Experience is defined as the facts, knowledge or skills gained throughout ones life.  The IAO, dedicated to the  principle of advancing education and professionalism throughout our profession, has assembled a wealth of experience in our corps of instructors.  Listed below are those instructors, with a myriad of experience, that are dedicated to advancing the cause of quality education:

Michael J. Bernard, IAO

Michael Bernard has been the Sole Assessor for the Town of Babylon since 2002.  He earned his IAO designation in 2006, and has completed an extensive amount of training in Assessment and appraisal related subjects.  Michael has successfully completed the Instructor Training Workshop by the Institute of Assessing Officers and has instructed at the Cornell Seminar, One-Day Seminars, as well as the NYSAA Annual Seminar on Assessment Administration. He is President of the Suffolk County Assessors’ Association and is in his fifth year as an Executive Board Member of the New York State Assessors Association. He is also a licensed Real Estate Broker.

David W. Briggs, IAO

David Briggs is the Assessor for the City of Cortland, and the Towns of Cortlandville, Homer, Taylor, Virgil, and Willet.  He is also the owner of Briggs Appraisal Service.  He earned his IAO designation in 1987, and has been a New York State Certified General Appraiser since 1998.  He has over 30 years of experience in all aspects of Assessment, Appraisal, and Revaluation work at the Town, City, and County RPTS level, and with major firms in the revaluation contracting business.  He also has many years of experience as an instructor for the NYSAA in virtually every aspect of Assessment and Appraisal.  David served as an IAO Trustee and the Dean of the NYSAA Annual Seminar on Appraising at Cornell.  He also served on the NYSAA executive board, ultimately as president in 1993-1994.

Cathy L. Conklin, IAO

Cathy Conklin has been the Assessor for the Town of Clarkstown since 2002, having been hired as their Supervising Real Property Appraiser in 1989.  Her prior professional experience includes many years with major firms in the revaluation contracting business and several years with a County Real Property Tax Service office.  Cathy earned her IAO designation in 1989, and has extensive experience as an instructor at the NYSAA Annual Seminar, Annual Conference, and One-Day Seminars.  She has been an IAO Trustee since 1994 and currently serves as the Chairman.



George J. Conneman

Dr. Conneman is a Professor Emeritus in Applied Economics and Management with Cornell University.  He has extensive experience as an instructor in Farm and Rural Real Estate Appraisal at Cornell University, and in several counties in New York State.

Anthony V. DeBellis, IAO

Mr. DeBellis has been the Assessor for the City of Mt. Vernon since 1989.  He has also previously worked as an Assessor for the City of New York, and the Towns of Bedford, and Pelham, and has 30 years of experience in the Assessment and Appraisal business.  He has many years of experience as an instructor for the NYSAA in many varied aspects of Assessment and Appraisal.

Fred A. DePascale, SRPA

Mr. DePascale has over 40 years of experience in Assessment and Appraisal.  He has served as a member of the New York State Appraisal Board, and was previously employed by the New York City Real Property Assessment Bureau, by an Appraisal Firm and as Chief Appraiser for a Savings Bank.  He has been an instructor for the NYSAA, New York University, the New School for Social Research, the Appraisal Institute, and the New York City Assessment Bureau.

Patrick J. Duffy, IAO

Mr. Duffy is the Assessor for the Towns of Manlius and West Monroe.  His prior professional experience includes many years with major revaluation contracting firms.  He earned his IAO designation in 1996 and is a Past President of the NYSAA.  He was elected to the Board of Trustees for the Institute of Assessing Officers in 2008 and is currently the Chairman of the Technology Committee.  Mr. Duffy has experience as an instructor for the NYSAA and the NYS Association of Towns, as well as serving as the Webmaster for the NYSAA web site.

Donald A. Fisher, MAI, ARA

Mr. Fisher is the President of Pomeroy Appraisal Associates, Inc., which he has been affiliated with for over 30 years.  He is a member of the Appraisal Institute, the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, and is a New York State Certified General Real Estate Appraiser.  He has an extensive record as an instructor in all aspects of Appraisal for the NYSAA, Cornell University, the Appraisal Institute, and numerous other educational and professional organizations and institutions.  He is a NYS Qualified Appraisal Course Instructor.  Mr. Fisher has written numerous articles published in a variety of professional journals.

Thomas Frey, IAO

Thomas Frey, IAO is President of Frey Appraisal & Consulting Services, Inc. of Middletown, NY.  He is also the Executive Director for the New York State Assessors’ Association and the Institute of Assessing Officers.  Mr. Frey has served as the Treasurer of both institutions and is Past President of the NYSAA.  Tom retired after almost 30 years as an Assessor in New York State.  He has instructed at the Cornell University Seminar and instructed a number of One-day Seminars, as well as the Annual Conference.  He is also a New York State General Certified Appraiser and approved instructor for the IAAO, New York Department of State and Office of Real Property Services. Tom has been qualified as a National AQB Certified USPAP Instructor for The Appraisal Foundation.

