We’re super excited to welcome a bunch of new faces to our HudCo family on this Super Bowl evening! We have tech geniuses and writers and doctors and even someone who worked on the Puppy Bowl with Michelle Obama, each bringing their own special sauce to the table. So, let’s give a big, warm Swift/Kelce hug to our new members. Welcome aboard, everyone! (Artwork above by our Instagram artist crush Donald Robertson)
Matthew Cummings
Resides in: Hastings-on-Hudson
Profession: Physician and clinical researcher
Favorite local business: The Good Witch—great coffee/pastries and a constant source of positive energy in the community.
Current TV show, album, book or podcast that you can’t get enough of? Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy.
Fun Fact: My wife and I welcomed our second daughter last month.
Abigail Feuer
Resides in: Dobbs Ferry
Profession: I’m the Executive Vice President, Strategy & Innovation at DonorsChoose (website, Instagram), an award-winning education nonprofit that helps public school teachers across the US get supplies for their classrooms. Any US public school teachers can post a request for items they need—from computers to furniture to books—and we work with private and public funders to fulfill them. My team is responsible for leading organizational strategy alongside our CEO and incubating new ideas to extend our impact and reach more students.
Favorite local business: Our kindergartener attends GaragePod afterschool and saying he loves it would be an understatement! Definitely check out their birthday party, kids nights out, and other community offerings.
What are you listening to? I’m a big fan of Adam Grant’s Work Life, How I Built This with Guy Roz and recently discovered On Being with Krista Tippett which is a different flavor of podcast if you’re into combining work and life wisdom. Happier is a good bet if you want betterment tips but plan to zone in and out.
What’s a fun fact about yourself? I’m a certified yoga instructor—if you’re into sound baths or yogic philosophy as much as professional networking, let’s hang!
Laura Lee Huttenbach
Resides in: We moved to Hastings-on-Hudson two years ago.
Profession: I’m a writer. My two big projects were nonfiction books. The first was an oral history of an 85-year-old Kenyan Independence leader whom I met while backpacking in Africa. The second was a biography of a Miami Beach runner called Raven, who has run 8 miles in the sand every day, without exception, for the last 49 years.
These days, while mothering two young boys, I’ve not found much time to write outside of my journal, but that at least keeps me in shape. Additionally, I’m coming up with ideas for children’s picture books.
Outside of writing, I’ve taught ESL for many years. At HudCo, I’m excited to offer drop-in ESL classes. My schedule is dependent on finding childcare, but I hope it becomes a more regular thing. I love teaching English, especially classes on American idioms. (Website)
Favorite local business: We LOVE visiting all the local libraries. And we order a lot of pizza from Slices in Hastings.
What excites you most about HudCo? HudCo is a beautiful space. I feel lucky to be able to reserve the conference room to host my ESL classes. I’m excited to connect with fellow itinerant workers. And I’m also excited to work someplace outside the house, where my children can’t follow me into the bathroom.
Fun fact: After graduating from the University of Virginia, I taught English to schoolkids in Brazil. I lived in a coastal town called Macaé, a couple hours north of Rio de Janeiro. I’m so grateful for the people I met and the experiences I had. Brazil will always have a special place in my heart
Lindsay Mann
Resides in: Hartsdale
Profession: I’m a certified meditation teacher and intuitive healing artist, and my company is Hey Clarity, LLC (Instagram)
Favorite local business: First Village Coffee in Ossining <3
Your favorite tip for staying focused? Having a daily meditation practice.
Fun fact: I was a sweater designer for 18 years in the fashion industry and can really nerd out about a good sweater.
Melinda Toporoff
Resides in: Tarrytown
Profession: I’m an Executive Producer with the Kids Media & Education Department at WNET/Thirteen public media. I make animated series for PBS KIDS as well as other forms of entertainment your family may tap, listen to, watch and play. I also have my own consulting business, Topsy Media.
Favorite local business: Shout out to HudCo! Very happy to have a second work-from-home location.
Fun (timely) fact: Born and bred in Manhattan and relatively new to the Rivertowns. First-time homeowner, long-time outdoor-space lover. Career highlight: shooting Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl” on the White House lawn with Bo, Sunny, and Michelle Obama.
Michael Vespe
Resides in: Hastings-on-Hudson
Profession: Data Scientist at Google
Favorite local business: Climbing Wolf in Dobbs Ferry has great coffee and an excellent beer list!
What are you watching? Not quite current, but we just watched (and really enjoyed) Reservation Dogs, which wrapped up last year.
Fun fact: Over the course of one summer day in 2022, my (now-)wife and I visited all five NYC boroughs and, in each one, drank a beer brewed there.