Community - Meet the Team

Kathy Lanni is responsible for leading SEFCU’s Community Support and SEFCU Foundation activities, working collaboratively with non-profits to create programmatic gifts and volunteer opportunities that strengthen the community and improve the lives of children and families through purposeful philanthropy. 
 

Prior to joining SEFCU she was the vice president of national sales at Broadblast Inc., where she was responsible for business development, onboarding, training, and support for emergency notification software. Before that she co-founded REGALO A Gift Experience, a corporate gift consulting firm, growing from a small entrepreneurial start up to revenues of more than $2 million earning her a number of awards including Albany County Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year, Diversity Magazine Top 100 Women-Owned Business, and Mass Mutual Small Business of the Year. Prior to opening REGALO, she worked at Albany Medical College as an Oncology Nurse in the Cancer Treatment Center.  
 

Lanni is actively involved in many not-for-profit organizations in the community. She is a member of the American Heart Association Capital Region Advisory Board and co-founder of the Circle of Red for the American Heart Association. She also serves as a Board Member of AlbanyCanCode, and actively supports the American Cancer Society, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region, South End Children’s Cafe, and the Women’s Employment and Resource Center. She was instrumental in bringing the NYS Mentoring Program to several schools in the region and actively serves as a mentor. She is a member of the Nonprofit Centers Network, and co-founded the Capital Region Funders Forum in 2014 providing capacity building support and partnerships to strengthen the not-for-profit community. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Russell Sage College, a certificate from The TUCK Women’s Business Enterprise Executive Program at Dartmouth, and was a participant in the Capital Leadership program of the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce (Capital Region Chamber). Lanni recently received the Spirit of Community Award from Commission on Economic Opportunity, and the Pearl of Wisdom & Empowerment from the Women’s Employment & Resource Center and the Crystal Heart Award from the American Heart Association.    

Mark Duffy, SEFCU's Community Engagement Leader, is responsible for enhancing and energizing the organization’s overall community impact and measurable results. Through the creation, oversight, and execution of outreach events, programs, and initiatives, Mark builds and maintains relationships with community partners that engage, inspire, and grow SEFCU’s commitment to changing lives.  
 

Mark manages and coordinates SEFCU's Giving for Good program, community-related events and fundraisers, the Why I Care award, potential volunteer opportunities, and for information about the Holiday Sharing program. 
 

Dedicated to the communities throughout SEFCU’s footprint, Mark serves as planning committee chair for A Taste of Albany, a culinary showcase and benefit for Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless, he sits on the American Heart Association’s CycleNation leadership team, and contributes his time and expertise to many other community organizations. Mark is a 2016 graduate of the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Institute and Business Review 40 Under 40 Class of 2016 honoree. Mark holds a B.S. from Marist College and earned his M.B.A. from The College of Saint Rose. And most importantly, Mark loves ice cream and has a one-eyed rescue dog named Cole. 

Katie Farrow is the Community Impact Leader at SEFCU. In this role, she is charged with the management and evaluation of programmatic grant requests made by non-profit organizations to SEFCU’s Community Support program. Her daily tasks include review of funding requests for programmatic grants for veterans’ integration and well-being, youth development and well-being, family health and well-being, and civic engagement within SEFCU’s geographic footprint of the Capital Region, Central and Western NY, and the Southern Tier.

As Community Impact Leader, Katie will assess financial requests for programmatic grants, capacity building, and event sponsorship, as well as applications for in-kind donations for seasonal items for veterans, youth, and families, such as winter clothing and backpacks.  Katie is responsible for communication with the grant writer or non-profit professionals who make requests and will answer questions to help them develop clear, measurable outcomes and other key indicators for SEFCU to consider when evaluating potential funding.

Along with others on the Community Support team, she is a point of contact for creating volunteer opportunities that enable SEFCU to carry out its philanthropic mission to share its time, talent, and treasure with these organizations. Outside of work, Katie serves on the Capital Region Chamber’s Steering Committee for Leadership Tech Valley, a program which she is a 2014 graduate of, and sits on the membership committee within the Women’s Business Council. Katie is a graduate of Saint Michael’s College and currently resides in the Capital Region with her husband and their two children. Katie is an optimistic and positive person who is motivated by her team and their individual passions.