Letter From The President
Dear All,
Summer is upon us! Deer are fawning on our doorstep. The late spring fog and rain has cleared leaving a vivid lushness of foliage, a richness of green against clear blue skies which exemplifies why Rensselaerville is our very own Shangri-La. The team at the Carey Institute have, as ever, marvelously groomed our grounds into stunning shape. I can think of nowhere I’d rather be right now. There’s always a frisson of excitement as we enter the summer events season from fireworks on the 2nd of July to the amazing High Peaks Festival from August 6th to 17th and the Rensselaerville Ride on August 20th.
We’ve continued to press ahead over the last few months, working hard developing our programs. As well as wrapping up our last class of Nonfiction fellows in late April, Tom Jennings produced a symposium on investigative reporting in Berkeley, California, examining the impact of nonprofit journalism. Tom and his team are also in the final stages of evaluating applications for our fall class of Logan Nonfiction fellows. The quality of applicants received has been exceptional and we look forward to announcing the latest class soon.
Diana Woolis launched our Academy for Teachers of Refugees with a 3-day workshop, gathering our education partners from around the globe to develop an initial 4 pilot courses to support teachers working with refugees. The event exceeded all our expectations, reaffirming our belief that the Carey Institute will play a crucial role in supporting professional development for all in the 21st century.
In our Sustainable Communities program, Rebecca Platel continues to refine and expand SourceNY, our online supply chain and mapping platform. We are planning to integrate a water quality analysis tool which will enable better management of water resources, initially for the craft brewing sector, but with the potential to expand to other sectors.
We’ve also welcomed several new staff to the Carey Institute team. Viviane Galloway has joined as executive assistant to myself and the board. Ileana Montalvo who worked with us last summer is our new full – time event planner. Sherri de Leon and Lisa Schachter are working with Rachael Maddock-Hughes to grow our development efforts. Peter Shunney is our Building and Grounds Coordinator and Chris Chromczak is both brewing and serving beer in the Helderberg Brewery. Meanwhile, Tina Stannard has been promoted to dining room manager at the Carriage House Restaurant and Phil Galka, has stepped up to manage the Buildings and Grounds department. We are delighted to have them all as part of our team.
An exciting summer awaits!
Best,
Gareth