Ms. Awand-Gortel is a lifelong resident of Lanesville which falls between Hunter Mountain in Greene County and Phoenicia in Ulster County. She graduated with a BS in Sociology from Wingate University in NC in 2008 and has been working with the public at Ulster Savings Bank for 10 years. She is a member of the Phoenicia Rotary and is also a member of the Phoenicia Business Association, and the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce Leadership class of 2018.