Working in the financial services industry for more than 30 years, Barbara is the sole owner of Giraffe Capital, and brokers through Woodbury Financial Services. She studied Mathematics at SUNY Cortland and earned a degree from SUNY Ulster in Arts and Applied Sciences. Barbara is a Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow (LUTCF). This respected designation enables Barbara to provide comprehensive insurance planning services to individuals, families and businesses; including long-term care, disability, group health, and business insurance. Barbara recently received her Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP) certification from American College. This enhanced her knowledge about retirement income planning, tax efficient distributions, social security, investment strategies and much more. She has also been a member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) for the past 5 years.
Barbara holds Series 6 and 63 securities licenses as well as life and health insurance licenses.
Barbara’s purpose extends throughout her community, well beyond her business. She volunteers for the Jewish Federation of Ulster County, as a board member, and was instrumental in the Federation’s inheritance of a national historical building in downtown Kingston (www.rehercenter.org). She led the transition of The Reher Center to be its own entity. The building is now owned by the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History, a 501(c)(3), which Barbara was a founding member and now serves as President. Barbara is also a member and past president of the Kingston Rotary Club, a board member for Congregation Agudas Achim, and past President of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) local chapter.
The Seymour Werbalowsky Leadership Award was awarded to Barbara while she was serving as Vice President of Group Services for the Jewish Federation of Ulster County. In 2015, she was awarded the Jewish Continuity Award at Congregation Agudas Achim's 150th anniversary. In 2014, Barbara received Honorable Mention for her work for the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History from Invest in Others.
A native of Kingston, NY, Barbara continues to reside in her hometown with her husband Howard and their dog. She enjoys spending time with her three grown daughters and three grandchildren as well as volunteering and traveling.