Gerald Skoda was one of the founding members of the Partnership, first as an ex-officio member during his tenure as executive director of SC Cornell Cooperative Extension, and has served on the board ever since, including committee chair, officer, and chairman of the board. He received the Walter A. Rhulen Award for 2007. He has been an active spokesman for a number of projects. In 1996, he was appointed to the Casino Advisory Committee, where he crafted the “Host/Benefit” package that required revenue sharing with county, towns, villages, and schools.
Since retiring, he remains very active in organizations and operating his agricultural businesses. In 2006, he was appointed chairman of the board of Catskill Regional Medical Center (CRMC) and shepherded the hospital through difficult times including the affiliation with Orange Regional Medical Center (ORMC). He still serves the medical community as past chair of CRMC and is on the board of directors of the Greater Hudson Valley Health System.
In 1997, he was appointed to the board of directors of Mid-Hudson Co-Operative Insurance Co. and served as chairman of the board from 2006 – 2017. He owns and operates a large crop farm in Woodbourne and Skoda Enterprise Inc. – Agricultural Consulting and Farm Tax Preparation businesses.
He is a director of the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, director of Emerald Corp. Park in Rock Hill, serves on the Renaissance Steering Committee, and was appointed to the Bethel Woods Museum Committee.
He served the education community for many years – 33 years working for Cornell as a specialist in business management, dairy, poultry, crop production and community development; 24 years on the Tri-Valley School Board of Ed and 17 years as president of the board.
Upon his retirement from Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Sullivan County Board of Supervisors named their office building on the Ferndale-Loomis Rd. in Liberty, “The Gerald J. Skoda Extension Education Center.”