Nathan T. Gabbert, IAO, SRA

Nathan Gabbert has been actively involved in the property valuation profession since 1983 and has a wide range of experience with many property types.  Nathan holds both the SRA designation from the Appraisal Institute and the IAO designation from the New York State Assessors’ Association.  He is a NYS Certified General Appraiser.  Nathan is currently the assessor for the Town of Henrietta, and has been involved with and held leadership positions in the Appraisal Institute, the New York State Assessors’ Association, and the Monroe County Assessors’ Association.  He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Assessing Officers.  Nathan is a certified instructor for the NYS Department of State for appraiser and real estate education courses and has developed numerous seminars for the NYSAA, the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors, and the Appraisal Institute.  Additionally, he holds memberships in numerous trade associations involved in property valuation and property taxation issues.

Jay Graber

Jay Graber, Vice President of Business Development, has been a Partner for Apex Software since 1996 and among his responsibilities has been Jurisdictional Sales since 1998.  Prior to his joining Apex, Jay was an Architectural Sales Representative for Design Materials out of Jacksonville, Florida, and a factory representative for Edward Lowe Glass Designs, also located in Florida.  Jay has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Psychology from Eastern Mennonite College.

Richard H. Hubner, FIAO

Richard Hubner has been the Assessor for the Town of Warwick since 1985 and an IAO since 1983.  He has also been awarded an IAO Fellowship.  He has been very active in the NYSAA for many years, serving as chairman of the IAO Board of Trustees, and as chairman of numerous committees.  He has many years of experience as an instructor for the NYSAA, with special expertise in computer related subjects. 

David B. Jackson, IAO, AAS, CCD

David Jackson has been the Executive Director of the Westchester County Tax Commission since 2001.  His prior Assessment experience includes over 23 years with the City of Norwalk, Connecticut, the Washington D.C. Department of Finance and Revenue, and the New York City Department of Finance.  Mr. Jackson earned his IAO designation in 1988.  He is a New York State Certified County Director, an IAAO Certified Assessment Administration Specialist, and a Certified Connecticut municipal Assessor II.  He has experience as an instructor for the NYSAA and the New York State Office of Real Property Services.

Nathaniel A. Jackson, FIAO

Nathaniel Jackson is affiliated with the Town of Ossining and the Village of Tuxedo Park.  His prior experience includes the Westchester County Tax Commission, Village of Suffern, and the Towns of Ramapo and Tuxedo.

Donna M. Komor, IAO

Donna Komor has been the Assessor for the Town of Webster since 2006, and has over 10 years of prior experience as an Assessor, which includes the Towns of Macedon, Binghamton, and Conklin.  She earned her IAO designation in 2006.  She has completed an extensive list of Assessment courses and seminars.

David Layne, IAO, ASA

David Layne is the owner of Layne Consulting Services,, Inc., a company engaged in real estate appraisal, appraisal and business education, and right of way acquisitions.  He was previously employed by the New York State Department of Transportation for 30 years in appraisal related positions.  He was awarded an honorary membership in the Institute of Assessing Officers in 2005, in recognition of his many years of service to the NYSAA.  He is New York State Certified General Real Estate Appraiser, and certified by the State as a Real Estate Appraiser Instructor.  He has extensive history as an instructor for the NYSAA and the appraisal community.

Edye McCarthy, IAO

Edye McCarthy, IAO is currently the Assessor for the Town of Greenburgh in Westchester County.  Edye received her I.A.O. designation from the Institute in 1995 and her B.S. degree from the University of Florida in Real Estate and holds a Master’s Degree from New York University in Real Estate.  She is Past President of the New York State Assessors’ Association as well as Past President of Westchester County Assessors’ Association.  Edye has instructed at the Annual Conference, Cornell Seminar and at One-Day Seminars for the Institute of Assessing Officers.

John P. McGrory, IAO

Bryan J. Monaghan, IAO

Bryan Monaghan has been the Assessor for the Town of Huntington since 1991.  His prior experience was with the Town of Southampton, and as Deputy Assessor for the Town of Smithtown.  He earned his IAO designation in 1995.  He has been an Instructor on numerous subjects for the NYSAA at Annual Conferences and at the Annual Seminar.

Andrea Nilon, FIAO

Andrea Nilon serves as Assessor for the Towns of Chester and Highlands.  She earned her IAO designation in 1983 and recognized as a Fellow in 2008.  She also completed a Masters in Public Administration from Marist in 2007.  She has many years of experience as an instructor for the NYSAA on a wide variety of Assessment topics at both the Cornell Conference and Annual Seminar.  Andrea is a Past President of the NYSAA and NRAAO, Editor of the IAO Journal, and has served the Association in many capacities.

