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: [email protected]
Mary McClellan
1st Vice President
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 DEI Justice Group and on the Curriculum Committee. She hopes to continue to serve the Bard LLI community as a member of the Council.
Email: [email protected]
Carol Goss
2nd Vice President
Carol has been a member of LLI since 2003. She served for 4 years as co-chairperson of Class Support and was previously Member at Large on the LLI Council.
Carol received a BA degree from Hunter College and an MS from SUNY New Paltz. She worked as a primary grade teacher in New York City and in the Arlington School District before she retired in 2002. Carol first volunteered at the Red Hook Library, then joined LLI and soon became an active participant. She has completely enjoyed her LLI experience, even more after she became actively involved. She feels that volunteering is a good way to pay back for all she has received being a member of LLI
Carol is a long-time resident of Milan. She lives surrounded by woods, wildlife, and an occasional bear, with her husband, Peter.
Email: [email protected]
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: [email protected]
Jerry K. Brockett
Treasurer
Jerry joined LLI in 2020, having retired after 40 years as an attorney/accountant engaged in tax consulting with national and regional CPA firms. He has served on LLI’s finance committee. Other activities include working as chairperson of the Investment Committee of the Rhinebeck Reformed Church, as well as volunteering with its food pantry.
Jerry first became familiar with LLI through his wife, Brenda Brockett, who has been involved with LLI for many years as a student and class manager. He believes that one should never stop learning, so finds LLI to be an ideal opportunity for continued expansion of knowledge. During his first year, Jerry was invited to join the finance committee and, subsequently, to offer himself as a candidate for treasurer. He believes that his qualifications and experience will allow him to contribute to the excellence that he finds to be a hallmark of LLI.
Email: [email protected]
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 DEI Social Justice Group 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: [email protected]
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: [email protected]
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 DEI/Social Justice 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: [email protected]
Lynda Christensen
Member at Large
Lynda is definitely a people person and an ideas person. She loves to hear others’ thoughts about what inspires and motivates them, as well as their vision of the future. Education and learning have always been a priority in her life. In her personal life, Lynda has served on various boards and community committees, including the HoHoKus NJ Board of Education Trustee and Northern Highlands Regional HS Board of Ed.
Most recently, she is serving on the Business Center EcoSystem Subcommittee of the Village of Rhinebeck’s Comprehensive Plan. This committee is responsible for the population profile, community outreach to determine wishes, priorities, and concerns regarding the Rhinebeck Business district, and making recommendations to the main committee to address/effect change where needed and/or desired.
In her professional career, Lynda was a business systems analyst at MetLife, AIG, Chemical Bank, IBM, and Unilever, a job that involved learning how things work (or, in some instances, perhaps didn’t work as well as they could) and listening to many voices express their vision, concerns, and suggestions. That meant synthesizing and presenting that information and working with others in a position to effect change for continuous improvement.
Email: [email protected]
Standing Committee Chairs
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 DEI Justice Group and on the Curriculum Committee. She hopes to continue to serve the Bard LLI community as a member of the Council.
Email: [email protected]
Robert Inglish
Membership Development
Robert enjoys serving on the MD Committee because he likes meeting new people and making new members feel welcome. He and his husband Craig have owned their Woodstock home for 20 years, they have been full-time residents for 6 years. LLI has provided an opportunity to
meet fellow learners in the Hudson Valley.
Besides a passion for learning, he enjoys reading, gardening, studying French, and exploring New York.
Leadership roles have included LGBT rights, the ACLU, historic preservation, and education.
A native of Oklahoma, he returned after college to the small town in which he grew up to practice law with his father. He continues to serve as president of the local title company. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University and his law degree from the University of Oklahoma. In 1988 he received the Courageous Advocate Award from the Oklahoma Bar Association for his representation of a special needs student excluded from public schools because of his HIV status.
Email: [email protected]
Eleanor Wieder
Planning and Evaluation
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 DEI/Social Justice 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: [email protected]
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: [email protected]
You must be logged in to post a comment.