HUDSON, N.Y. April 30, 2025 – The Columbia Memorial Health (CMH) Foundation will honor Mr. Kirk Kneller at the 37th Annual Hospital Ball June 7 at The Wire Event Center in Coxsackie. The Foundation is honoring Kneller for his dedicated service and enthusiastic leadership to CMH and the Albany Med Health System.
Kneller, of Ghent, was appointed to the Columbia Memorial Health Board of Trustees in 2014. He served as treasurer from 2020 to 2022 and board chair from 2022 to 2024. He is currently a member of the Albany Med Health System board as well as the joint board of governors for Albany Medical Center Hospital, Columbia Memorial Health, and Glens Falls Hospital. Kneller has been the chair of the CMH Hospital Advisory Committee since 2024 and has served on committees guiding hospital finance, governance, compensation, audit, staff credentialing, performance improvement, planning, and pensions. He is also a member of the CMH Foundation board of trustees since 2016.
Kneller has long ties to Columbia County. He is the president of Kneller Insurance Agency, which has locations in Chatham, Valatie, and Copake. He purchased what was then known as the Lofgren Agency, Inc. in 1988. Today, Kneller Insurance Agency is one of the oldest agencies in the county providing a full range of services from property, casualty, home, auto, health, and life insurance coverage. The agency’s impact is far reaching, with customers in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Carolina, Florida, and Wyoming.
Kneller’s honor also recognizes his deep devotion to the community. He is a founding member of Columbia County Habitat for Humanity and is a strong supporter of Northern Columbia County Pop Warner Football and the Chatham Gold Track Program. Kneller is also the President of the Chatham Rural Cemetery Association and past President of Chatham Lions Club.
Kneller and his wife of 44 years, Susan, own and operate Locust Hill Farm, an organic, sustainable cow heirloom breed farm which preserves and endangered species of cattle, the American Milking Devon, and an angus cow-calf operation. They also own Locust Hill Barn, an event space in Ghent. The Knellers are proud parents of Brooke (Scott) Decker, Lauren (John) Merante, and Danny (Maria) Kneller, and have three grandsons, Luca, Weston, and Jackson.
James J. Armstrong, chair of the CMH Foundation, said, “The Foundation Board of Trustees is pleased to honor our fellow board member and steadfast supporter, Kirk Kneller. We are grateful for his devoted service and commitment to the success of our fundraising efforts to support CMH. The Annual Ball has always been such a special event, and it means a great deal to all of us to share this time with friends and supporters. We are so grateful to our sponsors and all our guests.”
CMH President and CEO Dorothy M. Urschel said, “Columbia Memorial Health honors Kirk Kneller as a leader and visionary, who has guided the board and the hospital during the most transformational times of change, and challenges while advancing our healthcare system. He has exemplified these qualities and has been a guiding light supporting us during our strategic planning and the growth of the health system. On behalf of the organization, we are immensely grateful for and honored by Mr. Kneller’s unwavering leadership and mission-driven commitment to this organization as his dedication to our local healthcare is unparalleled.”
The theme of this year’s CMH Foundation Hospital Ball is “Speakeasy Soiree.” Featured sponsors include The Bank of Greene County, Kneller Insurance Agency, and Mid-Hudson Fiber. The premier sponsors are USI Insurance Services; Louis A. DiGiovanni, MD; Community Care Physicians; Dorothy M. Urschel, DNP; Richard N. McCarthy and Jean D. Hamilton; and the T. Backer Fund. Reservation and sponsor information is available at GiveCMH.org/events or by calling the CMH Foundation office at (518) 828-8239.
About Columbia Memorial Health:
Columbia Memorial Health has served the Hudson Valley since 1893.Comprised of a 192-bed acute care hospital in Hudson, New York, and more than 37 primary and specialty care centers serving patients in Columbia, Greene, and Dutchess counties, Columbia Memorial Health provides services to more than 110,000 residents, with a focus on primary care, health education and advanced surgery. Columbia Memorial Health is a member of the Albany Med Health System, which also includes Albany Medical Center, Albany Medical College, Glens Falls Hospital, Saratoga Hospital, and the Visiting Nurses. The region’s largest locally governed health system, it has 1,520 beds, more than 800 physicians and 125 outpatient locations serving the region’s three million people.
For media inquiries, contact:
Barbara Klassen
(518) 828-8362
BKlassen@cmh-net.org