This lovely June day, we are pleased to unveil the brilliant newcomers gracing our esteemed community of professionals. We take great pride in attracting a network of the most fabulous and inspiring—this batch of new members is a glorious one, with so much talent it’s almost painful. Plus, they’re sharing their love for podcasts, Piccola Trattoria, and Jess Galen. Bask in the inspiration as you meet the dynamic forces now calling HudCo home.
Ally Dillenburg
Resides in: Briarcliff
Profession: I’m Head of Clinical Enterprise at Soar Autism Center. We’re a growing autism services company based out of Denver, with clinics in Denver and Phoenix.
Favorite local business: Bicycle World in Mt. Kisco! Got my first-ever bike fitting there—they’re awesome.
Fun fact: I have a hard time staying put—I’ve lived in Brazil, Toronto (Canada), Scotland, Philly, Denver, and now here.
Current podcast you can’t get enough of: Just started getting back into podcasts. Armchair Expert is pretty good. I also like Adam Grant’s WorkLife podcast.
Christine Randazzo Kirschner
Resides in: Hastings-on-Hudson
Profession: I am a registered dietitian nutritionist and co-founder of Amenta Nutrition, a counseling and consulting firm that specializes in digestive health (aka gut health). We help people manage their gastrointestinal symptoms with diet and lifestyle modifications so they can get back to living their lives freely again! We also work with people to optimize their microbiome which has positive effects on mood, the immune system, and energy balance. (Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter)
Favorite local business: I love to cook, but when I’m burnt out towards the end of the week, my family and I love the Taco Project.
Fun fact: I speak fluent Italian, and I’m a former Pilates instructor.
Share your favorite tip for staying focused: When I need to concentrate on a project or if I’m up to my arms in research papers, I listen to non-lyrical jazz music. Then I can focus, be creative, and (definitely) be more productive.
Morgan McEwen
Resides in: Hastings-on-Hudson is where my family and I have settled, finding solace and inspiration amidst the picturesque banks of the Hudson River.
Profession: I’m the creative force behind MorDance (Instagram), a trailblazing ballet company dedicated to breaking boundaries. My journey from professional ballet dancer to founder and artistic director of MorDance has been fueled by a passion to revolutionize the ballet landscape for the modern era. Through MorDance, I am committed to fostering exploration and equal opportunity, empowering a diverse roster of creatives to redefine ballet as a powerful vehicle for meaningful change. I firmly believe that our art form has the potential to inspire civic engagement, promote environmental stewardship, and unite communities for a common good. Recently, MorDance underwent a significant transformation, relocating from NYC to Yonkers. I am thrilled at the prospect of welcoming everyone from HudCo to our next performances or open rehearsal events.
Favorite local businesses: Big love to Boro6 in Hastings, fondly nicknamed “Fancy Cheese” by my daughter. They are a cherished culinary addition to our community.
Fun fact: Beyond the dance studio, I’m a proud mom to my daughter Josephine, two rescue pups, and partner to my husband Michael. When not choreographing, you’ll find me in my gardens, or giving new life to vintage furniture.
What do you love about HudCo? HudCo’s vibrant community is a beacon of entrepreneurial energy. I’m thrilled to dive into this dynamic ecosystem, fostering connections and collaborations.
Rebecca Pitts
Resides in: Dobbs Ferry
Profession: I am a freelance writer (published in the New York Times for Kids, Teen Vogue, Highlights Magazine, and elsewhere) and author of the YA book Jane Jacobs: Champion of Cities, Champion of People (Seven Stories Press, 2023.) I run workshops in the Lower Hudson Valley Rivertowns for young writers and artists, guiding children in visual storytelling in comics, zines, and newspaper-making. I am also the founder and editorial advisor of Story Salon (Instagram), a publishing studio for young people based in the Rivertowns in Dobbs Ferry, New York. (Instagram)
Favorite local business: It’s hard to choose—Picture Book and HudCo have both been great partners to me as I have promoted my debut book. (Thank you Sara, Christy, Christina and all!) Beyond the HudCo community, it has to be Bloomy! I hold the special honor of being the first person to purchase cheese from Jess (at the farm share at South Church)—this was before her brick & mortar at Cedar and even pre-dates her pop-up at HudCo. Jess has created such a unique business around high-quality, delicious products AND her commitment to Lactose & Tolerance is brilliant and important. Jess serves as a Dobbs Ferry Village Trustee in her spare time and I am lucky to work with her in a volunteer capacity as a Dobbs Ferry Democratic District Leader.
Fun fact: I wrote my first newspaper in 1986 at the age of 7 on my parents’ personal computer. My first work of cultural criticism was an imagined film review of Blood Simple, a movie I was not permitted to watch.
Current listening: I am a podcast junkie so I have to mention two of my faves: Book Club with Julia and Victoria. The hosts go beyond fiction and best-sellers and talk about little known titles, non-fiction, and classics. I love their smart analysis. Armchair Expert for the topics and guests they highlight (anthropologists, psychologists, scientists—I always learn something new!). And Monica makes me laugh.
Matt Rosenberg
Resides in: Dobbs Ferry. I grew up here, moved away after college, and came back 19 years ago. Every reason I had for wanting to get out as an 18 year old was a reason I wanted to raise my family here.
Profession: I am a marketing consultant, specializing in helping technology companies tell stories that help them succeed. My company is called First Chair Marketing. The First Chair in an orchestra is the conductor’s partner in creating a great performance, and that’s how I see my role with clients.
Favorite local business: Dobbs Ferry has so many amazing local businesses, but you can find me quite frequently at Piccola Trattoria.
Fun fact: Some of the time I wasn’t living in Dobbs, I was a comedy writer in Los Angeles.
Share your favorite tip for staying focused: My only tip for staying focused is to do work that you enjoy enough to focus on. Oh, and having an office door that locks from the outside.
Monica Shulman
Resides in: I live in Dobbs Ferry.
Profession: I’m an abstract artist and fine art photographer. I’m also a mom to two amazing kids. In a previous life I was a corporate finance lawyer trapped in the body of an artist and I think I officially married both sides of my brain when I launched my creative studio. I’ve been lucky enough to work with gallerists, curators, interior designers, real estate developers, shop owners and more. My studio is just down the hall from HudCo at 145 Palisade (237B-come visit!) and I love being a social member at HudCo. You can find me on my website and on Instagram
Favorite local business: There are too many to list and I’m a terrible editor! I love shopping at Little House in Hastings and while I’m there I always stop in to BTW Bakery for something sweet. In Dobbs my family can’t get enough of Bloomy Cheese and my husband and I love to pop in for drinks and dinner at the bar at Piccola Trattoria for a date night. I also love Reader’s Hardware in Dobbs Ferry because whenever I need things for my work and studio toolbox (very often!), I can always find it there.
Fun fact: I’m a first generation American, and I speak three languages. I need to brush up on my French if there are any members of HudCo who will practice avec moi!
Current listening: I love learning new things and I love history and have been known to go down several google rabbit holes. I become really obsessed with topics and I get a lot of inspiration for my art from researching and deep diving into different things. My podcast library is completely random but right now I’m really enjoying Not Just the Tudors, History Extra, History that Doesn’t Suck and Queens Podcast. I like learning just for fun and I especially like learning about people, their quirks, how things work and how things used to be. My other favorite podcasts right now are The Great Women Artists Podcast, How’d She Do That and On Purpose with Jay Shetty. I have a lot of niche interests outside of art! Yes, I’m super nerdy 🙂