Community - Meet the Team

Kathy Lanni is responsible for leading SEFCU’s Community Support and SEFCU Foundation efforts working collaboratively with non-profit and community-based organizations to make strategic philanthropic investments and create volunteer opportunities aligned with SEFCU’s mission of Changing Lives Every Day.  In addition, Kathy heads Broadview’s comprehensive Financial Well-Being resources, helping fulfill its mission to guide and encourage individuals to focus on achieving economic stability. 

Immediately 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 joining Broadblast, she co-founded REGALO A Gift Experience, a corporate gift consulting firm, growing from a small entrepreneurial startup 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’s Top 100 Women-Owned Business, and Mass Mutual Small Business of the Year. Lanni sold REGALO in 2009. 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 volunteer for the American Heart Association Capital Region Advisory Board and co-founder of the Circle of Red. She also serves as a Board Member and Chair of the Nominating Committee for AlbanyCanCode, and actively supports the American Cancer Society, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region, South End Children’s Café, 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 a certificate from Yale on The Science of Well-Being.  Kathy was also 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 the Commission on Economic Opportunity, Pearl of Wisdom & Empowerment Award from the Women’s Employment & Resource Center, Crystal Heart Award from the American Heart Association, and Spirit of Philanthropy Award from the Gift Planning Group of Northeastern New York.  
 

Michael Poindexter is SEFCU's Senior Vice President of Community Support and Financial Well-Being. In this role, he works alongside SEFCU's Chief Community Officer to lead the organization's collaborative work with non-profit and community-based organizations and SEFCU's Institute for Financial Well-Being. Michael also builds programming support for minority, women, and veteran businesses and entrepreneurs (MWVBE). 
 
Before joining SEFCU, Michael worked for the City School District of Albany for six years as a Community School Coordinator and Culturally Relevant Education Facilitator. In this role, he was responsible for planning, configuring, and implementing various needs-driven, high-quality, and comprehensive programs/services for students, their families, and the community. These programs and services focused on adult education and workforce development, school-based health services, early childhood education, expanded learning and enrichment opportunities, and community engagement. While building the community school strategy, Michael also served as a district-level professional development trainer and facilitator on Culturally Relevant Education (CRE) implementation and equity policy development.
 

In addition to Michael's work with the school district, he also served as the Founder and Director of the Metropolitan Community Group's summer program for 10 years. During that time, the program grew from a two-week summer camp that welcomed 20 campers to an eight-week summer enrichment program that welcomed 265 campers, and included enrichment such as student literacy, STEM, fitness, educational field trips, and much more. The summer program's weekly tuition never exceeded $65, and provided scholarships each year to students who needed it the most.
 
Outside of work, Michael is actively involved in the community as a volunteer, board member, and community builder. He serves as an Executive Board Member and Chair of the Community Investment and Impact Committee for The United Way of the Greater Capital Region and serves as a Board Member for the American Heart Association of the Capital Region and The Regional Foodbank of Northeastern New York.  

Michael holds a B.A. from the University at Albany, an M.Div. from United Theological Seminary, and is completing an M.S.W. from The University at Albany. When Michael is not working in the community, you can find him playing basketball (he's pretty good!), riding his motorcycle, enjoying a milkshake, and creating fun family memories with his three children and wife.
 

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 campaigns and programs, Mark builds and maintains relationships with community partners that engage, inspire, and grow SEFCU’s commitment to changing lives.  
 
Celebrating more than 10 years at SEFCU, Mark drives employee and member engagement through managing ongoing initiatives like our Giving for Good program, the Why I Care Award, and our time - honored tradition of SEFCU Holiday Sharing Program, in addition to designing and enhancing multiple activities, events, and fundraisers to support the SEFCU Foundation and our non-profit partners.
 
