Current Members
Brendan Gaesser is an assistant professor exploring the relationship between imagination and morality. His lab investigates how imagining the future and remembering the past shapes moral decisions in the present (with an emphasis on fostering empathy, altruism, and collaboration). He writes, reads, thinks, hikes, dances, and dabbles with fiber art projects.
Debra Gitterman is an editor, book coach and published poet. She also happens to be a skilled front-end developer and WordPress maven. Editing, however—all things language-based and story-related—is her superpower and true love. She is co-founder of On The Fly Story Slam and S.O.S (Share our Stories) and a founding member of Purpose.
Sophia Taylor is a creative director, copywriter, and marketing guru. She’s also writing a YA sci-fi novel in her spare time. She has two cats and sometimes allows herself to be dragged to the monthly Purpose board game night. Check out her work here.
Brandon Gamm is a designer and artist based in Hudson, NY. He draws inspiration from toy printing presses, bicycles, pixel art, dad jokes, and glitches. You can check out his work at bgamm.com.
Heath Iverson is a filmmaker, educator and Director of the FILMont Media Project. He lives in Philmont, NY.
Sophie Wedd lives in Philmont, NY with her newborn daughter, partner, and pets. She was born in Paris, raised in Philmont, and attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, before returning to her hometown to found her own branding and design studio, Sophie Wedd Design LLC, in 2013.
Caitie Hilverman is a data scientist and cognitive psychologist studying hand gesture and memory. In her free time she’s typically reading, writing, hiking, shooting pool, or making baby clothes. She’s a Hudson native and recently moved back to her hometown with her partner and toddler after 12 years away.
Ben Brownell is a semi-nomadic rural futurist, ecosocial design-build artist, and "place coaching" consultant intent on creative community revitalization and inclusive human+ habitat regeneration regionally in the mid-Valley and beyond. Find Ben wandering obscure local woodlands and waterways, or indoors scouting and plotting new pathways to adventure on a growing web of alternative low-carbon travel routes and transformative destinations. Visit placemate.me for his latest work in progress.
Rosie von Lila is a polished, diplomatic advocate and negotiator, and highly organized operations executive who gets it done gloriously. You can find her on LinkedIn.
Purpose Alumni
Rob Garrity lives in Harlemville with his three kids, is committed to furthering social & economic forms rooted in a worldview of inter-being-ness, and builds big community solar projects from his office at Purpose.
Anthony Irwin is an academic-type who thinks, writes, and teaches about Asian religions. Primarily he works on Buddhism in Thailand and the social and ethical resonances of craft, construction, and making. He also plays in a local band called The Stonykill Keepers, and enjoys doing that very much. You can check out his website here.
Josh Olsen is based in Catskill. He’s been a Product Designer at Turo for 5+ years, helping people rent cars from local car owners (everywhere but NY, sorry). He spends his spare time woodworking (furniture and hand carved items), playing with sourdough (bread and pizza mostly), and getting lost in the Catskills.