Biographies of Board Members
Board Officers
Jim Darnieder, Co-Chair: Served for 15 years in sales and sales management with IBM, including District Sales Manager in the Syracuse office; before his recent retirement, Jim was the owner and operator of JD’s Fish n’ Grill Restaurant in Syracuse for 23 years.
Ann Lemley, Co-Chair: Professor Emerita, Cornell University; Past President Cornell Assoc. of Professors Emeriti; former Department Chair, College of Human Ecology, Cornell; former Division Chair, American Chemical Society; former NY State Water Quality Professor, Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Dr. John Costello, Vice Chair: Retired Internist and Ithaca native. Graduated from Cornell, Johns Hopkins Medical School. Practiced medicine in Ithaca for 35 years.
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
Board Members
Wendy Aquadro: Formal and informal educator; retired, senior associate director of advising, Office of Undergraduate Biology, Cornell University; past program manager for parenting workshops, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County; retired middle school life sciences teacher and substitute teacher.
Robin Dubovi: Licensed clinical social worker; has worked at The Racker Centers, Catholic Charities and Ithaca College; served on the boards of the Center for Transformative Action and The Vitamin L Project.
Sally Dullea: Over 25 years as V.P., Manager of Main Office of Citizens Savings Bank (now M&T Bank) helping people plan for retirement, and helping many local Not-for-Profits address their financial needs; also served on the Boards of Ithaca Rape Crisis, Challenge Industries; currently on the Board of Tompkins Community Action.
Kathleen M. Garner, Co-Founder : Retired from a career in Human Services and as an ordained Presbyterian minister; former Director Jansen Memorial Hospice and ED Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services; Founder Bereavement Center of Westchester; Co-chaired the Tompkins County United Way Campaign in 2013-14.
Donna George: 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.
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.
Marcia Kepecs: Educator and CEO of a NYC agency that provides special education services to preschoolers; formerly Executive Director of a NYC nonprofit for 2 years; consultant to nonprofits and public agencies for 10 years.
Jean McPheeters: 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.
Michelle Ochs: Trust Officer at Tompkins Financial Advisors; new resident of Ithaca; University of Pittsburgh School of Law graduate; extensive volunteer work with non-profits for both older adults and animals.
Carol Scheele: Former lecturer at Cornell University and Ithaca College; admissions and advising staff in Cornell’s College of Engineering; writing, editing and development responsibilities in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell; former volunteer, auxiliary president, board member, teen volunteer program director, and fund raiser at Cayuga Medical Center.
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| Committee | Chair | Members (ED is on all committees below). |
| Community Outreach | Thena Lindhorst | Carol Mallison, Donna George, Vicki Gayle, Nancy Goldberg, Jane Segelken*, Jean McPheeters, Jim Darnieder, Marcia Kepecs, Larry Parker, Nina Glasgow, Pat Jung, Robin Dubovi, Wendy Aquadro, Bill Mutch, Susan Larkin*, Wilma Lawrence |
| Development Comm | Kathy Garner | Kathy Garner (chair), Jean McPheeters, Eugene Yarussi, Jim Johnson, Larry Parker, Stephanie Enos |
| Executive Comm | ED & Co-chairs (Thena, Jim, Ann) | Jim Darneider (co-chair), Ann Lemley (co-chair), John Costello (vice-chair), Amy Iles (treasurer), Sally Dullea* (past co-chair) |
| Finances and Operations Comm | Amy Iles | Amy Iles (chair) Sally Dullea, Ed Dubovi, Rob Hillman, Ann Lemley, Kathy Garner |
| LLH Board | Jim Darneider, Co-chair. Ann Lemley, Co-chair | Full board |
| Marketing Comm | Jim Darneder | Jim Darnieder (Chair), Kathy Garner, Neil Wiemann, Donna George, Michelle Ochs Dani Chontey |
| Membership Comm | Wendy Aquadro | Betsy Hillman, Robin Dubovi, Pauline Reid, Diane Weissinger, Marcia Kepecs, Persephone Doliner, Virginia Waters, Wendy Aquatro (Chair), Nancy Goldberg |
| Program Comm | John Costello, Betsy Hillman, Marcia Kepecs | Betsy Hillman; Jim Darneider; Sally Clayton; Sally Dullea; Dodie Kunz; John Costello; Laurene Mongelli Gilbert; Mary Helen Cathles; Nancy Goldberg; Nancy Ridenour; Nina Glasgow; Susan Jaquette; Abby Eller; Ann Levatich; Barbara Nosanchuk; Carol Scheele; Deborah Schmidle; Non-members:Robin Dubovi and LLH Staff |
*Silent committee members
Each of our committees welcomes new members. Most committees meet monthly, and you can
find the schedule on the LLH calendar of events on the website. 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.
Programs: 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.
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.