Board Members & Committees

Board Officers

Deb Schmidle, Chair:  Received an undergraduate degree in history from Binghamton University and pursued graduate work in history. She subsequently received a master’s degree in Information and Library Science from Syracuse University and completed a two-year program in Contemporary Leadership through Cornell’s School of Industrial Relations. Deb has extensive experience in governance, leadership, and management in various settings, including the not-for-profit sector. She spent most of her career at Cornell University Library (CUL) where she retired as Director of Research and Learning Services in 2013. While in this position, she provided budgetary, strategic planning, personnel development, and management oversight for reference, instruction, collection development, and outreach services. Upon retiring from Cornell, she developed and spent six years teaching a Leadership and Management certificate program for librarians provided through a California-based company that offers a range of online professional development courses for librarians and archivists. She also volunteered as a New York State-certified Medicare Counselor for several year and previously served on the boards of Loaves and Fishes and the Hangar Theatre, where she served on the Executive Committee and chaired the Personnel Committee. Most recently, Deb has returned to her first love—teaching history—by developing and offering numerous lectures and courses on British history, first for Lifelong in Ithaca and now for Love Living at Home. Deb has been a member of Love Living at Home since 2017 and is an active participant in the Book Group and Film Group. She also co-moderates the History Discussion Group and moderates the Women’s History Discussion Group.

Donna George, Vice-chair: Clinical social worker, former Manager of Bereavement Services at HPCS (Hospicare & Palliative Care Services) providing over 20 years of grief counseling and support; Fellow in Thanatology through  ADEC (Assoc. of Death, Education and Counseling); past secretary of Beechtree Board.

Amy Iles, Treasurer: A partner of Sciarabba Walker & Co. LLP, as a CPA and partner, has also served as operations manager of a local insurance agency and as hospital administrator for a family-owned veterinary practice. Previously, she worked in the audit department at KPMG in Rochester, NY; has served on the Ithaca Babe Ruth League, board of directors and treasurer, SPCA of Tompkins County, board of directors, and treasure of Beechtree Care Center

Jean McPheeters, Secretary: Founded Jean McPheeters Consulting LLC in 2014; teaching Nonprofit Management and Leadership at the Brooks School for Public Policy at Cornell University in spring 2023; served as the president of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce in Ithaca, New York for 14 years where managed a staff of seventeen people, a budget approaching $2 million, and a myriad of programs for a membership of more than 650; worked as a congressional aide and district administrator for two members of Congress: Matthew F. McHugh and Maurice Hinchey; worked as a labor organizer, a campaign manager, a postal carrier, a community education coordinator, and a library clerk; serves as a board member for Cayuga Health Partners, Inc. and Love Living at Home, and is the Chair of the Zoning Commission for the Town of Caroline; trustee emerita of Tompkins Cortland Community College; served as a director of the Tompkins Community College Foundation, the Paleontological Research Institution, the Community School of Music and Arts, Cayuga Medical Center, the Tompkins County Workforce Investment Board, the Industrial Development Agency of Tompkins County, and Tompkins County Area Development as well as the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and the New York Community College Trustees (NYCCT); Jean and her husband, Daniel live in the Brooktondale area in a log home they built; Jean is an avid bird watcher, an amazingly slow knitter, and a not very good ukulele player.

Board Members

Cliff Carey: Director of Operations for Timeless Hearing since 2021 following 12 years in hearing care business development. He has pursued roles in healthcare leadership since 2009 and has worked in business strategy and team development since 2003. Cliff loves hiking in the Adirondacks and spending time with family.

Dr. John Costello: Retired Internist and Ithaca native. Graduated from Cornell, Johns Hopkins Medical School. Practiced medicine in Ithaca for 35 years.

Laurene Gilbert: bio coming soon!

Nina Glasgow: Received her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1982. She worked in the Economic Research Service, US Department of Agriculture for seven years. She then joined the Department of Development Sociology, Cornell University where she worked until her retirement. Afterward she received emeritus status from Cornell. Dr. Glasgow focused on the sociology of aging and social gerontology in her research, teaching and outreach. She authored or edited four books on rural aging and rural health, published many articles in professional journals and wrote reports for various federal and New York State agencies. She is an active member of Cornell Academics and Professors Emeriti (CAPE) and Cornell Retirees Association.  

Kent Goetz: is a Professor Emeritus at Cornell’s Department of Performing and Media Arts. He was the Resident Scene Designer at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts from 1991-2019 and served as Department Chair from 2002 -08. Kent designed scenery and served as a scenic artist at numerous professional theaters throughout the United States including the Kitchen and Hangar Theatres in Ithaca. He is also a studio artist, having exhibited work at many area galleries. He painted, installed and donated three 24’w x 12’h interchangeable murals for Ithaca’s St. Paul’s Methodist Church chancel. His tutorials written for the CAD application, VectorWorks, were widely used by theatre professionals and teachers throughout the United States and abroad. Kent has served as a volunteer handy person for LLH since 2018.

Committees:

Each of our committees welcomes new members. Most committees meet monthly, and you can 
contact the office for information on when they meet. If you would like to attend a 
committee meeting to learn more, please contact the office. Below is a list of the committees 
and what they do.

Membership: Responsible for recruitment and retention of members, organizing information 
sessions for potential members, planning events for and maintaining ongoing communication 
with members. Committee members attend community events to publicize LLH. They plan and 
find venues, shop, provide refreshments, and set up for events. 

Program: Responsible for researching, planning, publicizing and coordinating the many 
activities we enjoy. Committee members arrange for venues, set up special talks for members, 
negotiate discounts, and host events. Hosting can involve any necessary set up before events, 
keeping a list of attendees, and being available to answer questions. 

Not active- Services: Responsible for the services provided to our members. Includes investigation of new 
services and expansion of existing ones, recruiting and training volunteers, and reviewing 
feedback on services performed. 

Marketing and Communications: Responsible for publicity, marketing, and communications. Maintains LLH’s 
website, explores publicity options, creates and distributes informational materials, and 
maintains our presence on social media. Marketing, computer, desktop publishing, art and/or 
design skills are particularly needed on this committee, but all are welcome.

Development: To operate, LLH depends upon outside sources of income in addition to 
membership fees. This committee investigates sources of funding, writes and submits grant 
proposals, organizes fundraising activities, and solicits donations.

Finance and Operations: Handles all financial matters, such as planning, accounting, and 
budget development. Has responsibility for day-to-day internal operations, such as office 
management and staffing, computer work, training, legal and insurance matters, and human 
resources. 

NEW! Governance Advisory Committee (GAC): Provides strategic guidance, expert insights, and informed recommendations to support the goals and decision-making processes of Love Living at Home (LLH). This committee serves in a non-governing, consultative role, offering diverse perspectives to enhance planning, policy development, program implementation, and overall organizational effectiveness.