Get to Know the KidsOutAndAbout Team
KidsOutandAbout has a great team! Get to know the Central Office Staff, Editors, and Digital Content Team Members!
Get to know your publisher!
Name: Debra Eileen Ross
Kids: Madison, 16 and Ella, 14
Where I was born: New Jersey
Unusual conviction: My middle name should have been my first name
Favorite color: Orange for flowers, sage for couch cushions, royal blue for shirts
Pets: New chocolate goldendoodle puppy, Zoe, named after Gina Torres's character in Firefly.
First job (at age 16): McDonald’s
Guilty pleasure (current): McDonald’s
Favorite invention: Antibiotics
Most unreasonable pet peeve: Having to root through my purse. Even worse: having someone ask me to root through her purse.
Thing I crave most often: To go to another Rush concert.
Thing I need friends to push me to do: Exercise.
Best feeling in the world: When a baby falls asleep in my arms.
Least useful skill I possess: Knowing all the lyrics to “It’s the End of the World As We Know It.”
Personal motto: To be alive is a decision, not an accident
Part of my job as publisher of KidsOutAndAbout that I love most: Leading a fabulous nationwide team and providing a framework for each of them to flourish. Also providing a means for each community to celebrate its best opportunities for kids, teens, and families.
Get to know your Vice President of Operations, June Santini:
Family: married to Steve for 32 (!) years. Kids Meagan (31), Ben (27), Hannah (21), and Alex (17). Son-in-law Brian (31) Currently head over heels in love with Lily, my 3-year-old granddaughter and grandson Jack, who is 1.
Born: CA. I grew up just a couple of miles from Disneyland in Anaheim. Moved to NY in 1995.
Pet Peeves: adults cursing in front of children, cold french fries, and bad grammar.
First job: telephone solicitor for an air-conditioning company. I was terrible at it and I quit after a week.
Current obsession: Canning. I've been canning for 30 years, but I have taken it up a couple of notches in the last couple of years because of the awesome CSAs of which I am a member. I couldn't waste all the yumminess! My canning journal this year included over 200 jars of various jams, pickles, sauces, and tomato products.
Incongruous: I like to scrapbook and do paper crafts. You probably wouldn’t guess that if you knew me.
Three words my oldest child would use to describe me: Bossy, grammar-policewoman, matriarch
Three words my second child would use to describe me: stubborn, hard-working, grammar policewoman
Three words my third child would use to describe me: passionate, strong-willed, caring
Three words my youngest would use to describe me: bossy, stubborn, organized
Best skill: I am a better cook than you.
Favorite authors: John Updike, Thomas Hardy, John Irving. Pretentious enough? I also love Harry Potter and The Hunger Games.
Current Favorite guilty pleasure: I love watching Scandal. With popcorn. And wine.
What I love most about my job at KidsOutandAbout: traveling to new regions to learn about what families like in the great cities where we have sites.
Get to know your Webmaster, Jenn Mac Intyre:
Full Name: Jennifer Lea Mac Intyre
Born: Rochester
Pets: 2 cats (Oliver & Mabel)
My First Job: Lifeguard (at age 16)
What I can’t live without: Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Internet, and shopping (for shoes & bags)
Three things on My Bucket List: Travel to Ireland, travel to Italy, and take baking classes
Favorite Ice Cream: Peanut Butter Cup
Dessert or Appetizer? Dessert 100% of the time!
Pet Peeve: People on their cell phones in stores (especially at the checkout)
Guilty Pleasures: Spending the day reading on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate (or a nice glass of wine)
TV Shows: Outlander, Game of Thrones, and the Walking Dead
Favorite movies: Princess Bride and Pride & Prejudice
First concert I went to see: Shania Twain
Olympic sport I'd like to try: Bobsledding
What I most like about working for KidsOutAndAbout: I love that I have learned all about places that I have never been. I love the flexibility of my job and the people I get to work with.
