Introducing Collin Lovas, Our New First Vice President

by Felice Gelman

Introduction

If you meet our new first vice president, Collin Lovas, in the village of Red Hook or walking in the woods at Clermont, you’ll most likely meet his dog Daffy as well. She is a well-trained eight-year-old rescue dog—as sweet as her picture here suggests. Daffy reflects both sides of Collin’s personality: well-organized and always choosing to help. His decision to take on the role of first vice president when Mary McClellan’s term ended and she chose to devote her time to chairing the Curriculum Committee is a perfect example.

Our Anniversary Banners Recruited Him

Collin is a transplanted retiree from the Berkshires. He loves the Berkshire mountains, but he didn’t love condo life there. Now he has a house near Bard on a quiet street. As soon as he moved in, he began exploring Red Hook. His first discovery was Bard College. The banners announcing LLI’s 20th anniversary alerted him to the possibility of becoming involved with the College and with LLI. He was a lucky first-time membership lottery winner and joined LLI in June 2023.

A Devoted Volunteer

He describes himself as “a helper.” He enjoys being involved in his community and actively seeks opportunities to make a positive impact. Since LLI is an all-volunteer-run organization, LLI had no problem finding volunteer opportunities for him. He has been a class manager for several semesters and appreciates the chance it has given him to get to know more LLI members. He also volunteers for Red Hook Responds as a driver, delivering meals and now food packages from food pantries to our Red Hook and Rhinebeck neighbors. He is also a “bread runner,” collecting Bread Alone’s weekly bread donation from its Lake Katrine bakery. Collin says, “There’s nothing more intoxicating than having the delightful smell of 100 loaves of bread in your car.” His pet project—pun intended—is working to establish pet food deliveries from the food pantries. If you find yourself with pet food you don’t need, let Collin know.

Putting His Skills to Work

Collin’s career as a data analyst, managing a survey group and working for several large financial companies in human resources, makes him a great fit for the responsibilities of first vice president. In addition to supporting Council President Robert Beaury, Collin will be responsible for conducting member surveys and overseeing Council nominations and elections. We can count on Collin—a skilled, engaged, and empathetic Council member.