John Cleere, Chair

John Cleere joined the Safe Harbors Board of Directors in 2013. He is currently the Undersheriff for the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office. He has worked for the Sheriff’s Office for 35 years and has held prior positions as: a uniform officer, an investigator and as Chief Deputy. John holds numerous, advanced police certifications and is a graduate of the F.B.I. National Academy.

John has twice received special congressional recognition relating to his police work as well as recognition from the Seneca County Board of Supervisors for taking down a multi county child sex trafficking ring. He has received the Sheriff’s Department Personnel of the Year Award, and numerous other commendations on child abuse and major crime cases. He has appeared on several national and international television shows related to a high profile murder case including: 20/20, Dateline, and True Crime with Aphrodite Jones.

John was born and raised in Waterloo, NY and resides today in Seneca Falls, NY. He has been married 34 years and has 4 children, now grown. He enjoys family activities, exploring civil war battlefields, camping, hiking, bicycling, and reading.

In addition to his work at Safe Harbors, John is a member of the Seneca County Community Services Board and teaches Crisis Intervention skills to police officers.  He considers victim advocacy a crucial weight in balancing the scales of justice in our legal system.

Christopher Harris, Vice Chair

Chris joined the Safe Harbors board in 2020 and is a member of the Compliance Committee. Chris has over 19 years of experience providing financial statement assurance, tax return preparation, and other consulting services to a wide variety of not-for-profit organizations, most recently as the partner in charge of the not-for-profit division at RDG + Partners in Rochester, NY. He is currently a sole practitioner providing bookkeeping, Form 990 preparation, outsourced CFO, and consulting services to not-for-profit organizations.

Chris grew up in Auburn, NY and received his B.S. in Accounting from SUNY Geneseo in 2000. Chris was named to the 2013 Rochester Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 list and is a member of both the AICPA and NYSSCPA. He currently lives in Victor with his wife, daughter, son, and goofy dog.

In addition to Safe Harbors, he serves on the Board of Directors of Ability Partners, Inc. (encompasses Cerebral Palsy of Rochester, Rochester Rehabilitation Services, and Happiness House), Court Appointed Special Advocates of New York State, and Resolve of Greater Rochester. Chris previously served six-year terms each as a Board member of Bivona Child Advocacy Center (Treasurer), Court Appointed Special Advocates of Rochester/Monroe County (President), and Rochester Regional Chapter of Healthcare Financial Management Association (President).

Patty D’Amico, Treasurer

Patty D’Amico joined the Safe Harbors Board of Directors in 2016. Prior to her retirement, Patty worked as the Director of Ontario County Youth Bureau for fourteen years. Patty has spent much of her career working within the county systems, with several years as an E & T Counselor for both Ontario and Seneca County Workforce Development, and as a Social Welfare Examiner for Seneca County Department of Social Services.

Patty was raised in Geneva, NY, where she still calls home today. She received her Associates Degree from Finger Lakes Community College, and completed social work classes at The State University of New York at Brockport. Patty is the recipient of the Legal Assistance Partnership Award, the Cornell Cooperative Extension Collaboration Award, and the Ontario County Service Excellence Award.

In addition to her work at Safe Harbors, Patty serves on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Ontario County and is a member of the Women’s Auxiliary for Geneva Chapter of the Knights of Columbus. Patty’s hobbies include reading, hiking, traveling, photography, drawing, painting, and crocheting. In her free                                              time she enjoys volunteering in the community, gardening, spending time with family and friends, and hiking the Finger Lakes waterfalls.

Rebecca Rouland, Secretary

Rebecca Rouland joined the Safe Harbors Board of Directors in 2016. She lives in Clifton Springs, New York, a community she also grew up in. Rebecca is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Nazareth College. She is also a Primary Therapist at Newark-Wayne Community Hospital, an affiliate of the Rochester Regional Health System. Rebecca is a licensed master social worker (LMSW) in the State of New York. Rebecca earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology and Criminal Justice from the State University of New York at Geneseo. She has her Master’s degree in Social Work from Roberts Wesleyan College and her Doctorate of Philosophy in Social Welfare from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.

Rebecca is a member of the Phi Alpha, Psi Chi, and Phi Theta Kappa national honor societies. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, Council on Social Work Education, National Rural Social Work Caucus, and Geographic Health Equities Alliance. Rebecca also serves as a Councilor on the Council on Social Work Education's Council on Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Diversity. Rebecca actively engages in research and has several published journal articles. Her research interests include perinatal health, mental health, and well-being and health disparities with a focus on geographic disparities including rural social work. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and cats.

Kipp Goodman

Kipp Goodman joined the Safe Harbors Board of Directors in 2017.  Starting his career with the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office in 1992 he currently serves as the Sheriff’s Office’  Chief Deputy.  Kipp started his career as a uniformed patrol officer.  In 1993 he was promoted to the position of Investigator, a position he held until being promoted Chief Deputy in 2016.  While serving as Investigator he specialized and received training in crimes against children, sexual assaults and domestic violence.  Kipp is a certified police instructor, DARE Officer, crime scene specialist, advanced juvenile officer, and hostage and crisis negotiator. Throughout his career he has received numerous awards.  In 2013 Kipp received special congressional recognition for his work apprehending child predators. 

