Who We Are

 Diane Nedrow, founder and CEO of Brayhope Farm, Inc., has lived in the Phoenix, New York, area for most of her life. In the 1990s she owned and operated Jog & Trot Tack Shop, a local business that grew to carry livestock and domestic pet food, along with health-care products for horses, dogs, cats, and other animals. The store (later known as Phoenix Feed and Tack) participated in the community through product donations for fundraisers and for giveaways at horse shows; hosting feed/grain seminars; and an open house with free pony rides, local musical entertainment, and a store sponsored hot-dog cookout by the local Boy Scouts troop.

Diane has had horses for most of her life. “There were a few years I was without them,” she says, “and during those times I missed the farm lifestyle.” Her husband, Andrew, who grew up on a dairy farm, also was fond of the horses they had kept together. During the COVID pandemic, Diane and Andy decided that they needed to re-establish their farm and in 2020 added two miniature donkeys (Ralph and Gus) with the help of Tammy Lozipone. That number grew to ten before the end of the next year. “The donkeys are so affectionate, calm, and loving that we decided we should share them with others,” Diane says, and the idea for Brayhope Farm was born.

Diane retired from the Town of Schroeppel Justice Court in 2017, after serving part-time as court clerk for 23 years. She retired from full-time work with the United States Postal Service in 2023 (after 21 years of service). Her USPS work included management of people, processes, and finances—experiences that she now brings to Brayhope Farm.

“I’m fortunate in my retirement to enjoy a quiet life,” Diane says, “to witness the joy and happiness, the sense of calm, that Brayhope Farm’s donkeys and goats give visitors, not to mention the benefit to the animals. They thrive with the positive interaction, love, and lots of brushing! It’s very fulfilling for everyone.”

 Dennis Tucker grew up in Phoenix, New York, attended Phoenix Central Schools, and worked and played on the family farm on Oswego River Road. Between Scouting and 4-H, summer trips to Beaver Lake Nature Center and the Adirondacks, and everyday life in a rural/agricultural community, animals have always been important to him—a love he now shares with his young daughter.

Dennis graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in Political Science, minoring in Social Psychology. His professional career has been in corporate and nonprofit communications. He was senior writer at Auragen Communications in Rochester;

communications director of All Saints’ Church in Midtown Atlanta; president of newspaper-features distributor Empire Syndicate, Inc.; and for nineteen years was publisher at Whitman Publishing. An active numismatist, from 2016 to 2024 he served on the U.S. Treasury Department’s eleven-member Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, a group that advises the Secretary of the Treasury on coin and medal designs and themes.

Dennis has held membership and committee positions in groups including the American Numismatic Association, the Rittenhouse Society, and the Filipino American National Historical Society. He has taught and lectured nationwide on numismatics, publishing, U.S. history, and related topics.

“I’ve seen the way Brayhope Farm connects kids and adults with animals, and the comforting and therapeutic benefits for everyone involved,” Dennis says. “I’m proud to serve on the board of this active and community-spirited nonprofit.”

 Jason Connolly is a lifelong resident of Phoenix, New York. He serves the community as a volunteer firefighter for Phoenix Enterprise Fire Company #1, which provides EMS and fire protection to the Village of Phoenix, the Town of Schroeppel, and the Town of Lysander, as well as mutual aid to neighboring departments.

Jason is a former constable in the Town of Schroeppel and a current member of the Town of Schroeppel Zoning Board of Appeals. He works for Constellation Nuclear Energy. One of his passions is musical entertainment, playing guitar and singing a wide range of music from outlaw country to alternative rock, in an acoustic duo that performs around the Syracuse area.

“I’ve known Diane Nedrow since I was a kid and we were neighbors on Oswego River Road,” Jason says. “When she told me her ideas for Brayhope Farm, I signed up right away. This is a unique Central New York resource to help people with special needs.”  

  Lynett Bertollini-Greco is a native and lifelong resident of Phoenix, New York, and a 1985 graduate of John C. Birdlebough High School. She is a former member of the board of Erin’s Angels, a nonprofit that helps relieve food insecurity in Central New York.

Lynett’s career started in real estate in 1998. She served as the first woman in the history of the Town of Schroeppel to fulfill the term limit as town supervisor (2014 to 2021). Her professional experience in business finance, office management, nonprofit, and public administration is an asset to Brayhope Farm’s board.

“As town supervisor, I saw charitable nonprofits like Brayhope Farm bring support and comfort to our community’s children and others with special needs,” Lynett says. “That’s what motivates me to volunteer for this great cause.”

She describes her three children as her most blessed accomplishments.

  Tammy Lozipone has lived in the Rochester, New York, area her entire life. She has more than twenty-five years of experience as a project manager for various manufacturing facilities. Tammy’s passion for volunteering her time with nonprofits began when she organized the candy-sale fundraiser for her kids’ school PTA in 2006. Since then, she has held the position of secretary of the board of directors for Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Wayne County and secretary of Begin Again Horse Rescue (BAHR) in Lima, New York, for nine years. While at BAHR, Tammy served as secretary of the board, chairperson of the Adoption and Farm Inspection Committee, and co-chair of the Fundraising Committee.

Tammy’s love for equines started in her pre-school years. “It’s a phase I never outgrew,” she says. In 2020 she decided to pursue equine rescue independently. She met Diane Nedrow when Diane inquired about two miniature donkeys that Tammy was networking in hopes of finding a safe home. Gus and Ralphie were the first two donkeys Diane rehomed, eventually launching Brayhope Farm.

Tammy lives in Walworth, New York, on a ten-acre farmette. She owns five horses and enjoys training them and competing in horse shows. “The horses bring me immense joy,” she says, “and they’re a source of significant stress relief from my hectic career.” The comfort and peaceful feelings the horses bring her were the catalyst for Tammy joining Brayhope Farm’s board. “I wholeheartedly believe in our mission, and I’m excited to be part of helping other people in the community discover the magic of a donkey hug.”

 Kevin Dix grew up in Phoenix, New York, and lives just outside the village, in the Town of Schroeppel. He and his wife Jamie have raised five children in Phoenix. Kevin runs a local business and has served the community as a school-board member and in various law-enforcement roles.

He worked at his family’s hardware store, Marv Dix Supply, while in school. After graduating from John C. Birdlebough High School in 1977, he was hired by Sheriff Ray Miller as a corrections officer for the Oswego County Sheriff’s Department, and then by Sheriff Charles Nellis as a full-time Road Patrol deputy. He served twenty-four years in the safety department, engaged in accident investigation, firearms training and armory, general topics instruction, and recruit field-training, and was a member of the ESU tactical-response unit.

Since retiring from the Oswego County Sheriff’s Department in 2004, Kevin has worked as a patrol officer for the Village of Pulaski and as a coroner for the Oswego County District Attorney’s office. He owns Delta IX Supply, a training, security, and photography firm. He has also worked for Constellation Nuclear Energy in Scriba; and at the New York State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany.

Kevin’s public-education service has included more than twenty years on the board of Phoenix Central Schools (1999–2021), and the board of the Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation, BOCES (2011–2021).

“Brayhope Farm helps children and adults with special needs,” says Kevin. “I’ve seen how people light up when they connect with the farm’s animals. I’m inspired to support this important mission.”