Council Members

Elected Officers

Robert Beaury

President

Robert joined LLI at Bard College in the summer of 2019 and has been a presenter since that fall. He was elected Treasurer in the spring of 2020 and served a two-year term. He is currently the President of LLI, having been elected in 2022, and re-elected to a second two-year term. Robert is originally from New York City, where he worked in law
and business, He made the full-time transition to Columbia County in 1994. Robert has devoted 30+ years to community service.

Robert is a retired high school social studies teacher and college adjunct. He earned a BA in history and political science from Hunter College, an MS in education from Sage Graduate School, a Certificate of Advanced Studies in education administration from SUNY New Paltz, and a Certificate in Tax Law from NYU. He also devoted a few years toward a PhD in history at the Graduate Center, CUNY.

Robert is a retired Town Justice, and former Supervisor of Germantown, Columbia County. He also served on the County’s Board of Supervisors, was a member of several
committees, and was the chair of the County’s Economic Development Committee.

As LLI President, Robert serves in the position of Governance as well.

Email: rbeaury@lli.bard.edu

Collin Lovas

1st Vice President

Collin Lovas has been appointed First Vice President of Bard LLI, where he will support the organization’s efforts around surveys and data analysis.

He brings experience from his earlier work leading a long-running survey group at Buck Consultants, and continues to stay active in the community through his volunteer work with Red Hook Responds. In this new role, he looks forward to contributing to thoughtful planning and responsive decision-making at LLI. 

Email: clovas@lli.bard.edu

Grace McKay

2nd Vice President

Grace holds a Masters of Library Science degree and a law degree. She worked on civil matters in banking and was Deputy City Attorney for her hometown of Glen Cove, New York for 10 years. Her career trajectory eventually led her to Bank of America, where she served in the capacity of Executive Vice President until her retirement.

Since then she has lived in Rhinebeck where she has been active with the Starr Library and Bard LLI. As Second VP, Grace plans to deepen her commitment to Bard LLI and offer her legal skills in reviewing our bylaws which is an integral part of the Second VP position.

Email: gcmckay51@gmail.com

Susan Simon

Secretary

Susan has served as President/Secretary/Treasurer of many area organizations, and currently is a member of the Red Hook Rotary Club and the Red Hook Board Of Ethics. Susan is a retired Registered Financial Consultant (RFC®), Registered Life Planner (RLP) and owns Third Eye Associates, Ltd with her wife, Beth Jones.  She joined LLI in 2021 as a class participant, Zoom session manager, class manager, and…presenter! 

Susan is the mother of two adult daughters, relishes time with four grandsons, and serves two cats. For the (even more) fun side of life, she loves to dance/Lindy Hop and performs with “Chester’s Cool Cats & Kittens” and DJs for various dances in the Hudson Valley, including Spiegeltent! 

“I happily moved from NYC to Red Hook in 2005 and immersed myself in a great community. Running for the Council Secretary position seems like the perfect “next step” in my life journey, bringing my past board(s) experiences while integrating new experiences & knowledge to the position. For this, I am grateful and honored.”

Email: ssimon@lli.bard.edu

Karen Kane

Treasurer

Karen has been a member of LLI since Spring 2022. After serving as a class manager for several courses, Karen is excited to strengthen her commitment to LLI by serving as its Treasurer. Born in Brooklyn but raised mostly in New Hyde Park, Long Island, Karen earned her Applied Economics degree from Cornell University. After graduating, she moved to Houston, Texas, where she met her husband, Michael Forlenza, a hydrogeologist and environmental consultant. Coincidentally, Michael had been raised only five miles from Karen, in Manhasset.

Karen worked as an institutional equity research analyst for a regional investment banking firm before joining the Houston office of an NYC-based investment banking company. In 2010, she became an independent consultant providing Supervisory Analyst services to the institutional equity research departments of mid-tier investment banking firms and private investment advisors.

Karen and Michael resided in Houston for almost thirty-five years, where they were active members of the Houston Grand Opera Guild. In addition, Karen was a “Big Sister” for Houston’s “Big Brothers Big Sisters” program and volunteered at the Houston SPCA.

Seeking to be closer to their families and friends, Karen and Michael returned to New York full-time, in 2019, after having purchased a home in Rhinebeck Village, in 2016. In choosing Rhinebeck, Karen and Michael had determined that it “checked all the boxes” in terms of retiring and aging in place, i.e., walkability, access to medical care, and, most important, proximity to Bard College. Karen had long known of Bard’s artistic, cultural, and educational import, so she was thrilled to discover, and then, upon retiring, join, the LLI program. She is an enthusiastic proponent of Bard’s LLI program and is very much looking forward to serving as the group’s Treasurer.

Email: kkane@lli.bard.edu

Jill Lundquist

Liaison to Bard College Admin

Jill Lundquist has been a member of the Bard Lifetime Learning Institute since 2013, and an LLI Council member since 2014. She served on the Council first as a Member-at-Large, then as 2nd Vice-President, as Chair of the Planning and Evaluation Committee, and now as LLI’s Liaison to the Senior Administration at Bard College. In her role as Liaison, she also serves on the advisory board of the Bard Center for Civic Engagement. Jill has been a member of both LLI Long Range Planning Committees over the past ten years, and is also a member of the Communications Team and the Civic Engagement Team. 