Kipp was born and raised in Waterloo where he still resides with his wife of 27 years. Kipp and his wife raised two children who are now grown.  He attended Waterloo High School, Finger Lakes Community College and the Finger Lakes Law Enforcement Academy.  In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, reading (especially forensic science and American History), exploring Civil War Battlefields with long- time friend, John Cleere, listening to music, a good game of cards and more recently traveling with his wife.

Working on crimes that typically fall under the umbrella of domestic violence, Kipp is dedicated to helping victims of domestic crimes, and believes we need to do a better job, and is committed to find funding and resources committed to that end.  He looks forward to working with Safe Harbors and community partners to make this happen.    

Regis McDonald

Regis G. McDonald joined the Safe Harbors Board of Directors in 2019.  He is an accomplished social service executive with decades of experience in managing and developing cutting edge programs and services for youth and families involved with the child welfare, juvenile justice, child mental health and immigration systems.

Mr. McDonald at the time of his retirement was the Senior Vice President for Programs at the Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry, New York. The Children’s Village was founded in 1851 in Lower Manhattan as the New York Juvenile Asylum. Today, The Children’s Village is a nationally and internationally respected multi-service human service organization with a staff of over 1,500 and an annual budget exceeding $91M. Mr. McDonald’s work at CV positively impacted and enriched every aspect of the organization, including its work on Undoing Institutional Racism and providing shelter and staff secure care to unaccompanied immigrant children.

At the invitation of the First Lady of Guatemala, Mr. McDonald participated in two Central America Regional Child Migration Forums. One in 2013 in Antigua, Guatemala and the second in 2016 in Washington, DC. He served as a member of the United States Department of Justice Interagency Working Group on Separated & Unaccompanied Children in 2014.

Mr. McDonald earned an Associate in Arts degree from Wentworth Military Academy & College. He is the recipient of the Ted Messmore Honor Graduate Award, Wentworth’s highest award.  Mr. McDonald was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree from Central Missouri State College and a Master of Social Work degree from Adelphi University School of Social Work. He resides in Geneva, New York.

Janet Steen Enos

Janet Steen Enos joined the Safe Harbors Board of Directors in 2021.  She is currently an owner and Vice President of Eagle Auto Center, Inc. and has an extensive Human Resources background.  She previously worked for Bausch & Lomb as a Benefits Analyst and the Seneca Cayuga ARC as Benefits Manager.  Janet holds certification as an SHRM-SCP (Society for Human Resource Management – Senior Certified Professional), is a Positive Psychology Master Coach, and is a licensed Notary Public for the State of New York.

Janet was raised in Geneva, NY.  She earned her PhD in Business Management from Capella University in 2020 and her extensive educational background also includes an Associate of Science in Paralegal from Finger Lakes Community College, A Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from Keuka College, a Master of Science in Management from Keuka College, and a Post Master’s Certificate in College Teaching from Capella University. She is Mediation training approved under Part 146 by the NYS Unified Court System Office of ADR Program for Initial, Advanced Matrimonial, and Advanced Civil Commercial mediation.  She is a member of Mensa as well as Delta Mu Delta, the International Honor Society in Business.

 Janet lives with her husband in Seneca Falls and has two adult children.  In her free time, she loves to continually learn new things, and enjoys spending her time with family, hiking, traveling, reading, researching, and writing. 

Kate Ferguson-Schmidl

Kate Ferguson-Schmidl joined the Safe Harbors Board of Directors in 2022.  She is a licensed Salesperson with Keller Williams Realty Gateway. She specializes in the Finger Lakes and Greater Rochester area, with a focus on Seneca and Keuka Lakes. In addition, Kate is also a Managing Partner of Legacy Quest Homes, LLC, a residential renovation company.  She finds the ability to assist her clients is a result of her work ethic and an attitude that ensures accomplishing their real estate goals. 

Kate’s interest in women’s rights and family systems has been long standing.  Volunteering for many organizations to provide support in these areas has been her focus.  She also is a member of the Penn Rotary Club and serves on the KW Cares and Cultural committee. An active and dedicated alumnus of Geneva High School, she chairs the Class of 1982 Scholarship committee, and is also an active member of the Up With People Alumni organization.  

With a degree in Music Education and Performance at Ithaca College, Kate was accepted in 1987 to the international group, Up With People, and performed and provided community service throughout eleven countries and 96 cities.  As a professional musician, Kate currently performs as a vocalist in numerous venues throughout the Finger Lakes area and teaches voice privately. 

Having lived all over the eastern United States, Kate returned to the Finger Lakes and met her husband, Todd, and relocated to Penn Yan. He has served his community for over 20 years as a Volunteer Fireman.  When she is not working, they enjoy sharing family time with Kate’s two children and grandchildren, Maya and Lucas.