Susan C. Otis, IAO

Susan Otis has been the Assessor for the Town of Malta since 1987.  She earned her IAO designation in 1996, and has experience as an instructor for the NYSAA at the Annual Seminar, Annual Conference, and the Association of Towns.  She is a Past President of the NYSAA, and was a Trustee of the IAO. 

James Ryan, IAO, MAI, SRA

James Ryan has been the Sole Assessor for the Town of Brookhaven since 1994.  Prior to that, he was a Commercial Appraiser for New York State, and a Real Estate Agent for the Long Island Railroad Company.  He is a New York State Certified General Appraiser, and holds the MAI and SRA designations.  He is also an attorney sole practitioner. 

Anne M. Sapienza, IAO

Anne Sapienza is the Assessor for the Towns of Bergen & Stafford in Genesee County and the Towns of York and Leicester in Livingston County.   She earned her IAO designation in 1996, served as President of the NYSAA and was honored in 2001 as a Life Member of the NYSAA.  She has been an instructor for the NYS Office of Real Property Services and NYS Assessor's Association since 2004. 

Bruce W. Sauter, IAO, AAS

Bruce Sauter is a consultant in Real Property Tax Administration, Management, and Valuation Systems in a number of States and Canada.  His prior experience includes over 30 years with the New York State Office of Real Property Tax Services as Director of several major bureaus and services.  He has published extensively on appraisal and assessment related subjects and made presentations and speeches on Property Tax Administration nationally.

Patrick L. Seely, Jr., Esq.

Pat is a partner with the law firm of Hacker & Murphy LLP, in Latham, New York who concentrates statewide in legal issues related to Real Property Taxation, Equalization issues and Eminent Domain.   He has been an instructor on Property Taxation and Eminent Domain matters for the NYSAA, Association of Towns, and other organizations.

Michael Spiegel, IAO

Michael Spiegel has been in the assessment field since 1981, beginning as the Deputy Assessor for the City of Rochester. He is currently the Assessor in the Town of Mendon after “retiring” as the assessor in the Town of Penfield. He is a past Trustee for the IAO Board of Trustees and also served on the Executive Board of the NYSAA. He has taught courses and seminars on computers, mass appraisal and public relations for nearly fifteen years.

Denise Trudell, IAO

Denise Trudell is the Assessor for the Towns of Albion (since 1994), Clayton, Orleans, and Osceola (all since 2006).  Her previous experience was with major revaluation contractors, and as a Commercial Appraiser with the Jefferson County Real Property Tax Services office where she assisted the town assessors with revaluations.  She earned her IAO designation in 2004, and became an instructor for the NYSAA in 2006.

Daniel G. Vincelette, Esq.

Daniel Vincelette is an attorney specializing in the representation and defense of municipalities in Tax Certiorari proceedings, since 1996.  He also specializes in Board of Assessment Review training.  He has extensive experience as an instructor, including courses and seminars for the NYSAA, NYS Bar Association, NYS Association of Towns, NYS Conference of Mayors, and various Counties Boards of Assessment Review.

Warren J. Wheeler, IAO

Warren Wheeler has been the Assessor for the Town of Hastings since 2000, and the Town of Constantia since 2005.  His prior experience was with major revaluation contractors and as a case manager with a law firm specializing in property tax litigation.  He earned his IAO designation in 2004, and completed instructor training in 2005.

J. Todd Wiley, IAO

Todd attended SUNY Orange and SUNY Brockport majoring in data processing and computer science.  He currently serves as the Assessor for the Town of New Windsor, Orange County.  Todd was formerly the Assessor and Property Manager for the City of Newburgh. 

From 1992-1995, he was employed as a residential appraiser for Mid Hudson Appraisers.  Since 2005, Todd has been employed by Valuation Consultants Inc. as a commercial real estate appraiser. 

Linda Y. Yancey, IAO, ASA, CCD

Linda Yancey is the owner of Yancey Associates, a Real Estate and Property Tax Appraisal and Consulting firm since 1990.  Her prior experience includes over 25 years as an Assessor, and County Director in several New York State Towns and Countries.  She earned her IAO designation in 1983, and is also a New York State Certified General Real Estate Appraiser, and a Certified County Director.  She has extensive instructional experience since 1990 for the NYSAA and IAAO in many areas of Assessment and Appraisal.

John Zukowski, IAO, MAI, SRA

John Zukowski, IAO, SRA, MAI, is President of Arrow Appraisal Service in Buffalo, New York. He is the Current President of the Buffalo Chapter of the Appraisal Institute.  He has been actively employed in the appraisal business for thirty years.  He has taught numerous educational courses and seminars for various institutions over the past ten years. He also serves as a consultant to numerous government agencies and is a qualified expert witness in court litigation matters.  John’s interactive teaching style should enhance your learning experience. John is also a National AQB Certified USPAP Instructor for the Appraisal Foundation.