Meet the Team
President - Friends of Whittemore
Director - Whittemore CCC
President - Friends of Whittemore
Director - Whittemore CCC
Brian Flegg
Treasurer - Friends of Whittemore
All Things Garden & Nature
Dawn Pogosaew
Environmental Steward
The Gardens & Property of Whittemore
Emily McCollum
Steward of The Whittemore Gardens
Noah Thies
Website Design
Emma Weiss
Intern
Emma Palmer
Intern
Brian McCrystal
Cartographer
Programming
Val Sivilli
"Val Sivilli is an artist and renaissance woman. She is a painter, printmaker, writer, musician and activist who serves as a liaison between artists and their community.
Originally, from Brooklyn, Long Island and then Brooklyn again, Val now lives in Hunterdon County, NJ. She did her graduate work at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers, her undergrad at SUNY Purchase and Alfred University. She is currently an Adjunct Professor of Fine Art at both Bucks and Raritan Valley Community Colleges. Civilian Art has been her identity as a T-shirt designer since 1996. In 2016, Val worked to create The Hunterdon Art Tour, a self-guided tour of artist studios throughout Hunterdon County, NJ. Quite often, she can be found playing her accordion somewhere.
Her work reveals the untamed feral nature living just beneath the surface of the human animal. She uses narrative elements and the power of color and composition to express deep truths about humanity’s relationship to the planet, other living beings and ultimately, to each other. "
Programming
Jasmine Bloch-Krempels
Jasmine Bloch-Krempels, a performer and music educator, is thrilled to be joining the Whittemore family! She is currently the Director of 5th Grade Bands for the School District of South Orange and Maplewood, a position she has held for the past 10 years. Jasmine also serves on the Executive Board of Maplewood Community Music and is the Manager of the Maplewood Concert Band, for which she also plays tenor saxophone. Jasmine received a BM in Music Education from The College of New Jersey and also completed an MA in Music Business from New York University.
Jasmine is an ardent performer, and she can be seen playing multiple genres and instruments throughout NJ and NYC. She currently plays bass guitar with the Morristown-based band Mama D & The Vexations (www.mamadmusic.com), supplying soultry backbeats and backing vocals at bars, weddings, and private events. Jasmine also plays reeds, percussion, and bass guitar for various theater productions in the area. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, and frequently works as a stand-in and background actor on various film and television projects. If you look closely, you might even see her walking through the background of your favorite TV shows! Jasmine lives in Orange, NJ with her husband Craig and their two Siamese cats, Hamlet and Alister.