National Award-winning,
Family-run Newspaper
Family-run Newspaper
Publisher
Serves as the President of Catskill Delaware Publications, Inc. and Publisher of the Sullivan County Democrat, a 130-year-old, twice-weekly newspaper which covers Sullivan County. Mr. Stabbert is the Secretary of the Board at Jeffersonville Bancorp., where he has been a director since 2012. He served as President of the New York Press Association and as Chairman of the Board of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development for four years. Mr. Stabbert is also President of the Board of the Kautz, Thorwelle, Sawyer Scholarship Foundation, and a founding director of Sullivan Renaissance. Mr. Stabbert also served as a Trustee for Sullivan County Community College for nine years. He is a Legion of Honor member of the Callicoon Kiwanis Club, where he served as President and is a 30-year member. He serves as a member of the Callicoon Business Association. Mr. Stabbert earned a BA degree from St. Bonaventure University in 1983, majoring in Mass Communication. He lives in Callicoon with his wife, Regina. They have three grown children.
Fred can be contacted at: publisher@sc-democrat.com
Subscriptions can be contacted at: subs@sc-democrat.com
Editor
Isabel Braverman is a journalist, editor, and writer dedicated to telling meaningful, community-centered stories. After graduating from Ithaca College with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism she moved back to the area and began working in community journalism. She previously worked at the Democrat as a reporter, covering everything from government and public policy to arts, culture, and the people who make this community unique. Now as Editor, she prioritizes accurate and timely stories that engage readers. She lives in Narrowsburg with her husband, Tim, daughter, and two cats.
Isabel can be contacted at: editor@sc-democrat.com
Sports Editor
Crystal Tweed was born and raised in Sullivan County and runs Tweed’s Gymnastics with her husband. With a background in business management and PR, writing for the local paper seemed like a good fit. Crystal is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Sportscasting with the goal of working in television as a lifestyle or sports show host.
Crystal can be contacted at: sports@sc-democrat.com
Staff Writer
Matthew Albeck is a jazz guitarist, composer, and music teacher. He is the founder of Kenoza Lake Music, a small music school where he teaches guitar, bass, drums, piano, voice, and jazz improvisation. A love of writing and adventure led him to join the staff at the Sullivan County Democrat, where he is a staff reporter.
Matthew studied music and environmental biology at Colgate University and jazz performance at Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in New York City. He performs regularly as bandleader of the Matthew Albeck Trio, and as a sideman for local jazz legends Thurman Barker and Hal Galper. Matthew also has played extensively in the African music scene and performs as lead guitarist for Senegalese singer Amadou Diallo and international singer Natu Camara. After living in Brooklyn for 12 years, Matthew sought the serenity of the Catskills and moved to Kenoza Lake, where he currently resides.
Matthew can be contacted at: malbeck@sc-democrat.com
Born in Mineola, New York on March 5, 1999, Vincent didn’t stick around in the city for long and immediately moved to Fallsburg in Sullivan County. He spent his first 16 years as a student of Tri-Valley Central School and, owing to his love of the arts, would go on to partake in their theater club. This eventually earned him a spot in their Thespian Society. The reason he was so invested in theater is because he could act as a character that was the opposite of his personality, which was a fun factor to him.
Growing up, he would enjoy writing short stories about his family and the whimsical adventures they would partake in. He did not know it yet, but this would be the spark that ignited his deep-rooted passion for creative writing. In high school, Vincent enrolled in some creative writing classes. After graduating Tri-Valley School, his studies at SUNY Sullivan allowed him to explore his skills in the creative writing department even further.
From there, Vincent attended SUNY Oswego in the fall of 2019. Vincent graduated with a Bachelors in journalism and a minor in creative writing, helping solidify his future in the arts.
Upon graduating in the winter of 2021, it didn’t take long for Vincent to migrate to a career opportunity that would suit his love of journalism. He found himself right at home with the Shawangunk Journal in Ellenville. His article detailing the history of the Homowack Lodge reportedly became the number two spot for the top 10 stories of the previous five days since it was published in March of 2023.
Vincent can be contacted at: vincent@sc-democrat.com
Staff Writer
Sean Kuhn is a staff reporter and photographer at the Sullivan County Democrat. Though he grew up in New Jersey, his family roots run deep in Callicoon through the Buddenhagen family, and he spent much of his childhood visiting relatives in the area.
Sean first studied mechanical engineering before turning to photography, earning an associate’s degree in the field. He later completed a degree in Journalism and Digital Media from Montclair State University. After joining the Democrat as an intern through a New York Press Association grant in 2022, he returned in subsequent years and is now a full-time reporter covering local government, housing, and community stories across Sullivan County.
Sean enjoys feature reporting and meeting the people who make the region unique. Outside the newsroom, he can often be found in the hills and farmland of western Sullivan County with a camera in hand.
Sean can be contacted at: seankuhn@sc-democrat.com
Social Media Coordinator
A self-proclaimed Jayne of many trades has led her on a continuous adventure in life, an artist, a baker, a history lover and traveler. After interning for the Democrat in 2019 she rejoined the paper in 2025 writing articles that have highlighted local events and board meetings. As of 2026, she has taken on the role of managing their social media platforms bringing our local news, history and events into the digital world. When not working, she can be found in a thrift shop or exploring the history of the Catskills through trails, bookstores and local events.
