Chapter Staff
Jeff Albert
Chief Operating Officer
Phone: (315) 246-7233
Jeff began his career with ABC, Empire State in 2009 as the Comptroller and Human Resource Manager. In February of 2013, he was named Chief Operating Officer and has also assumed the position of Director of Workforce Development after obtaining the NCCER Master Training certification.
Prior to joining ABC, Jeff served as Chief Executive Officer of East West Management LLC where he successfully developed a dental management company and played an integral role in successfully growing operations nationally, from New York to Texas. The company was eventually sold to a national, well known dental management company in 2009.
Jeff is very involved in the community and was a founding board member of Westhill Central School District’s first Educational Foundation. He is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and resides in the Syracuse area with his wife and children.
Jamie Campisi
Craft Training Manager
Phone: (585) 455-0293
Jamie Campisi serves as our Manager of Craft Training. She is based out of our Rochester Training Center but will be traveling around to all the training centers across the State.
Jamie served as the chapter's Education Coordinator for 4 years before taking over as the Manager of Craft Training.
Prior to joining ABC, Jamie worked for the Greater Rochester Chamber where she worked in the Staffing, Training and Reference Checking departments. She has extensive experience with managing large scale projects that require a great attention to detail and a high level of customer service.Â
Tracie Cunningham
Controller
Phone: (315) 463-7539
Tracie Cunningham is our controller, she is responsible for all accounting as well as the coordination, completion, and accuracy of the financial records, payroll process and human resource administration. She works out of our Syracuse office.
Prior to joining ABC, Tracie worked as an administrative manager of construction companies for over 20 years as a controller. She also owned a trucking business for many years.
Drew Epstein
Public Affairs Coordinator
Phone: (518) 974-5194
Amy Fleury
Director of Craft Training, Compliance and Instructor Development
Jessica Garafola
Long Island Membership Director
Phone: (718) 490‑2079
Jessica serves as our Long Island Membership Director. She comes to us with a good knowledge of the construction industry. She spent several years as an Estimating Assistant at a plumbing company. After that, she spent almost 6 years at an insurance company helping market and service contractors as they looked for insurance coverage for workers' compensation and general liability.
Kacy GardinerÂ
Workforce Development CoordinatorÂ
Phone: (315) 813-5275Â
Kacy Gardiner is our Workforce Development Coordinator, based in our Syracuse office. In her role, Kacy manages relationships with Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, vocational schools, and other skilled trades training organizations to help connect graduates with apprenticeship opportunities through ABC’s MEP program.Â
Kacy brings valuable experience in nonprofit fundraising and development, having previously worked with several Syracuse-based organizations where she built strong community partnerships and supported mission-driven initiatives. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Cazenovia College.Â
Outside of work, Kacy is an avid equestrian and competes with her horse, Sven. She also enjoys golfing in her free time.Â
Shane Hamilton
Coordinator of Electrical Education and Training
Phone: (585) 857-5643
Shane Hamilton is our Coordinator of Electrical Education and Training, responsible for leading the development and delivery of electrical training programs for apprentices, journeymen, and industry professionals. He also oversees curriculum development, industry certification alignment, and custom training solutions. Shane works out of our Rochester office.
Shane brings over two decades of experience in the electrical industry. He is a graduate of the ABC Electrical Apprenticeship Program and has been a licensed Journeyman Electrician since 2008. Throughout his career, Shane has worked as a service technician for 20 years, served as a service manager for 2 years, and operated his own electrical contracting business specializing in electric vehicle infrastructure and charging systems for 7 years.
He has served as an assistant professor at SUNY Alfred State for 3 years and has been an instructor with ABC for the past 3 years. Shane holds multiple certifications in areas including infrared thermography, industrial controls and motor systems, PLC programming, and confined space operations. He also has extensive experience as a safety advisor and consultant for industrial and manufacturing environments.
Shane is passionate about trades education and has developed numerous custom training courses in line with NEC code changes and industry needs. Outside of work, he is an active volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America and enjoys motorcycling, motorsports, and 19th-century timber framing and blacksmithing.
Mike Kanealey
Sr. Membership Director
Phone: (585) 301-6005
Mike is our Senior Membership Director. In his position, Mike works to take care of the needs of members in Eastern New York and Greater Rochester regions His duties include fulfilling compliance needs, education, and training needs and working to provide an environment beneficial to the merit shop philosophy. Mike also covered the Western New York Region for many years. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Thomas Aquinas College, where he played collegiate basketball, and resides in Irondequoit, NY.
