Mount Nittany Conservancy’s Board, per our governing bylaws, comprises 19 members. Elected Board members may serve a maximum of 4 consecutive terms (12 years). The immediate Past President serves on Executive Committee. Directors Emeritus (non-voting) may be designated after 9 years of service. Total Board Membership consists of:
Terms Expire 2026
LPAA Appointees
Terms Expire 2027
MNC President Appointee
Terms Expire 2028
College Township Liaison
| Name, Email, Phone | Mailing Address | Elected/Appointed History | Committee(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Shakely | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| 215-512-2528 (C) | 1600 Hollindale Drive | ||
| Alexandria, VA 22306 | Appointed September 2018; Elected 2019-22; 2022-25, 2025-28 | President, Executive | |
| Chris Buchignani | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| (814) 360-9428 | 781 Galen Drive | ||
| State College, PA | Elected 2023-26 | Vice President, Executive | |
| Blake Gall | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| 814-880-0109 (C) | 131 Blackberry Lane | ||
| Boalsburg, PA 16827 | Eltd 2001-04; Aptd 04-10; Eltd 10-13, 13-16, 16-19, 19-22, 22-25, 25-28 | Treasurer, Executive | |
| Kevin Horne, J.D. | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| 570-220-4139 (C) | 110 East Foster Avenue | ||
| Apartment 205 | |||
| State College, PA 16801 | Appointed February 2020-21; Elected 2021-24, 2024-27 | Secretary, Executive | |
| Lisa Bistline | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| 267-261-7113 (C) | 440 N. Keswick Ave | ||
| Glenside, PA 19038 | LPAA President 2022-23 | ||
| Vacant | LPAA Appointee | ||
| Paul Roth, Ph.D. | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| 814-360-1276 (C) | 206 Oakley Drive | ||
| State College, PA 16803 | MNC Presidential Appointee since July 2017, forestry expert. | Recreation | |
| Stephen Spoonamore | |||
| stephen.spoonamore@gmail | |||
| 234-249-1909 (C) | College Township Liaison since January 2024 | ||
| David Abruzzese | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| (585) 402-5670 | 1810 Bayfield Court | ||
| State College, PA 16801 | Elected 2023-26 | ||
| Jim Antoniono, J.D. | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| 724-331-2595 (C) | 6009 Mason Drive Greensburg, PA 15601 | Appointed December 2018-21; Elected 2021-24, 2024-27 | Recreation |
| Jodi Berkebile | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| 814-701-1108 (C) | 1185 Peninsula Drive | ||
| Central City, PA 15926 | Elected 2018-21; 2021-24, 2024-27 | Recreation | |
| Paul Clifford | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| 252-378-5906 (C) | 195 Mountain Laurel Dr | ||
| State College, PA 16801 | Elected 2022-25, 2025-28 | ||
| Vince Corso | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| (C) 814-222-0600 | 502 Brick Street | ||
| Port Matilda, PA 16870 | Elected 2020-23, 2023-26 | Outreach | |
| David Gray | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| 814-470-5036 (C) | 131 Manhasset Drive | ||
| Port Matilda, PA 16870 | Elected 2021-24, 2024-27 | ||
| Derek Kalp | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| 814-571-0152 (C) | 211 Hickory Road | ||
| State College, PA 16801 | Appointed June 2024-26 | Recreation | |
| Gavin Keirans | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| 267-266-1213 (C) | 39 Alyssa Drive Newtown, PA 18940 | Elected 2021-24, 2024-28 (Bylaws accommodation) | |
| Leon Kolankiewicz | |||
| [email protected] | 703-795-2879 (C) | 186 Presidents Drive | |
| State College, PA 16803 | Appointed September 2019-21; Elected 2021-24, 2024-27 | Recreation | |
| Steve Lyncha | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| 814-933-7655 (C) | 110 Patrick Circle | ||
| State College, PA 16801 | Elected 2017-20, 2020-23, 2023-26 | Recreation | |
| Luke Pierce | |||
| [email protected] | |||
| 615-967-0732 (C) | 2312 Seifried Street | ||
| Nashville, TN 37218 | Elected 2022-25, 2025-28 |
Tom Shakely (President) is an eighth-generation Pennsylvanian and a third-generation Penn Stater whose love of Mount Nittany grew through encounter, starting in earnest during Vince Verbeke’s presidency. Tom wrote Conserving Mount Nittany: A Dynamic Environmentalism to share the story of Central Pennsylvania’s most remarkable mountain and foster a stronger spirit of place. Tom launched MNC’s Nittany Valley Press and established Centre Foundation’s Ben Novak Fellowship Fund. Tom lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife and children.
Chris Buchignani (Vice President)
Blake Gall (Treasurer) runs Micro++, a small private hedge fund, focusing on micro-cap value stocks (mppim.com) and his professional experience centers on being a Wall Street investment manager of large institutional retirement funds and endowments.
Living in State College (on the side of Mount Nittany), he is also an active volunteer in a number of local organizations, including Penn State (helping to oversee the endowment), Centre Foundation (investment committee), and the Mount Nittany Medical Center (investment committee). For the Mount Nittany Conservancy, he has served many years as treasurer, toolshed manager, and trail cleaner.
He and his wife, Linda (both Princeton ’74), are enthusiastic supporters of their alma mater, as well as Penn State, with a variety of philanthropic gifts. In 2006, Blake and Linda were selected as the Penn State Renaissance Fund honorees, celebrating their years of service to Penn State and the surrounding community.
Besides his interests in his family—happily married for almost 50 years, with two grown daughters and their families living nearby—Blake enjoys most sports, but especially tennis, golf, softball, and utilitarian biking. He also loves traveling, cooking (and eating), and reading (especially audio books while traveling).