Meet The Board

ROWE CAMP AND CONFERENCE CENTER
BOARD OF TRUSTEES – 2007

The weekend of our last board meeting, there were two conferences at Rowe, both focused on women.  At dinner on Saturday evening, five men suddenly appeared in the circle.  Prue, sensing the unasked question in the room, introduced them as Members of Rowe’s Board of Directors.  Later, during dinner, a conferee asked, “Where are the women on the board?”  Where, indeed?

Since September, I’ve been the lone member of our gender on Rowe’s Board.  This is not for want of trying, as Simon Delekta, chair of the nomination committee, has been working hard to bring our profile more in line with the greater Rowe community, and a number of women have been attending meetings to try us out. 

Yes, at present they are all men except for me, but they each bring a unique gift to the table and a wonderful variety of interests, skills, and experience.  This is the first of a two part series to introduce you to the board. In keeping with the theme of this edition, I would like to first introduce our board members who are yesterday’s campers and today’s leaders.

Simon Delekta is vice president of the board and travels to Rowe from Brooklyn.  He had pictured us as “a bunch of suits and ties sitting around a table” before he joined out of fear of not having a camp voice on the board.  In 1991, at the age of 11, Simon’s mother dragged him to Rowe for Junior High Camp.  He really did NOT want to go. Fast forward to 1995, when he gave up going to Senior High Camp in order to be a C.I.T. at Junior High Camp.  In 1996, he joined the Jr. High staff, continued until he went to college, and came back again after college in 2001.

As a board member, Simon enjoys hearing Doug’s philosophy, knowing how things work, and, of course, working with the rest of us whether or not he agrees with us. What Simon finds challenging is also what he likes: the power of working the values we talk about.  Ironically, he is one of the more mainstream members, and during discussions it is Simon who brings us back to the center.

Zack Levin is board clerk.  He stepped right up to that job as a new board member.  Zack first came to Rowe as a camper in 1984.  He became a “spirit” in 1991 and then joined the staff in 1992.  He returned as staff for two more years in 1995 and 1997.  Zack says Rowe has been a big part of his life, and he joined the board because he wanted to give something back.  He says the most challenging thing about being on the board is getting to Rowe from his home in New York City.   

Zack enjoys seeing behind the scenes and getting to know how the organization operates.  He is pleased with how issues are handled, and he likes having a voice. Most of the time, Zack types quietly away at his laptop, taking minutes, only asking for clarification.  Then, every once in awhile, he speaks up, making an observation  that is right on point, asking a question that opens up a new way of looking at a problem or making a recommendation that is balanced and well thought out.

Bob Scheier was a camper in the 70s and says, “Rowe changed my life!”  He says it was the one place where he “felt at home and could be myself. It’s where I found out who myself is!”  Bob also worked hard as a volunteer on the long-range planning committee before joining the Board in September.  He joined because he wanted to be more connected to Rowe and wants to make sure it’s there for many more years. 

His daughter Marissa is currently a camper, and the whole family loves being there. Just eating at Rowe feels supportive of the values that are important to him. Being vegetarian for Bob is living up to the ideals of peace, non-violence, and the seventh UU principle, “respect for the interdependent web of all existence.” His challenge is stretching himself in areas he hasn’t tried before.  It’s also one of the things he likes about serving, and he appreciates the opportunities to grow and to give something back.   He is chairing the development committee and sees that as a way of reaching out to others who feel as we do and want to help.  Bob is a big bundle of enthusiasm!  It doesn’t matter what he’s working on, he just dives in and usually takes the rest of us with him.

Many of the trustees travel long distances to serve, and they do it because they love Rowe and want to contribute to our success as an institution.  They are willing to speak honestly from their hearts about whatever issue surfaces, to listen, and to argue their points of view.  They each do things that they personally find difficult, because those things have to be done.

There is room for more at this table, and we would welcome inquiries from any of you who are interested in committing to this work.  It would be nice to add women, people of color, and a GLBT person. Next edition, I will introduce the rest of the board, but why not come and meet them for yourself. Our meetings are open, and the schedule is on the website.  We hope to see you there sometime.

In the last Rowe Zone, I introduced you to part of the Board of Trustees. The theme of that issue was a celebration of Rowe’s youth, so I focused on the younger members of the board who came to us from the youth camps. In this issue, I tell you about those of us with a little more mileage.

Sue Baldauf first came to a workweek in the late 70s with some friends of Doug’s. She loved the atmosphere and the setting, attended some workshops, and gained respect for the principles of social justice, equity, and fairness that underlie the programming. She credits Doug, Prue, and Felicity for infusing the Rowe experience with values that go beyond specific religions and belief systems. Sue says, “Something comes over me when I drive over that bridge.” She wants to do what she can to help Rowe remain solid in its core and sustain itself, so she joined the Development Committee and took on a major portion of work, well before joining the board. She’s been an inspiring example for the rest of us, bringing her experience on other boards, her enthusiasm for whatever we’re doing, and her willingness to work on the difficult issues.

Fred Schoeps, our treasurer, first showed up at a board meeting in 2002 with a formal marketing proposal, complete with visual aids. Our eyes kind of glazed over during the presentation, but it was clear Fred was a keeper! He heard about Rowe from his stepson, Mark Taylor, who used to be on the maintenance staff. Deciding to have a look for himself, Fred went to a workweek and was impressed with the diversity of people who come to Rowe. He is a first-generation immigrant: he became a naturalized citizen at the age of 6. His initial career was teaching, including a stint in Switzerland, then he worked on a variety of projects for IBM and picked up new skills.  He took an early retirement, realizing there is more to life than pursuing a career and wanting to give back. He served as vice president of his UU District board and gave us the benefit of his talent and tenacity as treasurer. The most challenging part of his service at Rowe, he says, is the 3 1/2 hour drive from White Plains. He enjoys the diversity of backgrounds and opinions among board members and our process of listening to each other as we collaborate to work out problems. 

Granger Macy is a professor of business at Ithaca College and travels the farthest to serve. He wants next year’s board schedule to coordinate with work weeks so he doesn’t have to make the trip twice in a week. Granger joined the board in September because he has professional expertise to offer and he wanted to help. Before joining, he worked several months as a volunteer and brought our investment policy to completion, a document we had been struggling with for more than a year. Granger is chairing the investment committee, which is made up of people close to Rowe who are knowledgeable about money management. He wants to see Rowe stay around for a long time and to see it grow. Fundraising is what he finds most difficult about board work, a challenge most of us share. What he likes about being on the board, in addition to all of us, is “being part of a group committed to doing good in the world.”

I first went to Rowe in the 80s to a Gail Straub workshop. I didn’t return for about 10 years, but, once I did, I was hooked! I attended various weekends, but WomenCircles made me want to get more involved. Felicity had mentioned that the board was looking for candidates. I’d been on the mailing list for some time and read about the day-to-day issues, the staff, and other people who were contributing to this wonderful place. I started going to board meetings about 10 years ago. At the time, there were no openings, so I volunteered for a year, doing what I could. It was a good experience, because I had never served on a board before. Once there was a vacancy, I knew what I was getting into, and the group knew how much I wanted to serve. I have met and developed valued friendships with people through this work. I have one more year in office, but this is such a big part of my life that I would like to continue as a trustee (Bruce Robbins is my role model: 21 years!) Now that I’m retired, I have the time and energy to devote to it.

We still have a couple of openings and welcome your interest. We also appreciate volunteers. Our meetings are open and we will post next year’s schedule on the website after our June meeting. You can find the minutes of our meetings, our strategic plan, and major policy statements there as well. Have a wonderful summer!

                                                                                    Cathy Perkins, Board President