ESTATE PLANNING COUNCIL OF TOMPKINS COUNTY

George Ferrari has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Community Foundation of Tompkins County since August 2005. Previously, he served as the Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Tompkins and Tioga Counties and was the founding Executive Director of AIDS WORK of Tompkins County. He is a past board president of the Grantmakers Forum of NYS, now called the NY Funders Alliance, an association of foundations from across upstate New York. He is a member of the Ithaca Rotary club and the Estate Planning Council of Tompkins County. He serves on the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Kendal at Ithaca Board of Trustees and the board of directors of NYCON, a statewide membership organization which enriches communities by building the capacity of nonprofits through services and advocacy. 

Michael Ramos became President & CEO of United Way of Tompkins County in May 2023.  His career has been inspired by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision of Beloved Community and the challenge he posed to confront the “triplets” of racism, poverty, and militarism.  United Way of Tompkins County envisions and strives for a community where all people thrive.  Poverty is rare and all households live sufficiently and sustainably.  Equitable access, opportunity, and mobility are experienced as a societal norm. 

During his many years in Oakland and Seattle, Michael educated, advocated, and organized to address homelessness, promote affordable housing, secure living wages, build community alliances, and uphold and affirm immigrant rights.  He served as Executive Director of the Church Council of Greater Seattle for 15 years, where he was the first lay and first Latinx director in its 100 year-plus history.  He most recently served on the Regional Homelessness Authority Implementation Board, the Affordable Housing Committee, and the Pandemic and Racism Community Advisory Group (in King County, Washington), as well as serving as Board President of Puget Sound Sage.  He is a native of New York City.  He is married to Donna and has two adult daughters.  He has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Seattle University.

Perri LoPinto has been working in the non-profit field since 1987 focusing on nonprofit management, special events, and development. In Ithaca she spent 23 years at the Racker Centers as the Director of Community Relations and Development, overseeing all fundraising, special events, PR and marketing, as well as being the Campaign Director for their Making Room Campaign. In 2021 she started working for the Legacy Foundation, hired to grow their endowment and create a more robust brand for the community. At Legacy she also manages all Grantee Relations, and the grant-making process. Her volunteer experience includes:  The Alex Haley Memorial Project, The Community Foundation of Tompkins County Women’s Fund Advisory Fund, The Institutional Review Board Cayuga Medical Center, Kitchen Theatre Company, Leave A Legacy Cortland County, Give Tompkins, Cerebral Palsy Association NYS, Co-Founding President and Board Member of AFP Finger Lakes Chapter, Firehouse Theatre, Community School of Music and Arts, and Ithaca Rotary Club.

Megan Barber is a nonprofit leader, musician, and community builder. Driven by her belief in the power of the arts to change the world, Megan takes pride in supporting local artists and arts groups to realize their visions.  As the Executive Director of the Community Arts Partnership, her goals include cultivating a thriving creative culture that reflects our community’s diversity.  Megan resides with her family in her hometown of Brooktondale where they're raising sheep, geese, chickens, and lots of nut trees.