Get to know your Client Services Manager, Amy Riccardella:
Amy Marlowe Riccardella: I officially changed my maiden name to my middle name when I got married. Much to my mother’s irritation. My original middle name need not be mentioned.
Family: Joe and I have been married for 18 years. We have 2 sons, Daulton (15) and Tannor (13)
Pets: Luigi (dog), Brick (Cat), Mason (Cat) and Kempo (Ball Python)
Pet Peeves: Loose vs lose. Do not LOSE your keys, is correct. Do not LOOSE your keys, is not correct!!
TV Shows: My husband and I have quite a few we DVR but my top 2 are Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. These 2 draw the most emotional response from me. I love to hate them.
Dessert or Appetizer? Appetizer 99% of the time. I have a salt tooth like no other.
How I destress: Running outdoors and exercising in general. Slow and steady is the name of my game.
Favorite color: anything in the Fall palette
Current App I am obsessed with: Criminal Case
Talent: I am a speed reader. I can finish a book in just a few hours (depending on the size) and I retain a lot of details. This comes in handy for my book club. I can usually just borrow the book from one of the other members after they have read it.
Another talent: I have mastered the art of cat naps. 15-20 minutes is all I need and I am back up and running.
Goal this year: To run a ½ marathon. I did one in my 30’s and now I would like to do one in my 40’s, but FASTER!
Hobby: I head up a private fitness group called Fantastically Fit and Fun. It is a group of friends/family members who share tips and tricks on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
What do I love most about my job at Kidsoutandabout.com: The flexibility! It is so nice to be surrounded by others that understand the craziness of life. I also find great pleasure in helping other businesses achieve the success they set out to achieve.
Get to know your Albany editor, Katie Beltramo:
Family: Husband Wade (married 23 years!), daughters Madeleine (13) and Josie (11)
Pets: Isis the Cat (named after the Greek Goddess years ago, another reason I dislike terrorists), Madison the Goldfish
States where I've lived: New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, New York, Iowa
First job: Order taker/cashier at a Chinese restaurant
Food addiction: Ghiradelli's 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
Pet peeves: Dirty socks discarded hither and yon, perfectly clean clothes thrown into the laundry, mothers who are over-invested in their daughters' social success
Recent culinary triumph: Finding a salad recipe that made me love kale
Can't ever get enough: books and sleep
Most useless: in a car. I have no sense of direction, I dislike driving, I'm terrible at finding landmarks, and reading a map in a moving vehicle makes me sick.
Unexpected talent: Headstands
Weird mood enhancer: To-do lists. They give me a sense of control. Sometimes if I do a task I forgot to put on the list, I'll write it afterwards just for the pleasure of crossing it out immediately.
Bedtime ritual: Listing three things about the day that make me feel grateful
You'll also find me: blogging about parenting, food and "behind the scene" of some of my KidsOutAndAbout review on my Capital District Fun blog and on the Capital District Fun Facebook page or cheering on local girls for Working Group on Girls of Schenectady, Inc., where I am a board member and "muse."
What I like most about editing at KidsOutAndAbout: Connecting great places and organizations who deserve attention with families who need interesting things to do.
Get to know your Texas editor, Stacy Curtis:
Kids: Nicole (16) and Natalie (just turned 15)...Yikes we're starting the student driving stage!
Pets: Coconut (a maltipoo) and Torako (a chocolate lab/husky)
States where I've Lived: Kansas (born and raised), Texas (3 times!), Illinois, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New York
My pet peeve: Naysayers
Favorite Music: Jimmy Needham, The Tattooed Heart by Aaron Neville (which I've had in on cassette, CD, iTunes and Amazon CloudPlayer versions), and most music from Putumayo World Music
What's on my current reading list: Still on my nightstand....The Love Dare for Parents, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, and The Dolphin Reader, 5th Edition (yes, it's a book of essays I used in college, but I fell in love with it so much that I tracked it down and re-bought it). But now mostly listening to podcasts!
Guilty pleasure: McDonald's Cafe Mocha...or really chocolate + coffee wherever it's served!
