ELECTED LEAGUE POSITIONS

BIOGRAPHIES OF DIRECTORS & OFFICERS OF LWVNYS

Martha Kennedy
  President

A product of the League’s grassroots structure, Martha comes to the presidential nomination for LWVNYS after germination and early nurturing on the LWV Albany County board. She had the opportunity to branch out after a transplant to the LWVNYS board where she served as Membership Outreach Director for one year and as Membership Vice President for the past four years. Those years of growth provided the opportunity for her to become acquainted with the unique personalities of leagues throughout the state. While respecting that unique character and the passion of local League members, she hopes to strengthen the roots that connect local Leagues to their state board, LWVUS, and to each other.

Martha is the mother of two adult daughters, and lives in the Capital District with her husband Don.

Edna Vincenti
 1st Vice President/Advocacy and Issues

Edna Vincenti had a 32-year career in the NYC public schools as a teacher of drama, speech, and English and later as Coordinator of the Humanities Honor Program that she developed at Julia Richman High School in Manhattan. She produced and directed plays and was a member of the Lincoln Center Institute that worked to bring the performing arts to high schools. Edna served for several years as the Assistant Principal in charge of Talent Unlimited, a performing arts program that eventually became Talent Unlimited High School

Edna joined the LWV Port Washington-Manhasset during her maternity leaves and was active until she returned to teaching. After she retired, she reactivated her membership and served as secretary, President and Co-President. She was appointed to the State board as Grassroots Lobby Director in September 2004 filling a vacancy, and elected to a two-year term in May 2005. Edna lives in Manhasset, Long Island with her husband Vito. She has two sons, John and Paul and three grandsons, Alexander, Andrew and Matthew.
Marcia Merrins
 2nd Vice President/Membership

“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.”  “We can't become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”

Membership is very important for the League to thrive.  Both of these quotes by Oprah Winfrey encapsulate what I have discovered during my years in the League.

During my 17 years of service with the League of Women Voters, I have held numerous leadership positions at different levels within the state organization.  I have been president of the League of Women Voters of New York State since May, 2003.  Prior to that, I have served two years as VP Membership for LWVNYS and Secretary/Treasurer.  I have concurrently served as the President of the LWV Chautauqua County until 2003 and will resume that position in May 2007.
Currently, I sit on several boards including the Chautauqua County Board of Health, SUNY Fredonia Rockefeller Arts Center, Western New York Chamber Orchestra Board.  In 1999, I was part of the creation of the Chautauqua County Commission on Women’s Issues and served as the vice-chair for three years.  I also served on the local school board for five years.

I was born and raised in Brooklyn and moved to Fredonia in Chautauqua County in 1974.  Jogging and tennis are enjoyed often.  There’s always time for bridge, mah jongg, skiing, bicycling, gardening, cooking, and a good book.For fun, annually for 13 years, I am Elf Holly on the local access “Talk to Santa Show”.

Jim and I enjoy day hiking on adventures around the world as well as crewing on the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race each fall.  We are the proud parents of three adult children and two amazing grand children (of course), Mabel and Collin.
Maggie Moehringer
 3rd Vice President/Voter Service

Maggie has been an Albany County League member since 1991 and is nominated to serve as the Co-President.  She has been LWVAC Voter Service Director for three years, and treasurer, bulletin editor, and communications director.  She was responsible for proposing the “Financing Public Higher Education” study at the 1997 LWVNYS Convention, served on the statewide study group, and served on LWVNYS’ Technology Committee.  Maggie has recently retired from over 20 years of employment at SUNY as a technology director, and continues to consult for the SUNY System.  Maggie has served on the boards of the United Nations Association, the Bethlehem Music Association, and various civic and town committees.  Maggie and her husband Vince live near Albany and have three boys, ages 25, 21, and 15.


Education:
BA, Catholic University, Washington DC, 1972
AMI Montessori Certification, Washington Montessori Institute, 1973
MBA/Management Information Systems, State University of New York at Albany, 1979 Employment:
1986-2007 Director of Systems Development, SUNY System Administration, Albany
1982-1986 Director of Systems Development, NYS OMRDD, Albany
1979-1982 Consultant, Management Information Systems, Arthur Young and Co., NY, NY
1975-1977 Director/Teacher, Montessori School of Albany
1973-1975 Teacher, Ursuline Montessori School
Betsey Swan
4th Vice President/Development

Betsey is an attorney licensed in NYS and New Zealand.  She has served as membership director and as director of voter services for LWV Albany County.  She is a founding member and president of Fair Campaign Practices for the Capital Region, Inc., established to promote fair campaigns and hear candidate complaints of unfair campaign practices in the four-county capital district.  She co-chaired the financing education study, is acting off board specialist for education finance, and supports the legislative director in her role as legislative analyst for the LWVNYS.
Dr. Deborah Shichtman (aka Debbie)
Secretary/Treasurer

I am a retired social worker, married with two grown children and one grandchild.

