Meet our Board of Directors

I was born with a love of sports. From the time I could pick up a bat, I had one in my hands. Organized sports started at 5 with t-ball then Little League baseball with the boys. There were no girls sports back then. My first big sports moment was making the all-star team in Little League with my cousin Derek Lalonde and his father, my Uncle Jack, coached us. In high school I played 4 years of varsity softball with a starting position at second base for all 4 years. Just for fun, I spent one season on the varsity basketball team. I have continued to play throughout my adulthood, traveling many nights to Canada to play co-ed with my husband of 25 years, Steve. My work career consists of over 30 years at NuMED Inc., a medical device supply company with a strong focus on pediatric heart catheters. I served in a supervisor position for many years but have transitioned to a position that allows me to utilize my years of learning in a way that better helps the company. In my spare time I love going to local high-school sporting events with softball being the obvious favorite. Hitting all the MLB stadiums is on my bucket list with 13 being crossed off. And I am always on the quest for the best, pretty cocktail I can find. I am beyond proud of the LFI mission and all the people involved that want to make a difference in our small very loved community.

Derek Lalonde was named the 28th head coach in Detroit Red Wings franchise history on June
30, 2022. The 2024-25 season will mark Lalonde’s third with the Red Wings after spending the
previous four seasons as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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In his second season with the Red Wings, Lalonde guided the franchise to its most wins (41)
and points (91) since 2015-16. Additionally, the Red Wings finished with their highest power
play percentage (23.1%) since the 2014-15 campaign and most goals per game (3.35) since
2008-09. Lalonde’s tenure has seen four players drafted by the Red Wings make their NHL
debuts in forwards Jonatan Berggren, Marco Kasper and Elmer Soderblom, and defenseman
Simon Edvinsson.

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Prior to his time with the Lightning, Lalonde worked for two seasons as head coach of the
American Hockey League's Iowa Wild from 2016-18, posting a 69-58-17-8 record with the
Minnesota Wild's primary affiliate. Lalonde became the first coach in franchise history to
produce a winning season with a 36-31-7-2 mark during his first campaign in 2016-17, a 22-
point upgrade over the previous year.

Lalonde, a native of Brasher Falls, N.Y., spent two seasons in the Red Wings; organization as
head coach of the ECHL's Toledo Walleye from 2014-16, guiding the team to a 97-35-7-5 record
in that span. During his first season in 2014-15, Lalonde led the Walleye to a 50-15-5-2 mark,
claiming the Brabham Cup as the ECHL's regular-season champion. In recognition of his
success, Lalonde won the John Brophy Award the ECHL's Coach of the Year after engineering
a 58-point improvement from the previous campaign, which remains the largest in league
history.

Karen retired in 2022 from a 25+ year career in pharmaceutical development and the clinical research
services sector having spent the last 11 years of that as a company founder and executive of an
ophthalmology-focused contract research organization.  In addition to building and ultimately selling the
company, Karen’s expertise in clinical study design and her technical writing skills assisted dozens of
pharmaceutical and biotech clients.  Recently, Karen served on the board for Rearing2Read, a non-profit
organization focused on children’s literacy.
Karen is the Co-founder and Chairperson of Lalonde Family Initiative. She worked and lived in North
Carolina since graduating from Elon University in 1990 with a degree in Biology. Karen was raised in
Winthrop, NY and graduated from St. Lawrence Central in 1986. Karen’s fondest memories were of
playing high school sports and roaming by foot, skis and horseback, the foothills of the Adirondack
region of NY. Karen is passionate to return to her childhood roots to reconnect with and positively
impact the north country area, where most of her family continues to reside.
Karen has competed in running and adventure races and triathlon. She loves travel and enjoys most any
outdoor activity, as well as spending time with her husband, 3 kids, 2 dogs and 3 horses.