Secret desire: To finish my memoir (half-done for about 2 years now) and write pithy short stories for which I'd be awarded a Pulitzer Prize
You'll also find me: Host of the Write of Your Life podcast
Currently walking the tightrope at the intersection of: "Raising Polite, Young Citizens" and "Raising Creative, Free-Spirited Entrepreneurs" because I think both are needed....in everyone
Favorite thing to do when I have spare time: Travel with my family to unique and exciting places on day trips or weekend trips (ok, that was tied with taking a long bubble bath)
My favorite part of editing KidsOutAndAbout: Expressing my creativity by writing and by discovering and reviewing FABULOUS places for families to go. Every week I find fun, new things to do and get to share them with thousands of families.
Get to know your Buffalo, Hartford, Ann Arbor and Nashville editor, Helena Robin:
Family: 3 kids (8, 11 and 17), 1 husband, 2 dogs (both rescues) and 1 cat (our beloved one-eyed formerly stray friend)
Favorite Sport: Hockey, hands down!
Favorite Team: Hartford Whalers. Yes, I know they don’t exist at the moment. Yes, I believe they’ll be back. Yes, until then I’ll continue sporting my Whalers gear!
Pet Peeve: Improperly folded umbrellas. Which is really strange because I’m neither organized nor tidy.
Guilty Pleasure: The Vampire Diaries (don’t judge me)
“When I grow up”: When I was 9 I wanted to be Annie on Broadway so badly it hurt. Then I discovered that my singing voice can make dogs howl. Literally.
Coke or Pepsi: Coke
Irrational Fear: Peacocks in trees. Birds that big have no business roosting above the ground. Period, end of subject.
High School Yearbook Quote: Bewitched, bothered and bewildered – Lorenz Hart, from the musical Pal Joey
First Job: Camp Counselor
Favorite Ice Cream: Peppermint Stick
Three things than make me a dork: I am a rabid genealogist, I have more pajamas than pants and I can trash talk in Latin (canis flatum!)
Best Part of My Job: Exploring new places, trying new things and getting to do all of it with my family!
Get to know your St. Louis editor, Chelle Dohrmann:
Family: Husband Doug (married 20 yrs) Kids: Andy, 16 and Elisa, 12
Pets: Clarabelle, 8 and our new rescue, Frankie, 4, the most loyal, loving, fur-shedding, fleece-loving beagles around!
Where I was born: St. Louis – Where did I grow up: St. Louis – Where do I live now: St. Louis
Where I went to College: Northeast Missouri State University (you know, Truman State of nowadays time); but you REALLY only care about...
Where I went to High School: McCluer North ("Proudly shine McCluer North Stars!!)
If I was a crayon, what color I would be: Cardinal Red (from April – Oct); Rams/Blues/Billiken Blue (Nov – March)
Favorite Sound: My kids’ laughter, individually, but most especially when they’re together
Favorite back then, still favorite now: Fruit Loops and PBJ on Toast
On My Bucket List: Make it to all 50 States (at 42 so far! Missing: Alaska, Maine, Vermont, NH, RI, Conn, ND, SD)
Biggest Challenge: Trying to get my husband to enjoy traveling as much as me so I can make the final 8 states! (For the record: my husband has 39, my son, 29 and my daughter, 24)
Something from my childhood that I carry on with my kids, Part 1: No Thanksgiving celebration is complete until the “Partridge Family Christmas Card” CD is played (and yes, each of my kids has their own copy!)
Favorite Pizza: I know the popular choice is Imo’s, but I’m a Pirrone’s, Faraci’s and the recently closed Ponticello’s girl (ALL the best pizza came from North County!)
Most Notorious for: Taking a million pictures and never getting any of them developed…
I’m useless when it comes to: My memory! Post-it notes are a lifesaver and I have to leave myself voicemails to remember to do anything.
Favorite Thing I like to do with my kids: Explore new places all around our city!
