Rebecca Reed

Rebecca received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Saint Leo College where she graduated summa cum laude.  After achieving her degree, she married Jeffrey Reed who was proudly serving in the United States Army and had recently returned from serving in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.  They relocated, with their 5 children, from Fort Stewart, Georgia to Fort Drum, New York in 1995.  After 24 years of service, her husband retired, and they remained in the Northern New York area.

Rebecca’s professional career was primarily spent working at the Watertown Family YMCA working her way from part-time employee to the Executive Director of Youth Development.  She was responsible for the total operation of all Youth Development programming including all accredited and licensed New York State Office of Children and Family Programs (NYS OCFS) and all asset-building youth programming.  This included a 2.5-million-dollar operating budget and over 200 employees.  She retired from the YMCA after 19 years.

Rebecca and Jeff have enjoyed living in northern New York and love outdoor adventures.  In 2014, they purchased 200 acres of agricultural land (and a very dilapidated 1854 farmhouse) located within the Indian and Black River water basin areas.  They spent two years rehabbing the small farmhouse and enjoying weekends in the country. After that, they knew their hearts were aching to be closer to the land, so they decided to relocate to the countryside.   One of Rebecca’s many passions is being a responsible land steward.  She now manages her small hobby farm and is always seeking knowledge of environmentally responsible methods to help with the garden and small livestock management.  She is currently using all organic practices and working towards creating healthy permaculture.

Professional organizations Rebecca is honored to have served include the following: Member of CREDO, Inc Board of Directors, Jefferson County Youth Bureau Advisory Board where she served as Chair from 2016 – 2018, Association of the United State Army (AUSA) Board of Directors, Girl Scouts of NY PENN Pathways Board of Directors. She is a 2003 graduate of the Jefferson Leadership Institute.