Simon Delekta is acting-president of the board and travels to Rowe from Brooklyn.  In 1991, at the age of 11, Simon’s mother dragged him to Rowe for Junior High Camp.  After spending the next eleven years as a camper, CIT and staff at JHC, he joined the Rowe Board of Trustees in 2001.
 
Outside of Rowe, Simon serves as Director of Voter Education and Civic Engagement for the New York League of Conservation Voters, a position he has held since 2008. Prior to the NYLCV, Simon worked in Government and Community Affairs for the New York Public Library. Earlier in his career, he spent time at the office of Congressman Patrick Kennedy. He holds a BA in International Political Economy and Spanish from Bates College.

Bob Scheier is Acting Vice-President of the board and Chair of the Development Committee. He lives in Western Massachusetts, not far from Rowe and is a member of the UU Society of Amherst.

As a teenager in the 70's, Bob could not wait to follow in the footsteps of his four older siblings and go to camp at Rowe. His daughter Marissa is currently a camper, and his wife Carol has fallen in love with Rowe too, going whenever she gets a chance. Bob joined the board because he wanted to be more connected to Rowe and give something back.

Bob has been working as an academic librarian for over 20 years and loves exploring new technology. He currently works at the College of the Holy Cross and is on the board of the New England Chapter of the Academic College and Research Libraries Association.  He also enjoys hiking, backpacking, and following politics.

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. 

Clay Connor was a Rowe Jr. and Sr. High Camper from 1971 to 1976, serving as a Spirit in 1976.  After serving in the United States Air Force, Clay lived in Tucson Arizona until 2009.  While in Tucson, Clay earned a BA in Elementary Education and a MA in Teacher Education from the University of Arizona.  Clay also raised two children Russell and Grace, who are all grown up and still reside in Arizona.  Clay had re-connected to Rowe in 2005 during a Friends Weekend, and decided it was time to return to his roots.  He now lives in Charlemont, Massachusetts and is the Principal of Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School.  Clay is an avid hiker and music fan and just began service as the Clerk of the Board of Trustees of Rowe Camp and Conference Center in 2009.

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.

Karin Broadhurst is long time Rowe camper. She attended Sr. High from 1985-88 and began attending Kindred Spirits Camp in 2007. She has also been a regular participant in Members and Friends weekend for the last 10 years, and has helped to organize several Woodside fundraisers in Boston. Karin has made it her personal mission to encourage young adults to keep Rowe in their lives after they age out of Sr. High Camp, and to help Rowe in its efforts to remain relevant to future generations. Along those lines, Karin has started a Rowe Facebook Fan Page and a Rowe Twitter feed and manages a couple of online groups for Kindred Spirits and 80’s Sr Hi campers.

Outside of Rowe Karin works as the membership director for the Boston Society of Architects and organizes the Boston Spanish Language Meetup group.

Mark Taylor is a member-at-large of the board who lives in Brooklyn, New York.  Mark began involvement with Rowe when he worked on staff at Jr. High camp in 1995, migrating from Rowe's fellow UU Camp The Mountain, where he had been a camper for many years.  In addition to serving on staff at Jr. High for many summers he has served as the Director of Young People's Camp (three times), the co-director of Junior High camp (twice) the Interim Maintenance Person (twice), and the Finance Assistant for Rowe Camp & Conference Center. 

When not at Rowe Mark is an attorney at the Law Office of Rankin & Taylor working primarily on civil rights litigation and criminal defense cases.  He is the Co-Vice President of the New York City Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.  He is the proud parent of a baby girl, Helen, and husband to Stephanie Taylor, an attorney with Legal Services of New York City.  He is an avid cyclist and occasional triathlete.

Gail Epstein is a member at large of the Board and lives in Uxbridge MA. She began her involvement with Rowe in 1996 when her son Ian first attended Young People’s Camp. Since then, he has completed 8 years of camp, been elected a spirit in Senior High camp, and worked on Junior High Camp staff. He identifies Rowe as the “place that made me the person I am today”.

Gail has participated in several Rowe conferences as well. Outside of Rowe, Gail is a social worker for a Medicaid funded program that supports medically fragile children and their families. Additionally, she is a Make a Wish volunteer and loves to hike, garden, practice Yoga and laugh.

Minnie Wood first came to Rowe as a Senior High Camper in 1990. She loved it so much that after being a camper for two years, she stayed on as a staff member until 1995. After spending 10 years in the San Francisco Bay Area, she is currently living back on the East Coast and jumped at the opportunity to give back to a place that she feels has given her so much.

An adult nurse practitioner by profession, Minnie is currently working long hours staying home with her toddler son. As a dedicated student of mindfulness practice, she finds that no mindfulness training can ever compare to the moment-to-moment experience of being a parent. For that, she is incredibly grateful. 

Minnie brings with her to Rowe a commitment to assisting with development and experience working with boards--skills that she learned as the Director of a non-profit organization in the Tibetan freedom movement. 

ROWE CAMP AND CONFERENCE CENTER BOARD OF TRUSTEES – 2009/2010