Ideal Spot: Ocean front with a mountain view
Something from my childhood that I carry on with my kids, Part 2: Family Game Night - cards, Monopoly, Sorry, checkers...you name it!
Newfound enjoyment: Hiking! So many great parks/trails in the area!
What I most like about working for KidsOutAndAbout: As a life-long St. Louisan, I have always had a love and passion for all things St. Louis! It’s a natural fit for me to share all the treasures we have with others!
Get to know your Hudson Valley & Westchester editor, Anne Siller:
Family: Husband: Ed Kids: Charlotte 23, Wyatt 9, Duncan 7, and Stella 6
Born: NY, but grew up in NJ and now back in NY
Pets: none, but I am hoping for chickens for my next birthday
Best Date Night: The Birdsall Tavern in Peekskill…dinner at the bar. Great company and great food
Favorite drive: Up route 9D, from Peekskill to Beacon...a beautiful stretch of the Hudson
Pet Peeve: People suggesting I named my boy after a doughnut. I just don’t like doughnuts that much…
What I am reading: Why Teach, by Mark Edmundson
What I am reading with the kids: The Day the Crayons Quit. It’s about a kid who is also not named after a doughnut and his crayons.
What I can’t live without: Sherlock, the series on PBS…waiting anxiously for season 3
Recent culinary triumph: I transferred the cooking duties to Ed.
Worst habit: I curse like a sailor. The more hair raising the word, the more I like it...BUT I only trot it out in appropriate situations. It’s never embedded in my vernacular.
Three things I (inevitably) ask my kids every day: What do you want daddy to make us for dinner? What is that smell? Where are your pants?
If I had 2 hours of free time and my kids were at school: I would be at the Peekskill Coffee house, having a cappuccino and reading the paper in peace. And maybe having a crepe….
What I most like about being an editor of Kids Out and About in Westchester and the Hudson Valley: Connecting the families of Westchester and the Hudson Valley to all the educational and cultural activities that are going on right outside their doors and attending these activities with my family as well.
Get to know your Fairfield County editor, Diana Palmentiero:
Name: Diana Marie Palmentiero
Family: Husband,Chris (married 12 years), April, 8 and Cody, 6
Where I was born: Bronx, NY
Where I live now: Fairfield, CT
Favorite color: Red
Pets: Einstein the Feline
What I can’t live without: Chocolate
Favorite Ice Cream: Chocolate
Current favorite TV shows: House of Cards, Downton Abbey (but I really don’t watch much TV at all)
Something not too many people know about me: I’ve climbed a bridge (Sydney Harbor Bridge) and a giant rock (Ayers Rock, also in Australia)
What’s on my bucket list: Going to Hawaii (again), running a marathon by the time I am 50
What are my favorite places on earth: Hawaii and Disney World. This is my all-time favorite picture of my children when April was 4 and Cody was 18 months old, in the Magic Kingdom, the happiest place on earth!
What I love about Kidsoutandabout.com: I love meeting moms at events and sharing fun, family-friendly activities on Facebook, Twitter and our calendar!
Get to know your Social Media Maven, Pattie Hill:
Full name: Patricia Inzer Hill. I took my maiden name as my middle when I married because my father had no brothers (or sons!) and only older relatives with the last name, and he wanted somebody to carry it on!
Children: Olivia, 22, Natalie, 20, Sawyer, 17, & Rowan 7.
Born: Rochester, NY in 1968!
Favorite color: Yellow...but I tend to wear a lot of turquoise blue.
Favorite music: Hmmm. I have a broad range...everything form heavy metal-country...but I LOVE to dance to 80's music, & adore just a singer with a guitar.
Favorite comfort food: Toasted PB & J & ginger ale with a straw. Fixes almost EVERYTHING.
Favorite saying: "Mom...you were RIGHT."
Favorite animated movie: Shrek.
Favorite scene from Shrek:
- Shrek: For your information, there's a lot more to ogres than people think.
Donkey: Example?