Elizabeth can be contacted at: RodriMedia88@gmail.com
Advertising Director
Joining the Sullivan County Democrat sales team in 2014, Barbara brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from her 20-plus years working in NYC in Television Ad Sales. Her territory is from Fosterdale to Goshen, as well as both sides of the River from Cochecton to Port Jervis. On the weekends you can find Barbara paddling down the Delaware River or enjoying time with her husband on their Hobby Farm.
Barbara can be contacted at: barbaram@sc-democrat.com
Advertising Representative
Susan, a past recipient of the New York State Certificate of Merit Toast Award, has worked at the Democrat for over 10 years. She proudly serves the Callicoon, Hancock, Liberty, Ellenville, Honesdale & Damascus, PA, and Delaware County territories. She enjoys fishing and spending time with her dogs Sully and Bear.
Susan can be contacted at: susan@sc-democrat.com
Classifieds Manager
In the circulation department she ensures that customer information is up to date and prepares reports that are needed to produce and mail the paper. As the classifieds manager, Janet is here to help you with your classified advertising needs whether you are in need of hiring someone, you have an item for sale or you own a business and would like to take advantage of our Service Directory. As part of the telemarketing team, Janet sells special sections throughout the year including the Job Fair Tab, Graduation, Administrative Professionals Day, Adopt A Pet, Easter and Christmas Worship, and for fun, she creates the Valentine’s Day puzzle and handles the Turkey Raffle.
Janet can be contacted at: class@sc-democrat.com
Sales Coordinator/Manager
Michelle started at the Sullivan County Democrat in December 1998 selling ads for our salute sections from home so she could continue to care for her young son who wasn’t ready for school. By 2004 she had become the head of the in-house marketing department and worked on not only salute sections but ads for the body of the paper and various inserts. As position grew so did her responsibilities by filling in when needed for other departments. She enjoys working with our customers and helping them with their advertising needs.
Michelle can be contacted at: mreynolds@sc-democrat.com
Telemarketing Associate
Jessica joined the in-house marketing team in July 2023 and draws on the customer service & sales skills she gained over her 17-year career working and managing Lane Bryant locations in the Scranton, Wilkes-Barre & Moosic areas. On the weekends, she can be found doing projects around the house with her best friends – her husband of 19 years, Bobby, daughter Emma Mae (18), and mom, Sherilyn Zona.
Jessica can be contacted at: jessica@sc-democrat.com
Sara can be contacted at: saraw@sc-democrat.com
Production Manager
With over 15 years in the graphic design field, Duffy is a jack of all trades. Her duties include facilitating projects in the production department, creating and designing advertisements, laying out pages of the paper’s different sections, designing inserts, and she single-handedly designs the Hurleyville Sentinel. When she isn't working, Duffy enjoys reading, photography, going on long scenic drives, playing video games, watching movies and game nights with the family.
Petra can be contacted at: petraduffy1123@gmail.com
Photo Editor
As the photo editor since 2014, Nyssa's responsibilities include obtaining, selecting, and postprocessing images for news print, as well as uploading articles to the website. You might even catch her out and about, taking photos of events as a reporter and our senior concert photographer. Nyssa's ties to Sullivan County date back to the 1700s, when her paternal family settled in the region. When not involved in her work here for the newspaper, she is likely performing conservation field work, hiking, floating down the Delaware River, rock climbing with her two kids, taking photos of wildlife, or training a pup for conservation scentwork.
Nyssa can be contacted at: nyssa@sc-democrat.com
Graphic Designer
Kayla is a recent grad from SUNY Plattsburgh where she got her degree in Studio Art with a double concentration in photography and graphic design. Being a designer and Art Director for her student run publication DoNorth, her love for the publication design world grew and brought her to start working at The Democrat. When she isn’t working, she’ll spend time with friends family or just quality time with herself.
Kayla can be contacted at: kayla@sc-democrat.com
Graphic Artist
Growing up in a family of professional artists, Rosalie attended Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and went on to become a graphic designer and illustrator in Toronto, New York City and in Sullivan County. She has worked for Catskill Delaware Publications for over a decade and has won or helped to win over a dozen national and state awards during her professional career. At the Democrat she is responsible for the editorial design and redesign of ancillary publications such as Catskills Confidential, Home in the Country, Business Edge, Health and Wellness and others. She also does layout for The Sullivan County Democrat newspaper.
Graphic Artist/Production Assistant
A Liberty native, Ruth earned a BA in English/creative writing from Syracuse University, and studied graphic design at SUNY Sullivan. Starting at Catskill-Delaware Publications in 2002, Ruth has also filled the role of proofreader, editorial assistant, columnist (Give Us Paws), and reporter/photographer. She compiles the "Down the Decades" column weekly, and designs pages for the Democrat and special sections. She also volunteers at several historical societies.
Ruth can be contacted at: obits@sc-democrat.com
Proofreader
If it’s printed, she’s seen it. Finnegan proofreads all ads and editorial copy that appear in the newspaper and our 50-plus annual special publications.
Production Associate
Kate is a nomadic transplant with a background in film and urban planning. Originally from the wilds of South Florida, her primary interests intersect with nature, science, the arts, and history. She enjoys exploring these passions in the rich landscape of the Catskills. An alumna of Mount Holyoke College and the American Film Institute, Kate received an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship in film. She takes pride in being part of the Democrat’s time-honored tradition of independent local journalism.
Kate can be contacted at: calendar@sc-democrat.com