Dedicated to the communities throughout SEFCU’s footprint and regularly recognized for giving back time and talent to make our neighborhoods better and stronger, Mark serves on the American Heart Association’s CycleNation leadership team and is the event chair for 2021. He is a trusted and dedicated advisor to the Real Kids Wear Pink campaign committee for the American Cancer Society, and most recently completed seven years as planning committee and event chair for A Taste of Albany, a culinary showcase and benefit for Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless. 

Mark is a graduate of the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Institute, a 2016 Albany Business Review 40 Under 40 honoree, and was recently named a 10 Under 40 by Saratoga Living Magazine. Mark holds a B.S. from Marist College and earned his M.B.A. from The College of Saint Rose. Mark also loves ice cream and has a one-eyed rescue dog named Cole. 

Katie Farrow is the Community Impact Leader at SEFCU. She is charged with the management and evaluation of programmatic grant requests made by non-profit organizations to SEFCU’s Community Support program. In 2021, Katie’s role expanded to include management of the Freight Farm operations and social innovation – initiative efforts through hydroponic shipping container farms under SEFCU’s philanthropy. Her responsibilities 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.  She works with the grant writer or non-profit professionals who make requests to 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. Outside of work, Katie serves on the Capital Region Chamber’s Steering Committee for Leadership Tech Valley, a program which she is a graduate of, and sits on the membership committee within the Women’s Business Council. In 2020, Katie was chosen for the first online cohort for the NGen Leadership program sponsored by American Express in partnership with the Independent Sector. The five-month program was one of the most eye opening of Katie’s career, uniting non-profit sector leaders age 40 and under to enhance their skills, grow their networks, and prepare themselves to lead the sector into the future.

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.
 

Kathy Sansone serves as SEFCU’s Community Support Coordinator and plays an integral role in making a positive impact throughout our neighborhoods. Her work supports both the Community Support Program and the SEFCU Foundation by fostering meaningful relationships with our non-profit partners to ensure they have the tools and resources they need to execute on their mission as they serve our community.
 

With more than three decades of credit union experience, Kathy has established a reputation for delivering successful fundraising campaigns, collaborating on our Signature Event committees, orchestrating volunteer outings, and working with divisions across the organization to implement programs that truly make a difference for the many individuals and families served by SEFCU.  
 

Kathy embodies the philosophy of “People Helping People” and brings her passion and compassion to everything she does. In 2015, Kathy was recognized for her ongoing efforts and honored as SEFCU’s inaugural winner of the prestigious Why I Care Award.  She continues to serve as an inspiration to her colleagues through her meaningful work.
 

As a dedicated community volunteer, Kathy currently serves on the City Mission of Schenectady’s Capital Campaign committee and has been a long-time volunteer with Rosie’s Love, Home Furnishings, American Red Cross, and the South End Children’s Café. 
 

When Kathy is not contributing her talent to support countless community organizations, you can find her riding her prized horse (for leisure and competitively), curled up with a good book, or simply spending quality time with her husband and their two dogs. 
 

Megan Meduna is SEFCU’s resident Freight Farmer. She joined SEFCU in 2015 to bring healthy options into the SEFCU café and when the Community Support team started a farming initiative in 2017, she jumped at the chance to be part of sustainable agriculture in her community. She currently manages the SEFCU farm and as SEFCU deploys Freight Farms into the community, she provides mentorship and support to the people who staff the Freight Farms at the non-profits, guiding them to success.

Megan holds a formal education in culinary arts from the Culinary Institute of America and has worked in agriculture alongside her culinary career for the last 18 years. With experience in different farms and restaurants from New York to California and across the Pacific to Hawaii she now utilizes her diverse knowledge to grow healthy sustainable produce in the Capital Region. 

Outside of food, Megan has a love of animals and nature and enjoys hiking, someday hoping to complete the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail.  The care she gives to the SEFCU hydroponic farm carries over into the garden she keeps at home and the garden and farming projects at SEFCU.  She gives the same attention to all living creatures and frankly just loves to watch things grow and thrive. Megan believes in the power of good food as medicine for not only the body but the soul and grows produce for our communities with that in mind.