Shrek: Example... uh... ogres are like onions!
Donkey: They stink?
Shrek: Yes... No!
Donkey: Oh, they make you cry?
Shrek: No!
Donkey: Oh, you leave 'em out in the sun, they get all brown, start sproutin' little white hairs...
Shrek: NO! Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers.
Donkey: Oh, you both have LAYERS. Oh. You know, not everybody like onions. What about cake? Everybody loves cake!
Favorite pastime: Container gardening. I love having a vision & watching it come full circle.
Favorite part of my job at Kidsoutandabout.com: FREEDOM. I have a stress-free work environment, I work with a group of people that I adore, & I have the ability to be there for my kids...and my world revolves around my kids.
Get to know your Digital Content Team Member, Mindy Mangan:
Family: Daughter- Molly (16)
Pets: Rescue dogs: Lucy (Red Heeler: Australian Cattle Dog); Addie (All Black Dalmatian); Rescue Cat: Peanut Butter
College: University of Richmond; Richmond, Virginia
Personal Motto: Live every minute
Favorite Movies: It’s A Wonderful Life, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music
First “real” Job: Managed ‘The Popcorn Corner’ (Gourmet Popcorn Store) in Richmond Virginia
Pet peeves: Laziness, half empty ice cube trays, toothpaste tubes squeezed in the middle
Hobbies: Travel, gardening, playing with children (they bring me joy)
Favorite Place: (besides at work with KOAA)- the beach in Marco Island, FL
Guilty Pleasure: Naps
Food I couldn’t live without: Italian
Most Important personality trait: Kindness
Favorite part of working for KOAA: The people I get to work with are wonderful. There is no stress and everyone is happy! We are always appreciated for our efforts. I also enjoy learning more about many areas in our country. It is interesting to discover what activities are favored in different parts of the U.S.
Get to know your Digital Content Team Member, Mandy Baldwin:
Family: Husband-Adrian, Parker, 8 and Avery 6
Pets: Dog named Kuma who is 12. She is a true mutt that looks a bit like a fox
Born: Lockport, NY
Places I've Lived: New York, Colorado, and New Hampshire
First Job: TCBY Treats at 16
Favorite food: Any combination of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil. And for dessert any combination of chocolate and peanut butter (unfortunately, my son has a peanut allergy so the latter is a rare occurrence so I happily substitute the peanut butter for almond butter)
Bucket List: To qualify to run the Boston Marathon
Thing I wish I discovered earlier in life: Running...it's amazing how great I feel after a long run and also running has proved to me that I can do things that I never thought possible
Job I wish I could hire someone else to do: Cooking, that's why I married a chef. However, he spends most of his time cooking for other people.
What I enjoy doing with my kids: reading and discovering new places
My biggest challenge: learning to live in the moment and just take things one day at a time
What I most like about working for Kids Out and About: The fact that I don't dread going to work because of the great people I get to work with and the laughs and smiles they bring and the flexibility it provides so I can still be there for my kids
Get to know your Digital Content Team Member, Jennie Daddabbo:
Family: Husband-Jim, Kids- Alex (8), Luca (6), and Ella (3)
Pets: Olive, our sweet little black kitty
Places I've Lived: Los Angeles, California and upstate New York
Favorite movies: Away We Go, Wild, It's A Wonderful Life
Favorite food: homemade pie with fresh whipped cream
Bucket List: travel the world (after my kids are grown up!)
Thing I wish I discovered earlier in life: yoga, it calms me and helps me be a more patient parent
What I enjoy doing with my kids: nature walks (we love to build fairy houses!) and our Friday night movie tradition (not a movie night unless we have a big bowl of popcorn to share!)
My perfect Sunday: stocking up on delicious produce from the Brighton Farmer's Market and leisurely cooking with some good music playing and a glass of wine by my side
My biggest challenge: keeping my house and schedule organized with three small children
What I most like about working for Kids Out and About: Working for a such a family-friendly company with a great bunch of people
