Our Staff

Maureen Neufeld leads the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation as the Executive Director, with two decades of experience in non-profit management, fundraising, and events. She enjoys building connections with the business owners and residents of downtown Schenectady and highlighting the incredible opportunities throughout the city, for dining, shopping, culture, history and more. Prior to joining DSIC in 2024, Maureen worked as a fundraiser in the arts sector and continues to be an active board member and volunteer for several arts and human services organizations throughout the Capital Region.

Gail joined the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation in 2007 as Program Assistant and now serves as Operations Manager. Gail coordinates the day-to-day operations of the office and provides administrative assistance to the Environmental Enhancement program. She also coordinates the Hometown Heroes Banner Program and researches and composes the “Downtown Schenectady This Week” e-newsletter, which spotlights weekly events and activities in the district.

Shenandoah Briere was a journalist for nearly a decade, spending almost half of that time covering the Capital Region for The Daily Gazette. Her passion for story-telling drives her to find the meaning behind businesses and what makes them unique. She continues to build on that passion as DSIC’s Promotions Coordinator, highlighting not only the great businesses in the Downtown Schenectady community but the hard-working individuals behind them. One way she does that is as a co-host of The Stan and Shen Show podcast, which is a partnership with The Daily Gazette’s Business Editor Stan Hudy. She hopes that if people learn more about the business community in Downtown Schenectady, they will spread that information to others who, in turn, will visit the area.

Environmental Enhancement & Maintenance (EEM)