The election for the Advisory Board begins Monday, April 11, 2022 and ends Friday, April 15th. Six candidates are running for four openings. Members will vote for three at-large candidate and one new member candidate.
Member-At-Large Candidates
New Member Candidate
Member-At-Large Candidates
(NOTE: Logged in members can click on the names below to view the candidate’s member profile .)
Maury Harris: LP2 Member Since 2017-09-01
Previous Experience: During my career as an economist, I managed economic research departments at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, PainWebber and UBS. This experience should enable me to work with others to help improve the quality and breadth of our curriculum content. Also, my professional experience in making presentations to small groups can be useful input for the Curriculum Committee as it provides presentation guidance to new coordinators. I am a member of the IER Investment Policy Committee for our endowments and also serve on the Investment Board of the American Associates of Ben Gurion University endowment
LP2 Experience: I have coordinated study groups on New York City and Texas history, COVID-19 economics, financial bubbles, Federal budget deficits, Native Americans and criminology.
Major Issues: We need to further improve the already good diversity and content quality of our course offerings. More existing member participation in coordinating must be encouraged and aided. We should more proactively recruit new members who are qualified to lead study groups on specific topics for which we need to expand our course offerings
Stephen Kalinsky: LP2 Member Since 2011-01-01
Previous Experience: Lawyer, Administrative Law Judge, Administrator New York State and New York City.
LP2 Experience: Coordinated a bunch of study group (around 30+/-), Member of the Curriculum Committee for 4 years, Member/Chair of the Virtual Classroom which provided content for Self Help Community Services members. (Zoom sessions to homebound prior to Covid 19); Senior Debate Group facilitator, Led Advances in Civilization discussions, current event discussions and collaborated with Barry Levine on a series of webcasts on Covid and discussions and current events discussions during semester breaks.
Major Issues: While we are all looking forward to getting together in person for study group sessions and other activities…there is still a place for some remote activities or at least some HYBRID ACTIVITIES. Hopefully, we can create a program that works for ALL OF OUR MEMBERS. That is what I would like to see.
Arlyne LeShack: LP2 Member Since 2010-02-01
Previous Experience: I have had leadership positions in numerous areas including my condo board, charitable organizations, and on my school leadership team. I have had team building professional development.
LP2 Experience: I have coordinated and co-coordinated many study groups. I have been a member of the curriculum committee and the advisory board. I am presently a member of the admissions committee and the community building initiative. I developed and run the Women’s Group.
Major Issues: We need to transition back to an in person learning community taking into account ways we can meet the needs of our members. We need to continue to encourage our members to create diverse study groups so we present a full curriculum. We need to encourage multiple ways to connect with one another.
Judith Monson: LP2 Member Since 2018-01-09
Previous Experience: To further LP2 goals, I will use skills gained in my corporate and volunteer leadership roles: accounting/finance, planning, strategy, team building and committee work. I spent more than 23 years at Seagram in finance positions, leading to Senior VP of Finance for a $billion division; my final role was General Manager of a luxury fashion house in Paris. For the last 6 years of my professional career, I became a Foreign Service Officer at the Department of State, living in D.C., Mexico City and Bogota. Concurrent with my business life, I held senior roles in not-for-profit organizations. As an active Cornell alumna, I served as a Trustee on the Board of Trustees; Vice-Chair of the Board’s Audit Committee; Founding Chairman of the President’s Council of Cornell Women; and, member of the Inaugural Board of Directors of the Cornell Club of NY. At the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains, I was on the Board of Directors and chaired the Audit Committee.
LP2 Experience: Currently, I am Chairman of the Finance Committee and, also, Assistant Treasurer, elected by the Board. In the latter role, I work with Colette Siegel and will succeed her as Treasurer when she steps down in July. When I joined LP2 in Fall 2018, I organized 5 restaurant events over a year period for the 23 other new members who joined at the same time.
Major Issues: LP2 must rebound from the “Zoom period” in both facets of its mission—to deepen members’ learning and to provide opportunities for social/cultural engagement. Other areas for enhancement are providing a robust orientation/integration program for incoming (and recent) new members and re-energizing programs and SIGs outside of the classroom.
Patrick Siconolfi: LP2 Member Since 2017-04-01
Previous Experience: For the 15 years prior to retirement, I ran a major trade association and advocacy group in New York. Skills that would be useful to LP2 include negotiating successful outcomes among disparate parties; a demonstrated ability to vastly increase funding by adding funding sources and building networks of colleagues and interested parties; achieving consensus among parties with diverging interests; building teams to achieve organizational goals; and helping to develop a vision to guide an organization in setting goals and building participation.
LP2 Experience: In 2020 I co-designed and led a study group, “The Federalist Papers,” which was well received. In the current semester, as part of the ArtSIG’s programs, I am leading an Architectural Tour in Manhattan. This is to be first in an ongoing series.
Major Issues: Several ideas:
- Increase membership and diversity by developing sustained relationships with Employee Resource departments at major NYC employers to make retiring employees aware of LP2 as part of the employer’s retirement transition planning which is offered to employees as they retire. Many such employers could be approached; of particular interest could be employers which are colleges and universities.
- Increase the participation of members by exploring a continued virtual form of participation, not instead of in-person participation but as an adjunct to it. This would enable SG coordinators and speaker/instructors who are not in NYC to enrich our programs. It would also enable us to hear occasionally from international voices.
- Increase participation by adding early evening social events.
- Develop ideas which expand the services offered by LP2 and by creating opportunities to enrich our programs by reaching out to other voices in our city and also from experts around the country and internationally.
- Create a buddy system for members who are experiencing life challenges. This could provide both support for a member in need and an opportunity for the buddy to understand how individuals overcome adversity.
- Explore relationships with other colleges and universities. This would enable us to draw on broader resources to enrich member programs. As an example, we might call on speakers from other institutions to address our Tuesday discussion series, or to add content to Special Interest Groups.
- Develop ways to give back to the communities in which we live, perhaps stating with the CUNY community.
New Member Candidate
Charles Brecher: LP2 Member Since 2021-01-01
Previous Experience: I have some expertise in finance, particularly public and nonprofit finance. I also have served on nonprofit boards including the Schyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy (SCAA).
LP2 Experience: I am a relatively new member. I have taken multiple study groups each term including the summer term. I also am now doing my first stint as a coordinator with a six-week SG this term.
Major Issues: We need to restore in-person interactions for study groups and other special interest groups. We also need to keep a varied and lively set of study groups offered each term, with many members participating as co-coordinators. Attention should also be given to diversifying the backgrounds of the members.