During his 11 years at the Chapter Mike has:Â
- Grown the membership in his regions by over 20%
- Conducted countless successful statewide events for the members
- Launched the Western New York Builders and Brews which is now a multi-region event
- Helped members gain access to apprenticeship programsÂ
Prior to joining ABC, Empire State, Mike worked in membership at the Rochester Business Alliance. He also worked in the beverage industry for several years.
Lara Krys
Administrative Coordinator
Phone: (716) 336-3865
Lara Krys serves as the Chapter's administrative staff coordinator. Lara works closely with the Membership Team to ensure our members receive a return on their investment in us while also organizing and managing the chapter's events. Â
Before joining ABC, Lara was a District Manager in the Buffalo region for a wellness program and also comes to us with over five years of retail sales experience. This background has given her exceptional organization and time management skills that will be critical to her role here at ABC. She has worked with all types of individuals and enjoys building relationships to help others.Â
Lara graduated from Medaille College and currently resides in Lockport, where she actively volunteers in the local community charities and fundraisers.Â
Amy L. Platenik
Vice President of Member Services
Phone: (585) 363-1657
Amy Platenik serves as V.P. of Member Services for the ABC, Empire Chapter. Amy works closely with our members across the State. She is a dedicated Leader and Solution Solver.
Amy communicates closely with ABC members by providing them with a wide range of Programs and Safety training. Amy has been a trusted business partner to all ABC members across New York State and is well regarded for her work ethic and professionalism.
Prior to joining ABC Empire State, Amy worked for ten years at the Rochester Business Alliance as Business development, membership retention and coordinated educational programs and Custom Trainings for businesses in the Rochester area.
Amy studied Business Management at Monroe Community College and is an active member of her community where she volunteers for a number of organizations.
Brian Sampson
President
Phone: (585) 967-2133
As President of Associated Builders and Contractors, Empire State Chapter, Brian Sampson is responsible for coordinating its political and policy agenda, advocating for reform in state government, and promoting the overall growth of the construction industry on behalf of ABC’s more than 400 construction and contracting firms across New York State.Â
Prior to joining ABC, Brian served as Unshackle Upstate’s Executive Director for 5 years. While with Unshackle Upstate, Brian pushed for policies to make New York State more business friendly, advocating for less burdensome regulations and lower taxes. Building a strong coalition of partners, he was able to grow the organization significantly, becoming a leading voice on reform at the state level. One of many policy accomplishments that Brian led at Unshackle was the implementation of the property tax cap which limited municipalities to a 2% cap on property taxes.Â
Earlier in his career, Brian worked with Empire State Development (ESD) as Upstate Director for Business Outreach and served as vice president of the Builders Exchange of Rochester, a 550-plus member association in the construction industry.Â
Brian has received numerous accolades through his career, including twice being named to City & States Albany Power 100, with the publication citing his media savvy. He was also named to the Chairman’s Committee for the Regional Economic Development Councils by Governor Cuomo, facilitating cooperation among the ten regional councils, and to the Rochester Business Journal’s 40 under 40.Â
Brian is a graduate of Michigan State University and resides in Irondequoit, NY with his wife and two sons. He serves on a number of volunteer boards, including the Monroe County ARC.Â
Zach Sampson
Public Affairs Manager
Zach serves as our Public Affairs Manager. In this role, Zach creates internal and external communications content to assist members and share the Chapter's message with individuals outside the organization. Zach has years of experience in this role; before ABC, Zach held the same role with Upstate United.Â
Zach graduated from Slippery Rock University with a degree in Business Management.Â
Anna See
Eastern NY Membership Director
Phone: (518) 974-5193
Courtney VanBuren
Manager of Apprenticeship
Phone: (315) 727-5635
Courtney VanBuren serves as our Manager of Apprenticeship, working primarily out of our Syracuse office.Â
Courtney has a wide variety of experience with People, Education, Business leadership, and administrative work. Before joining ABC, Courtney was a Program Director of child care for ten years and has been active in training and education development for 7-10 years.
Courtney has worked with people from big to small throughout her career. She is ready to build bonds with our apprentices and guide them along their Journey. Courtney is ready to take on any task and loves learning new things. Courtney holds two degrees, in Business and Education.Â
Sarah Wall
Membership Coordinator
Phone: (518) 806-9697
Sarah Wall serves as our Membership Coordinator. She also handles the graphic design for the Chapter as well. She is based out of the Eastern New York office in Latham but travels around the ENY region and the state serving members.Â
Before joining ABC, Sarah was a beverage company Production and Sales Manager with over ten years of retail sales experience. She has extensive experience in sales, social media marketing, customer service logistics, and communication.Â
Sarah graduated from Alfred University with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts and a minor in Marketing. She is also a certified Nutritionist.Â