WRFI Board of Directors

WRFI is community owned and operated. Get to know the Ithaca Community Radio Board of Directors. You can read recent board minutes here, and learn about attending a board meeting here.

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Peter Bakija (he/him)

President

Peter is a high school arts and media teacher, and has volunteered at WRFI for over eight years, hosting the music program Burning Airlines, overseeing the high school student radio show Youth Radio Project, and various other behind the scenes activities. He has lived in Ithaca for over thirty years, relocating here after graduating with a BFA from SUNY Purchase. Peter currently lives in Northeast Ithaca with his wife and cat. He enjoys coffee, supporting local music, and is regularly involved in various Ithaca performance and entertainment events.
Peter strongly believes in the power of radio, and the mission of WRFI.
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Corinne Shanahan (she/her)

Vice President

Corinne is passionate about fostering local broadcast platforms that develop and promote diverse, engaging, and collaborative programs and people. She has nearly a decade of experience in radio, including college, commercial, and community, after first becoming enamored by the airwaves in college. Prior to joining WRFI, she spent several years as a show host and member of the leadership team of Rochester's low powered WAYO 104.3 FM. Most recently, Corinne served as the Office and Operations Manager here at WRFI.
Corinne is currently attending law school, and hopes to join the movement to reimagine how we pursue justice in our communities.
The WRFI Volunteer Sensation John Young!

John Young (he/him)

Treasurer

John caught the radio bug as a student, when he became a regular DJ and served as Assistant Engineer and board member at KRLX-Northfield (Minnesota), the voice of Carleton College.

As a professional musician, he has performed or been featured on national programs such as NPR’s Weekend Edition and World Café, as well as on many local stations across America. As a writer and researcher on the global environment and related issues, he has made hundreds of appearances on radio networks around the world, including NPR, Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, and the BBC. When he’s not on the radio, he’s probably listening to it.

Elliot

Robin Elliot (she/they)

Recorder

Robin arrived in Ithaca initially in 2008 to attend Ithaca College and now holds a BA in Documentary Studies and Production. Working in both restaurants and nonprofits since, Robin is passionate about all things relating to equity as a paradigm for a more sustainable future. In her current role as Associate Director at Finger Lakes ReUse, she works primarily in fundraising, communications, and community programs.
Current favorite interests include vegan food, grunge, electro, and beer.
Mike-Cook

Mike Cook (he/him)

Board Member

Mike Cook has been the host of the Rocket Morton Show since 2018 and has deejayed for several radio stations off and on since the 1980’s. A former factory worker, auto mechanic, newspaper reporter, record store flunkie and (for the last 30 years) a librarian and archivist, he's also been a performing musician going back to his time in one of North Carolina's first punk bands.

Mike was born the son of a migrant worker in central Florida and grew up on a small farm in North Carolina's Piedmont region. Life experiences shaped his sense of social, environmental and community justice. After receiving an MA in Philosophy at the University of South Carolina, he moved to Ithaca in 1994 and later earned his MLIS. He met his wife Margaret in a record store; they have two daughters and live in Caroline.

As for the nickname "Rocket", Mike has been a space junkie since he went to the Apollo 11 moon launch. "Morton" has something to do with the bass player of Capt. Beefheart's Magic Band.

joe-romano

Joe Romano (he/him)

Board Member

Joe Romano was the Marketing Manager at GreenStar Natural Foods Market for over a decade. Before his tenure at GreenStar, Joe played out in five bands in NYC and worked in film and television in NYC for 20 years. Before that, he taught English Literature and Creative Writing at the City University of New York. He has a wife, a daughter and two cats, (in that order), and currently resides in Ithaca, NY.

Check out The Joe Show on Facebook

Amie-Herman

Amie Herman (she/her)

Board Member

Amie Herman has spent most of her 30-year career in marketing, organizational development, and non-profit management, serving in several senior leadership roles. Most recently Amie acted as the Senior Director of Marketing, Development and Organizational Advancement for a large regional YMCA in New Jersey where she was responsible for the direction and implementation of the Y’s development strategy and for the execution of a significant multi-year capital expansion campaign.  

Amie founded an independent consulting practice in 2012 and has worked with a wide variety of corporate and non-profit organizations on key strategic efforts which have included crafting mission-forward impact messaging and branding, designing development plans, and acting as an expert facilitator to help align leadership teams to support organizational change. She received her bachelor’s degree in East Asian Studies from the University of Virginia.

Amie and her husband Tom have made Ithaca their hometown after living in their self-designed and self-built campervan for 13 months. They spent an “adult gap year” exploring the US -- hiking, biking and kayaking, and seeking out great food, drink, and live music. (blog: https://amie.substack.com) Of the many places they explored, Ithaca had the perfect combination of things they loved most, including thriving independent radio.

Haefeli

Joseph Haefeli (he/him)

Board Member

Joseph Haefeli was formerly the Director of Technology (including radio) for the College of Performing and Visual Arts of the University of Northern Colorado. Since his arrival as a volunteer in 2014, he has been a dynamo around the station. He has played a key role in the design and renovation of WRFI’s Studio B, the overhaul and reorganization of our signal chain, the installation of a new IP telephone system, as well as numerous other improvements.

Talaya-Centeno

Talaya Centeno (she/her)

Board Member

Talaya Centeno’s roots in radio began locally at WICB, where she was a local DJ and Programming Director while receiving her degree from Ithaca College in Photojournalism. A native of Manhattan, Ithaca has always been a second home where she spent summers as a child with family.

Talaya began her career as a Fashion Photographer in NYC, joining Conde Nast where she spent over ten years developing a rich portfolio of work.

Always having a passion for medicine, Talaya decided to pursue a medical career and returned to school to become a Physician Assistant. She joined the Mount Sinai Cardiothoracic unit and worked tirelessly, taking care of patients in a COVID ICU, at the height of the pandemic.

Talaya resides in Ithaca with her partner and three children, and is always happy to hear the local freight train rumble by her house.

Recent Board Meeting Minutes

See all available minutes.

WRFI Board Meeting Minutes — May 2021

By WRFI Board Recorder | June 8, 2021

WRFI Board Meeting Minutes – May 11, 2021, 6-8pm   Present: Stephen Cope Carlos Gutierrez Joseph Haefeli Joe Romano Godfrey Simmons Chantal Thomas Pamela Tan Felix Teitelbaum John Young (present at end of meeting)   Agenda: Minutes– Approve minutes from April meeting Begin posting minutes for the public AGM search update– News Director update– Bookkeeping…

WRFI Board Meeting Minutes — April 2021

By WRFI Board Recorder | May 11, 2021

WRFI Board Meeting Minutes – April 12, 2021, 6-8pm   Present: Joseph Haefeli Joe Romano Chantal Thomas Pamela Tan Felix Teitelbaum John Young   Not Present: Stephen Cope Carlos Gutierrez Godfrey Simmons     Agenda: AGM role/search News Director role/search Further conversation about WRFI and anti-racism.   AGM role/search Review of job description (shared document)…

WRFI Board Meeting Minutes — March 2021

By WRFI Board Recorder | April 12, 2021

WRFI Board Meeting Minutes – March 8, 2021, 6-8pm   Present: Stephen Cope Carlos Gutierrez Joseph Haefeli Joe Romano Pamela Tan Felix Teitelbaum Chantal Thomas John Young   Not Present: Godfrey Simmons   Agenda: Approve minutes Park Report has been submitted GM report Anti-Racism standing item   Shared minutes from prior Board Meetings: August 11, 2020…

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