New Hampshire and the US Army Command and General Staff College.

ROBERT ROSS
VICE PRESIDENT

Robert is the CEO of St. Josephs Addition and Treatment Recovery Centers in Saranac Lake. He has over 40 years of experience in the field of healthcare management and has provided management consultation services to healthcare providers and private companies in the U.S. and abroad, including development and implementation. Ross has served as Executive Deputy Director of New York State's Division of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse and Deputy Director for New York City's Bureau of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.

DAVID ALDRICH
TREASURER

David Aldrich retired in 2013 as Executive Director of the Harrietstown Housing Authority. Previous experience includes Director of Engineering at Lewis County Community Hospital and Facilities Manager at Albany Medical Center. David’s Father served in the Marines during World War II, his Father-in-Law served in the 10th Mountain Division in World War II with multiple cousins and Uncles serving in all branches of the service. David served in the Navy, Submarine Service from 1966 to 1970. Since his retirement, his volunteer activities include Board service on Mercy Care for the Adirondacks, Homeward Bound Adirondacks and the Saranac Lake Fish and Game Club. David is an avid long-distance motorcyclist including a trip to Alaska and back to Lake Placid in 2012. David lives with his wife, Chandler Ralph, and their 3 beloved dogs in Lake Placid, NY and Gansevoort, NY.

STEPHEN ERMAN
SECRETARY

Steve is a regional development consultant who was Economic Advisor to the NYS Adirondack Park Agency from 1982 to 2010. After leaving State service, he served three terms as President of the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA), a 14 County economic development organization. As a Washington-based management consultant, before moving to the Adirondacks, Steve’s work included military base and defense plant closure analyses. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1969-1975 (364th General Hospital, Albany) and lives in Saranac Lake with his wife, Margot Gold.

KATHLEEN CHACE

Kathleen is the daughter of LT. Commander JF Chace UDT # 22 and granddaughter of Dr. Arthur F. Chace who was a colleague of Dr. Trudeau at the turn of the 20th century. She was a resident of Lake Placid for 20 years and now resides in Florida. She was active with several boards: Lake Placid Center for Arts; Tri Lakes Youth Lacrosse, and a member of NABOR MLS and has served on the Board of HBA for over 10 years.

“ We must honor the veterans who have served our country. Please help fund The Veterans Retreat Center.”

VINCENT CORDATO

Vinnie is a Teamsters Local 707 trucking union member for over 35 years. He currently is employed with the Road Carriers 707 Pension & Welfare Funds and is running their I.T. department for 30 years. Dealing with healthcare and pension fund data, a few of his job tasks are data mining, data analysis and reporting. As the president and owner of WannaWebDesigns from 1998 to 2008, he created and designed professional websites for other Teamster Local Unions and small businesses. Vin is a car enthusiast and has enjoyed going to car meets, sometimes traveling from New York to Georgia to attend them. Having built 2 automobile forums, he enjoys the comradery and the social interaction of like-minded enthusiasts. Vinnie has volunteered his time to Homeward Bound making several trips to Onchiota, New York within the past 2 years prior to being appointed on the HBA board.
Residing in Staten Island, New York with his loving wife, he is the proud father of 3 children and adores his 3 grandchildren.

FRANK P. DORCHAK, Jr.
FUNDRAISING CHAIRMAN

Frank is a former U.S. Navy Submariner and retired New York State Forest Ranger. He is a graduate of the New York State Ranger School and Empire State College with a degree in “Environmental Ethics and Social Policy.” He has taught Communications Skills for the U.S. Forest Service, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Sir Sanford Fleming College Canada. Frank also was an Adjunct Instructor at Paul Smith’s College of the Adirondacks where he taught” Environmental Law and the Permit Policy.” He introduced the Adirondack Region to the “Salute Military Golf Association,” an organization that teaches wounded warriors to play golf for rehabilitative purposes. He is a member of VFW Post 1231 Canton, American Legion Post 219, Malone, AMVETS Post 8 Malone, and the U.S. Submarine Veterans Inc. Frank resides in Malone with his wife Wanda and their yellow lab, Capt. Woody Morgan.

