The Columbia-Greene Hospital Foundation announced July 9, the appointment of James Lapenn of Hillsdale and Richard Byrne of Kinderhook to its board of trustees. The foundation is the fundraising arm of Columbia Memorial Health. According to a press release from the foundation, Lapenn has served on the Columbia Memorial Health Board of Trustees since 2009, and he is currently serving as the board's treasurer. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Kaaterskill Commons, Inc., the Columbia Economic Development Corporation and the Workforce Development Board of Columbia and Greene Counties. Lapenn has practiced law for 35 years, specializing in municipal and project finance. Byrne enjoyed a career as an operatic soloist. He sang for seven seasons at the Metropolitan Opera and 18 seasons at New York City Opera and also appeared with the opera companies of Washington, Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis, New Orleans, and other major cities. Byrne moved to Kinderhook full-time three years ago.  He is currently a licensed realtor with Gary DiMauro Real Estate, Inc. Read the full press release at Columbia Memorial Health [dot] org.