Board of Directors

David Ashen founded the award-winning design firm dash design in 2002 to deploy innovative and strategic creative thinking to enhance the success of his clients. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Factors Engineering from Tufts University and a Masters of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. After entrée into luxury retail at Peter Marino, David spent five years—from Director of Retail to Principal—at Desgrippes Gobé, one of the world’s largest independent branding firms. Today David works with brand leaders in the hospitality, senior living, retail and mixed-use industries, including Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Moxy Hotels, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, W Hotels, Garces Group, Mikimoto, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Northwell Health, Beth Israel, and Heartis. David currently sits on the Board for Thorn Tree Project, The Pixie Project, and is a Co-Founder and Board Member of the Ageless Living Collaborative. He is highly committed to mission- and purpose-driven non-profits that provide deep impact.

Pieter Estersohn is a leading photographer of architecture and interiors. Pieter writes and photographs for The World of Interiors and his photographs regularly appear in other major shelter magazines, including Architectural Digest. He has contributed to more than 60 books on architecture, interior design, history and the decorative arts, including Charlotte Moss’s Rizzoli publications. He was author and photographer for Life Along the Hudson: The Historic Country Estates of the Livingston Family and is currently working on a book focusing on the history of and current wave in Hudson River Valley agriculture for Rizzoli. He chairs the board of Clermont Historic site and belongs to the Edgewood Club in Tivoli, New York. He restored a 19th-century Livingston family country estate in Dutchess County and is creating a period landscape there.

Brian Lange is a Vice President at Ralph Lauren Corporation, where he manages a team that oversees the design and development of printed textiles for men’s brands. A Kansas native, Brian received a BFA from the University of Kansas, where he majored in art history and design. A resident of New York since 1991, Brian and his husband bought a second home in the Hudson Valley in 2000 and began the long task of renovating their 19th-century house and property in Staatsburg, minutes from The Point. Recently, he was the President of the Board of Directors at Wilderstein Historic Site, where he helped initiate the site’s biennial sculpture show and led the first phase of the campaign to restore and renovate its Carriage House.

Jon Lawson, Board Chair recently retired from the Shubert Organization in New York City as the Lighting and Electric Supervisor at the Schoenfeld and Cort Theatres on Broadway. Jon was Lighting and Electric Supervisor for more than 40 Broadway shows since 1984 and also worked on numerous national and international ballet and theatre tours, including Rudolph Nureyev’s farewell tour, Dance Theatre of Harlem, “Dreamgirls,” “Titanic” and “42nd Street.” He also supervised the lighting operation for the 1988 and 1992 political conventions and the early Spoleto USA Festivals in Charleston, SC. Jon lives in Rhinebeck and is an avid fruit and vegetable gardener and a partner in a local maple syrup operation.

Michael Mueller has more than 30 years’ experience in the publishing industry, in addition to work as a writer and teacher. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in poetry from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. A history and house enthusiast, Michael maintains a Calvert Vaux-designed home on historic West Chestnut Street in Kingston, NY, as well as residences in Sag Harbor and Manhattan. He “discovered” Kingston during genealogical research through which he learned that an ancestor was one of Kingston’s original Dutch settlers and was involved in establishing the city’s Old Dutch Church.

O. Stephen Paganuzzi, Jr, Acting Secretary has been a Manhattan attorney for over 30 years, concentrating in Trusts and Estates, Real Estate, Family Law and General Civil Practice. A Dutchess County resident for 25 years, Steve is extensively involved with hands-on renovation of local residences for rent and/or resale, including the renovation of his current home in Rhinebeck village. Accomplished in various building skills, he has an interest in history, historic preservation and environmental conservation

Peter Sweeny, Team Leader, Restoration & Sustainable Reuse Team, is founder and principal of PSA Studios (formerly Sweeny Walter Architects), a nationally-recognized architecture and design firm located in Brooklyn and the Hudson Valley. A registered Architect in New York, Florida and Connecticut, Peter has 35 years of experience in residential, commercial, retail, and institutional construction throughout the US. He is Campus Architect for Bard College. His extensive experience in historic restoration includes design for a NYC Landmark Preservation Commission-approved addition to a 5th Avenue McKim, Mead and White apartment building and an LPC award for Guggenheim Museum SoHo. Significant historic Hudson River restoration work includes Callendar House, Montgomery Place and Southwood. Other clients have included Union College, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Conde Naste, Vanity Fair Magazine, NYS U.D.C. and E.D.C., Comras Company, NBC, RockRose Development, and American Museum of the Moving Image.

Yvette Temple, CVPA Treasurer, is a lifelong Hyde Park resident and a graduate of FDR High School. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Studies for Organizational Leadership and Communication from Marist College and an Associate Degree in business from Dutchess Community College. She has been with Rhinebeck Bank for more than 22 years, where she currently serves as Vice President for Retail Operations & Customer Solutions. A lifelong history enthusiast, Yvette served many years as a volunteer tour guide at Staatsburgh State Historic Site (The Mills Mansion), neighboring The Point. She has served as Walk MS (Multiple Sclerosis) captain of the MS Warriors Team for more than twelve years. An aspiring author, Yvette hopes to write historical romance fiction one day. She has two sons, 19 and 17.