Jill retired in 2011 from her position as Director of Admissions at Poughkeepsie Day School. Certified in education and in social work, she had a long career as an educator and administrator in education and human service organizations. She was previously the Director of the Mid-Hudson Family Mediation Center, was on the clinical staff of the Catskill Family Institute, and was Director of Community Education for Ulster County Mental Health Services. She was a member of the Board of Education for the Red Hook Central School District, ran an enrichment program for children in the Red Hook Schools and, early in her career, worked in the grants office at Bard College.

Jill is also actively involved in Democratic politics in the local area, is a member of Hudson Valley Strong, of Red Hook Together, and of Re-Sisters, a group of area women committed to political activism. 

Jill is a longtime resident of Barrytown, where she lives with her husband, Doug Baz. They have three adult children and three grandchildren.

Email: jlundquist@lli.bard.edu

 
 

Members at Large

Kayla Bell

Member at Large

Kayla joined LLI in 2018 and became a member of the Membership Development Committee in 2019, just as it started meeting via Zoom. She created a social event on Zoom based on the idea of Vision Quest for Membership Development in 2020, helped with the tour of the Hessel Museum, and arranged the social at Greig Farm afterward. She has been active in the Civic Engagement Team since it started in the fall of 2021.

Kayla is a long-time resident of Upper Red Hook, NY. She came here kicking and screaming from Brooklyn and has been happy here ever since. She is a retired psychiatric nurse and spent 26 years at St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie.

Kayla is an avid gardener and has been the president of the Old Dutchess Village Garden Club for the past three years. She spends her time being a devoted mother of twin girls and grandmother to her granddaughter. She also enjoys reading self-help books. In her spare time, when not in the garden, she explores the possibilities of the written word, attempting to write poetry, and armoring herself against injustice.

Email: twinpod11@gmail.com

Michael Weinstock

Member at Large

Michael S. Weinstock, MD, was Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, at the Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania. At LVHHN, Michael served as Interim Chief Medical Officer from April to October 2003. He also is professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at the Penn State University College of Medicine.

His national activities for the American College of Emergency Physicians include membership on several committees and task forces and serving on the Board of Directors for six years. At ACEP’s Annual Scientific Assembly in 2000, Michael received the James D. Mills Award for Outstanding Contributions to the field of Emergency Medicine.

Michael has been a popular LLI presenter, most recently teaching Current Concepts in Medicine in the fall of 2021. He and his wife, Leslie, live in Rhinebeck. They enjoy traveling, walking, theater, and canasta. He is an avid golfer. He and his wife have been active at Bard LLI, enjoying classes, fellow members, and the Fisher Center.

Email: msweinstock@gmail.com

Eleanor Wieder

Eleanor Wieder

Member at Large

When Eleanor and her husband became full-time residents of Rhinebeck in 2020, she was looking for a place to meet people and build a community in her new town. Bard LLI was the answer. She joined LLI in the fall of 2020 when we were entirely remote. Despite not being on campus, she made many friends, found interesting volunteer opportunities, and became deeply involved in helping LLI run successfully during a challenging time.

She currently serves on the Curriculum and Membership Development Committees, the Curriculum-to- Catalog Team, and the Civic Engagement Team. Eleanor looks forward to the opportunity of serving on Council while working collaboratively with LLI members to help grow and enrich Bard LLI. 

Eleanor is a retired CPA. As an adjunct lecturer, she taught accounting and business classes at CUNY Queensborough for 20 years. In her free time, she loves hiking, cooking, and doting on her two grandchildren.

Email:  ewieder@lli.bard.edu

Chuck Mishaan

Member at Large

Chuck has been presenting courses at Bard LLI for many years, including his popular Opera as Politics series, the Leonard Bernstein Centenary Lectures, and recently The Roaring 20s. His commentary on the intersection of politics and the arts continues with this new series of courses.

Email: cmishaan@lli.bard.edu

Standing Committee Chairs

Mary McClellan

Mary McClellan

Curriculum

Born and raised in New York City, Mary arrived in the Hudson Valley in 1974 via SUNY New Paltz. Like so many other transplants, she found this area to be a fine place to lay down roots. With her husband, she established a home in Ulster County, where they raised their daughter. Since retiring from her career as a guidance counselor in the Kingston City Schools, she has pursued her interests in travel, photography, writing, reading, hiking, politics, and gardening.

Since joining LLI in 2016, Mary has served on the Registration Committee and worked to develop the previous LLI Bard website. She has been a class manager for several LLI classes and has produced one class. Mary is currently active in the Civic Engagement Team and on the Curriculum Committee. She hopes to continue to serve the Bard LLI community as a member of the Council.

Email: mmcclellan@lli.bard.edu

L Walker

Membership Development

Carmela Gersbeck

Program Support

Carmela Gersbeck became an LLI member in 2019. She soon joined the Communications Committee and the Technology Committee. She is Chair of the Program Support team, which is responsible for the classes presented in Zoom, and the class manager, A/V, and hospitality teams when on campus. Carmela also assists with answering emails seeking technical help and produces the Bard LLI monthly newsletter.

Carmela moved full-time to Tillson in 2018, after spending 20 years as a weekender in the Woodstock area with her husband, Al. She retired in 2018 from a 40-year career working in leadership roles for Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns and JP Morgan. Carmela’s favorite pastimes are spending time with her two grandchildren, camping, cooking, bicycling, hiking, and reading detective novels. 

Email: cgersbeck@lli.bard.edu