Who We Are

Stephen Kaye, editor and publisher, became intrigued with publishing when he heard the wheezing sounds of a flat-bed press and the clanking of the lino type machines while working on his weekly school paper towards the middle of the last century. Since then he worked on a college paper, studied and practiced law for a few decades, went into real estate, farming organic vegetables and grass-fed beef. After a few months of retirement he reverted to childhood fantasies and started The Millbrook Independent to replace the Millbrook Roundtable whose demise created a vacuum that needed filling.  He can be reached at tminewsroom@gmail.com.

Carola Lott, managing editor, has lived here in Millbrook for the past 30 years. She has worked as a freelance writer and photographer for a number of magazines. Working at The Millbrook Independent has given her the chance to meet new people and broaden her horizons.  She feels that the best thing about Millbrook is the beautiful countryside that remains miraculously unspoiled. She can be reached at carolalott@gmail.com.

Rona Boyer: Food Editor & Director of Business Development, had a 27 year career with McCann-Erickson, handling accounts such as L'Oreal, Coca-Cola, Nestle, General Motors, Black & Decker and dozens more household names, rose to Managing Director of the Paris office and later managed the Los Angeles office. She turned her attention to the web in the 1990s and has been a Web Developer and Internet Marketing consultant ever since. She has lived in Finland, Portugal, Italy and France. She speaks fluent French and rusty Italian. Her passions are food, cooking, bridge and shooting the breeze with friends and family. She can be reached at ronaboyer@gmail.com.

Gayla Cawley, reporter, graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism. She interned at the health and medical website, the Connecticut Health Investigative Team, where she also did some freelance work after graduation. Her articles have appeared not only on that website but other Connecticut publications such as the Hartford Courant website and the Journal Inquirer. She started working for The Millbrook Independent in March 2012, leaving behind years of retail work. She currently writes and does some editing work for the paper, focusing on news, education, sports and politics.

Tonia Shoumatoff, senior reporter, has worked extensively in radio, television, film, print and events production.  She produced for The Body Human series on CBS, OMNI-The New Frontier on ABC, as well as documentaries and feature films.  In the Hudson Valley she co-produced the first five Amenia World Peace Festivals, served as Media Specialist for Clearwater and has written articles for print that have been published in Omni, Dutchess Magazine, Lapis Journal and purchased by The New York Times Magazine.  Since 2004 she has been the New York Watershed Manager for the Housatonic Valley Association and has headed up many environmental stewardship projects in the Harlem Valley. She can be reached at toniashou@gmail.com.

Tom Parrett, science editor, is a writer and editor living in Millerton and Greenwich Village, New York. He has written numerous science and technology articles for national magazines, including Connoisseur, Geo, Money, Science Digest, and Technology. He can be reached at parrett@bway.net.

Cynthia Tripp, reporter, a long time resident of Stanfordville and New York City has had multiple careers. Not only is she a reporter, but a licensed real estate sales person with Millbrook Real Estate.  Educated in the arts and finance, she worked on Wall Street in commercial banking, institutional sales and investment advisory. She enjoys writing, reading, biking, and yoga.  She has traveled extensively in Japan and the Far East, Russia, Turkey, and most recently in the Middle East and Europe. She can be reached at cynthiatripp1@gmail.com.

Diane Jackson Schnoor earned her doctorate in early elementary education from the University of Virginia.  She also holds a BA in print journalism and political science from The American University. Diane has traveled all over the world and held a number of interesting jobs, including stage manager at The Fort Bragg Playhouse, Program Officer for the AmeriCorps program in North Carolina, drama director at the Covenant School, and adjunct faculty at the University of Virginia. Diane is currently executive director and lead teacher at Millbrook Community Preschool at Grace and serves on the boards of the TriArts Sharon Playhouse and the Millbrook Educational Foundation. She can be reached at dianejacksonschnoor@gmail.com.

Pat Ike, photography editor, has taken pictures all her life. She built her first darkroom when she was thirteen, in a spare bathroom at her house. After she rigged up her father's slide project as an enlarger, her father decided she was indeed serious and bought her a proper enlarger at a thrift shop for $15.00. She says "it was the best birthday present I ever received." She can be reached at patike@optonline.net.