ERIC HARGARTEN, Sr.

Eric grew up in an Air Force family and has therefore lived in many locations as a youth. He is a retired U.S. Army Veteran who had three deployments in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). He lives with his family in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. Eric has participated in many Homeward Bound retreats and now volunteers with HBA in conducting retreats to benefit fellow veterans.

MAJOR GENERAL (RETIRED) ROBERT JOHN KASULKE, MD, MPA, FACS

A 1996 graduate of the Army War College, Robert serves as the intermediary between the Surgeon General of the Army and the 27,500 medical members of the eastern U.S. Army Reserve. His expertise is in health care policy and cost analysis. He practiced with the Saranac Lake Surgical Group from 1983-89 and now practices vascular and general surgery in Adams and Carthage, NY.

JASON MURRAY

Jason lives in Moira, N.Y. and is a U.S. Army Veteran who served with the 101’st Airborne Division’s ”No Slack Battalion” (2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team) out of Ft. Campbell, KY where he did two deployments to Iraq as a combat medic. He currently serves as Director of Franklin County Veterans Services and was formerly a NYS certified peer advocate working in homeless and Veteran advocacy. Jason has a degree in Business Administration.

GEORGE ROBERTSON

George lives in Staten Island, New York and is an Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Specialist for the Narrows Institute for Biomedical Research, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ New York Hospital in Brooklyn. George is a U.S. Army veteran who served with the 101st Airborne Division, Ft. Campbell Kentucky. He has eight combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has also worked in corporate communications for Citi Bank, as well as for the Lowes Corporation. Prior to joining the HBA Board in September 2020, George was an attendee and later a volunteer staffer at HBA’s Adirondack retreats for veterans.

ANDREA M. STEWART

Andrea is serving as Malone’s first female Town Supervisor, after completing more than 30 years of full time service to the Town as Budget Officer, Bookkeeper and Assistant to the Supervisor, Deputy Supervisor, and previous time as Town Clerk and Tax Receiver. As Town Supervisor, Andrea was instrumental in having Malone designated as the first Purple Heart Community in Franklin County. Andrea’s Father served in the Navy during the Korean War, her father in law served in the Army during World War II, and her Aunt and Uncle both served in Vietnam, retiring as Lieutenant Colonels. Andrea (Andy) resides in Malone with her husband, former Malone Village Mayor Brent Stewart, and their five month old silver lab, Smokey Bear.

AMY TUTHILL

Amy lives in Vermontville, NY. She works at North Country Community College as an Associate Director in the Marketing and Enrollment Division. She has held various titles within the world of higher education over the past 20 years, including VA School Certifying Official. In this capacity, she assists veterans and their dependents who wish to obtain and utilize their Veterans Administration education benefits.

Amy is the proud mom of an Army veteran and the daughter of an Army Air Corps veteran who served during World War II.

HOMEWARD BOUND STAFF

VALERIE AINSWORTH
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (PART TIME)

Valerie is a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice specializing in PTSD and Veterans.

ROBERT BROWN
VOLUNTEER STAFF

Bob retired from Paul Smith’s College where he taught for 24 years. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1967-1971, onboard the USS Forrestal CV-59 and NTC Orlando, FLA. Bob has been a member of the American Legion Post 0326, Lake Placid, NY, for 16 years. He does office duty at our Depot Street office and also is one of our volunteer drivers doing medical transports for veterans. He lives in Lake Placid, New York.

ROBERT MARRONE
VOLUNTEER STAFF

Robert Marrone is a 1971 graduate of Paul Smith’s College. He retired from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in 2010 after 31 years of service. At retirement, he was a Forest Ranger Lieutenant in charge of the “High Peaks” zone of the Adirondack Park. Robert represented New York State on the ASTM International Standards Committee on Search and Rescue. After Hurricane Katrina, he served on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) working group to develop credentialing criteria for Search and Rescue deployment in national emergencies. Robert is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Viet Nam in 1968-1969 with the 260th Signal Detachment, an aviation electronics support unit at Qui Nhon Army Air Base. He lives in Vermontville with his wife Phyllis.