Business Consulting Team
At Farm Credit East, our experienced consultants work closely with you to analyze your business from various angles to pinpoint methods for improving your bottom line. They’ll offer unbiased advice to help you make informed business decisions.
Whatever your business needs, count on our consultants to help you through.
Meet the Consulting Team
Ashley Bliss | Consulting Specialist | Batavia, N.Y.
Ashley has a decade of experience in agribusiness management and dairy farm operations. Raised on a Vermont dairy farm, she brings both practical and financial expertise to her work. Ashley provides financial analysis, dairy management consulting, fractional CFO services and detailed enterprise analysis for farmers across the Northeast.
Kathryn Canzonier | Consulting Specialist | Burrville, N.Y.
Over the past 29 years, Kathryn has served farmers broadly in both Central and Northern N.Y. Her Farm Credit East career includes being a loan officer, branch manager, regional manager and now, consulting specialist. Her diverse experience allows her to serve customers in a broad range of consulting.
Mary Kate MacKenzie | Consulting Associate | Geneva, N.Y.
Mary Kate helps farmers grow their operations and achieve their goals. For the past decade, she has consulted with some of the largest dairy operations in New York. Since joining Farm Credit East in August 2025, she has provided financial analysis and business planning to diverse farm businesses.
Gregg McConnell | Regional Financial Services Leader | Cortland, N.Y.
Gregg manages Farm Credit East's business consulting programs. A University of Maine graduate with a degree in animal science, Gregg pursues ongoing professional development in diverse fields of expertise including financial management, income taxes, estate planning, risk management and data analytics.
Scott Milhollen | Consulting Specialist | Batavia, N.Y.
Scott has over 30 years of experience working within the agriculture industry. He has worked at Farm Credit East as a lender, financial services department leader, and now as a business consultant.
Emili Ponte | Consulting Specialist | Cooperstown, N.Y.
Emili offers her clients expertise to create strategic plans for the long-term sustainability of agricultural businesses in the Northeast. Her diverse background brings skill sets that help to identify, map and collaborate with internal and external team members using a whole business approach for financial success.
Ethan Robertson | Consulting Specialist | Auburn, Maine
Ethan spent his early years on his family’s poultry farm in N.H. While earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New Hampshire, he worked on several dairy farms. Prior to joining Farm Credit East in 2014, he helped on his in-laws’ family crop farm and owned two agricultural insurance agencies with a partner.
Heather Weeks, CFP® | Consulting Specialist | Bedford, N.H.
Heather helps farmers grow their businesses and realize their dreams. She holds an MS from Virginia Tech in Ag Economics and a BS in dairy science. Before joining Farm Credit, Heather taught farm business management for Penn State Extension.