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November 8, 2023

2023 Chapter Elections

Elections for Laurentian Chapter officers are being held online and by mail. The following candidates have been nominated for 2-year terms to begin January 1, 2024:

• Chapter Chair: Tom Wheeler
• Vice-Chair, Education: Brenda Curley
• Secretary: David Katz

You can vote online or by mail, your choice. You can vote for the nominated candidates (see bios below) or write in candidates of your choice.

• To vote online, visit forms.gle/3PasAE5XCqNrtJqB8.
• To request a paper mail-in ballot, contact Chapter Secretary David Katz, secretary@adklaurentian.org as soon as possible. Paper ballots will be mailed to chapter members for whom we don’t have an email address, but you can vote online if you prefer.

Please vote! We need at least 24 completed ballots! Voting is open through November 25.

Candidate bios:

For Chapter Chair: Tom Wheeler Tom loves the Adirondacks. He has served the chapter as Outings Chair, Director, and Chapter Chair and is a former President of ADK and of the Adirondack 46ers. In recent decades he and his wife Eileen have been avid bird watchers both in the local area and abroad. For the past four years he has been one of the regional coordinators for New York’s third Breeding Bird Atlas. This has led him to explore many of the less visited public lands in St. Lawrence and surrounding counties in the north country and the Adirondacks. Technological changes, climate change, and ADK structural change all present challenges that require the Chapter to examine its mission and how it should adapt to better meet the needs of its membership. Working with the talented members of our executive committee he hopes to have a chapter that benefits all of our membership and has relevance to the community.

For Vice Chair, Education: Brenda Curley Brenda Curley retired as an educator in July of 2018. She taught instrumental music for thirty two years in the Edwards-Knox School District, and two years in the Southern Tier. She continues to keep busy with her music. In addition to this, she volunteers at the local Church and Community, where she is also a board member. She continues to work as an educator and is the associate director for the New Horizons Band.

The most significant change to her life after retirement is her renewed passion for all things outdoors. She has rediscovered her love for hiking, canoeing, biking, camping, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. Joining the Adirondack Mountain Club has opened up so many opportunities for her. She has found like-minded people that enjoy the same outdoor activities as her and has been able to take advantage of that experience and comradery. There are so many opportunities within the Laurentian chapter to meet new people and explore new places.

This summer, Brenda had the opportunity to travel to Newfoundland with other members of the ADK. This was an amazing opportunity to experience an awe-inspiring place with others who were so incredibly generous with their time and knowledge, as well as people like herself,who were just so happy to hike, explore, and witness one of the most beautiful places. Brenda plans to continue being part of the ADK, and would like to strengthen her commitment by helping and working in any capacity that is needed.

For Secretary: David Katz David Katz climbed his first Adirondack fire tower at age 4 and paddled his first Adirondack lake shortly thereafter. He particularly loves the woods and waters of the northwestern foothills, where he lives. When not in the woods, he can often be found in the garden or making music. He has been a member of the Adirondack Mountain Club for 30 years, the Laurentian Chapter’s Webmaster since 2005, and a member of the chapter Executive Committee since 2016.

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