Joseph Reome is a lifelong resident of Brasher Falls, NY. His life has been marked by two
distinct things: love of sports and love of his community and family. Joey has been active in
sports since the time he was a child and that love has turned from participation to service. Joey
has been with the St. Lawrence Central Boys Varsity Basketball coach for 31 years, the last 19
as Head Coach. His tenure includes: 4 Sectional Championships, 7 Sectional Team
Sportsmanship Awards, Sectional Coach of the Year, 2 BCANY Coach of the Year awards, and
the BCANY Glen McGinness Dedication Award in 2018.
Joey’s service to youth sports extends beyond his Varsity coaching. In 2006, Joey began
Brasher Falls Youth Basketball and continues as its director. He is the host and organizer of
"The Piker Open" Golf Tournament to support SLC Athletics and Hall of Fame. In 2011, Joey
became co-creator of the annual Coaches vs Cancer Hoops Festival between SLC and
Brushton-Moira Central: a tournament dedicated to raising money for community members
fighting cancer.
In 2015, Joey retired after a 28 year career with the US Postal service and was hired as Athletic
Director for St. Lawrence Central. In 2016, Joey became President of the SLC Hall of Fame
Committee. As AD, Joey has continued all his coaching duties and serves as Section X Girls’
Golf State Coordinator.

In addition to his work at St. Lawrence Central, Joey is a charter member of The Sons of The
American Legion Post 514 and the current Commander; is Vice President and on the Board of
Directors for St. Regis Reality; is the co-creator of "The Wise Guys" talk show on Empire State
Sports/YouTube featuring North Country sports personalities; and serves on the NNY Senior
Golf Association Board of Directors.

Mike is beginning his 28 th year as the Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach at his alma mater, St.
Lawrence University. Named the 2016 NCAA Division 3 Coach of the Year, Mike currently ranks
in the top 10 of active Division 3 coaches with his 294 career wins.
A native of Helena, NY, and a 1989 graduate of St. Lawrence Central, Mike was a multi-sport
athlete (football, hockey, and lacrosse) and earned All-Northern recognition in all 3 sports. He
was also named a high school All-American in his senior year. After high school, he attended
St. Lawrence University where he captained the football and lacrosse teams.
Currently living in Canton, NY, Mike has remained active in the community, including being a
past member of the Canton Youth Athletics Board, and overseeing the Canton Youth Lacrosse
Program. Mike also owns and directs the Saints Lacrosse Camp, which has been offered at St.
Lawrence University for the past 25 years.
Mike and his wife Pam, have 3 boys who have attended, or are currently attending St. Lawrence
University, where they also play(ed) lacrosse. In his free time, Mike enjoys golfing, traveling and
spending time with family and friends.

Darren retired as Director of Operations after a 33-year career in natural gas distribution in 2023. Within Operations, Darren held supervisory and managerial
positions related to gas measurement, pressure regulation, corrosion control, gas quality and system integrity. He was a longtime member of the National
Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) holding certifications in cathodic protection and pipeline coatings. Darren also participated on various Northeast Gas Association committees.
Prior to his professional career, Darren attended SUNY Canton and Clarkson University, earning degrees in Engineering Science (AAS) and Mechanical
Engineering (BS) respectively. He is a former member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Darren includes motorcycling, golfing, playing hockey, and tinkering with his ‘65
Mustang as his favorite hobbies. He resides in Northern NY with his wife and two
daughters.

A 1989 graduate of St. Lawrence Central, Chad is currently Senior Associate Director of Major and Planned Gifts at St. Lawrence University. He rejoined the St. Lawrence University Advancement team in February 2024, after serving as the Director of Family Philanthropy for Colby College in Waterville, ME. At Colby, Chad oversaw all parent fundraising for the College and was part of the advancement team that brought the Dare Northward Campaign, a $750 million comprehensive campaign, to completion.

Prior to Colby, Chad was with St. Lawrence for 14.5 years. The last ten of those years, he served as the Director of Parent Leadership Giving and Senior Associate Director of Major Gifts. In this role, Chad oversaw all parent fundraising for the University, with an emphasis on major, principal, and planned gifts. He was also responsible for overseeing the Parents Committee.

In addition to his B.A. in Sociology from St. Lawrence University in 1993, Chad received a Master of Science in Teaching from SUNY Potsdam in 1995, and both a Master's and a Certificate of Advanced Studies (C.A.S.) in Educational Administration from St. Lawrence in 2004. A former lacrosse player for the Saints, Chad remains active with the men's lacrosse team as a faculty/staff mentor. In high school, Chad was a three sport athlete playing football, basketball, and lacrosse.