The Adirondack Folk School (AFS) announces the retirement of Executive Director, Terri Cerveny
The Adirondack Folk School announces that, after nearly three years of dedicated leadership, Executive Director Terri Cerveny will retire at the end of March 2026.
“Terri’s work at AFS has been nothing short of transformational. Her commitment to the school, our talented faculty and students, and to our mission has laid a foundation we will build upon for years. She guided the Adirondack Folk School through pivotal years of growth and change, always with clarity, compassion, and an unwavering belief in the power of the school to strengthen our community. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to extend our deepest gratitude to Terri for her remarkable service and leadership,” says Tanya Tobias, President of the Board of Directors.
During her tenure, Terri and the AFS team have significantly increased the number of classes offered by the school, grown enrollment, and welcomed over thirty new faculty members to the AFS community. The school has also broadened its offerings to include a wider variety of traditional woodworking, blacksmithing, fiber arts, and other hands-on fine crafts, as well as added several non-traditional and innovative workshops that explore contemporary arts, creative practices, sustainability, and self-reliance.
Terri prioritized accessibility; she advanced our scholarship program to support more learners and developed dozens of low-cost programs for children and adults, including our Summer Program for children, the Thursday Evening Series, our Summer Festival, as well as flexible “Pop-Up” workshops for families, friends, and corporate groups. Together, these initiatives introduced hundreds of new students to the school and have strengthened the framework for future program development.
Through her fundraising initiatives, she secured critical support that not only bolstered current programs but also laid the groundwork for a series of capital initiatives, including the purchase of our campus (Main St., Lake Luzerne) and the initial planning for a renovated and expanded main building. Both will better support student learning and faculty needs and enable AFS to introduce new programs beyond the constraints of our current facilities.
Terri says, “I have watched pure joy spread across students’ faces when they tackle a new skill, complete a project with their own hands, discover a new passion and gain confidence in their own ability to grasp something completely new. This special AFS community embraces and nurtures curious learners of all ages and offers life changing experiences. I speak from personal experience…the past three years at AFS have changed my life in so many meaningful ways and forever for the better. Thank you all for believing in and supporting this extraordinary school.”
As we celebrate Terri’s tenure, we are turning our attention to the future. The Board of Directors has begun a formal search for our next Executive Director and is seeking a leader with strong strategic vision, a commitment to our mission, and the experience and capacity to lead the organization into the future. We invite the community to join us in celebrating Terri’s remarkable contributions and to support AFS as we embark on this exciting next chapter.