During the 37 years of LWV membership (how I survived my stay-at-home mom years), my positions have included treasurer, recording secretary, bulletin editor, moderator, speaker, and chair of numerous committees.  I am currently President of the Great Neck LWV and VP of the Nassau County LWV.

League and other community activities culminated in being honored as a Woman of the Year by the Town of North Hempstead.
Barbara Bartoletti
Legislative Director

Barbara Bartoletti has been the Legislative Director for the League of Women Voters of New York State since 1988 and a member of the Albany County League of Women Voters since 1978.  Barbara oversees all legislation of interest to the League in the state legislature.  She lectures statewide on advocacy/issues and citizen participation in government.  She does political commentary for Channel 9 News in the Capital Region and comments on good government issues to statewide newspapers, as well as editorial board visits across the state.  Barbara was named to Governor elect Eliot Spitzer’s transition team in November 2006 and was instrumental in providing the new Governor recommendations for a reform agenda.  Barbara has traveled extensively in central Asia, where she has presented at conferences and led workshop training in advocacy, media relations, and coalition building in Russia and Armenia.  Barbara also gives numerous workshops for not-for-profit advocacy organizations that helps them impact state government.  She sits on the board of The Council of Community Services, League of Women Voters of Albany County, and Center for Women in Government.  For the past two-years Barbara has participated in the Albany Law School symposium on Government Reform.  She is a member of the Regents Advisory Commission for Accreditation of Proprietary Colleges. 
JoAnn Ross
Citizen Education Director

Since moving to the Buffalo area five years ago, JoAnn Ross has been active in the Buffalo-Niagara LWV in numerous ways, chairing the Regional Water Issues Committee, serving as chair of the Lake Erie Basin Committee, and most recently as 1st Vice-President.

JoAnn has extensive experience in both community action and education, having served as Community Action coordinator for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in Washington, D.C. where she traveled the country creating coalitions with religious and community organizations. As New York State Education Coordinator for AFSCME in Albany, developed and conducted education and training programs across the state on an array of subjects.

She maintains her avid interest in the environment by serving as a League representative on the Erie County Water Quality Committee and as an active member of the Great Lakes United. (Working on Great Lakes Advocacy Issues) JoAnn has also served on the Boards of the Consumer Federation of America, the Employee Assistance Society of America, and the National Crime Prevention Coalition.

Georgia DeGregorio
Grassroots Lobby Director

I joined the North Brookhaven L.I. League in 1967 to study our China Foreign Policy. 
I co-chaired a community celebration of the UN and became VP for program.

In 1972, I joined the Rochester League to learn about the political issues of my new home. 
I worked with the Bishop Sheen Housing Foundation and the local Fair Housing Coalition.  Business and family caused me to take a low profile for several years. I joined the local Social Policy Committee in 2002 where we have been working on Bullying, Medicaid, Early Childhood Education, and Lead Hazard Control.  I now am NYS Off-board Specialist on Domestic Violence and represent our League on a local   Domestic Violence Consortium.  I was Secretary for Local League Board from 2004-2006
Ruth Bonn
Membership Outreach

Having grown up with a mother who was very active in the League, it was just assumed that I would join the League as a young married.  After moving to the Albany area of New York, I again joined the League, and soon became Membership Chairman.  Moving again and going back to work, the League and I lost touch.  When I retired, my mother, who is still active in the League at the age of 98, gave me a League membership as a retirement gift.  I was called and invited to a meeting and…. soon I was on the board of the Schenectady League and am now in my fourth (and last) year as president. 

My particular area of interest is with city revitalization and preservation of open space.  I served on the board of a local environmental organization, ECOS, for a many years and, as such, organized a regional conference on sprawl related issues, which is now a biennial event.  I am also the League’s co-off-board specialist for urban sprawl.

Sociology was my major at Smith College.  I later obtained a teaching degree and one in Program Development and Evaluation from SUNYA.  I taught elementary school, K-6 in varied settings—open, traditional, magnet.  I worked in teacher development and curriculum planning for the ten years before retirement.  Now retired, I still don’t have time to do everything I want to do—travel to places exotic and to see grandkids in the West, catch up on reading, garden, canoe---and of course, the League.