Adamski steps down as museum president

BRANCHPORT-- After five years at the head of the effort to establish the Finger Lakes Museum and Aquarium (FLM&A) in the region, FLM&A founder John Adamski will no longer be president of its board. At its recent annual meeting, the board of trustees of the FLM&A made a number of administrative and structural changes to the organization. Adamski stepped down as president, but retains his seat on the board. He will now be in charge of public relations.
"This change will give me more time to focus on other aspects of the project and it will provide the dynamic leadership needed to continue moving the project forward," Adamski said.
After a restructuring of officer positions, William Gaske was elected chair of the board. Gaske is retiring from his law practice in New York City at the end of June and will reside full-time in his home in Canandaigua. He has been a board member since 2011 and has provided pro-bono legal counsel to the museum. Gaske will assume certain oversight and board responsibilities from Adamski.
Board members Dr. Tim Sellers, associate vice president at Keuka College, Dr. Rolf Zerges, retired vice president from the SUNY College at Alfred, and Houston, Texas, businessman George Slocum, were elected to the positions of vice chair. Fairport resident and American Heart Association Vice President Ramona Englebrecht was reelected to a second three-year term on the board of trustees.
Dr. John Halstead, retiring president of The College at Brockport, State University of New York and a member of the FLM&A's advisory board, was elected to a three-year term on the board of trustees. He will join the board following his retirement in July and his move to Penn Yan.
These changes follow the announcement two weeks ago that Natalie Payne was appointed to the position of executive director. She has been involved with the project since its inception in 2008.
Branchport resident Jim Higgins, who recently retired as a project manager from LeChase Construction Services, has been hired to serve in the same capacity at the FLM&A. He will oversee construction of the Creekside Center, the FLM&A's canoe and kayak livery on Sugar Creek, which is scheduled to begin soon.
For more information or to make contact, see www.fingerlakesmuseum.org.