Board Members - LWV Greenwich

HomeBoard Members

Board members are elected at our Annual Meeting, historically held in June.
Interested in joining the Board? Click here: Nominating

Click on a name to read the bio.

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Sandy
Waters

Sandy has been active at First Presbyterian Church, at the Greenwich YWCA, and in the PTA and on the PTA Council. She became a Republican member of the Greenwich Board of Education (1997-2005) and its Chair (2003- 2005). Most recently, she has served 13 years on the Greenwich YMCA Board, three years as Board Chairman (2013-2016). She has also served as a Trustee of Oberlin College. She was recognized as a YWCA Woman Who Inspires in 2008. Sandy and her husband Steve have have lived in Greenwich for 47 years. Their three children attended Greenwich Public Schools and are all now married with kids of their own. They have seven grandsons, three who live in Greenwich and attend Greenwich Public Schools. She enjoys physical activity of all types, especially hiking, walking, and swimming.

President

2024-2026

E-mail Sandy

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Kristine
Lowe

Kristine is a native New Englander and has resided in Greenwich for 27 years. Her husband grew up in Greenwich, and her two children attended public schools and graduated from Greenwich High School. She has worked as a Management Consultant to the life sciences industry, assisting medical device, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in business planning and the development of effective business strategies. She co-founded the boutique firm Easton Associates and served as head of the Life Sciences MedTech Practice at Navigant Consulting, Inc. until opening her own independent consulting practice in 2018. Kristine represented District 2 in the Greenwich RTM from 2017 to 2019 and served on the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee. Ms. Lowe graduated from Williams College with a BA in chemistry and studied basic medical sciences at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

Vice-President
Program
2024-2026

E-mail Kris

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Melissa
McClammy

Melissa is an attorney who represents clients in a wide range of litigation matters. Following her graduation from law school, Melissa served as a law clerk to Hon. Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum, United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York. She then began her career as a litigator at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, where she specialized in complex civil litigation. Melissa left Paul Weiss to spend time raising her children and volunteering in local organizations such as the Greenwich Public Schools and Meals-on-Wheels of Greenwich. She returned to the practice of law in 2019 and now serves as Special Counsel to Pastore LLC in Stamford. Melissa earned her J.D. from Yale Law School and her B.A. from Yale University. She and her husband have lived in Greenwich for more than 20 years; their children attended Riverside School, Eastern Middle School, and Greenwich High School.

Vice-President
Program
2024-2026

E-mail Melissa

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Shelly
Cryer

Shelly Cryer, a resident of Old Greenwich, has spent her career in the nonprofit sector. Her focus has been women’s rights, public health, international affairs, and nonprofit sector leadership. Shelly has experience in building coalitions, designing and implementing strategic media and public education campaigns, and fundraising. She is the author of The Nonprofit Career Guide: How to Land a Job That Makes a Difference (Fieldstone Alliance and Turner Publishing). Locally, Shelly produced a series of free classical music concerts in Fairfield County, CT. Curiosity Concerts ran for five sold-out seasons, bringing high-quality, professional music to thousands of families with young children. She also led curriculum enrichment at Old Greenwich School and for the PTA Council for many years. Shelly attended Greenwich Public Schools and has a BA in English and a Master of International Affairs. She is a mother to two daughters: a rising GHS sophomore and a college freshman.

Vice-President
Voter Services
2024-2025

E-mail Shelly

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Jeanie
Raben

Jeanie has lived in Greenwich for over 45 years. She graduated from Chatham College and received a master’s degree from Columbia University. She taught chemistry at both Stuyvesant High School in New York City and Duxbury High School in Massachusetts. Jeanie then worked as a lending officer for Chemical Bank. She moved to Greenwich in 1976 with her husband and two-year-old twins. She then became an active community volunteer, serving on the boards of Parsonage Cottage, the Council of Youth and Drugs and treasurer of OGRCC and the Friends Board of Greenwich Library. Jeanie also became very active in PTA, serving on the Riverside School PTA, PTA Council and two terms as President of the Eastern Junior High/Middle School PTA. Jeanie worked on the team that worked on the transition from junior highs to middle schools. While working on the Greenwich High PTA, Jeanie helped set up the Sports Council. For 20 years, starting in the 1990, Jeanie taught a weekly parenting class in New York City for parents and their babies, (from newborn to toddlers). In addition, for about 15 years, Jeanie kept the financial records for several non-profits and the Village Ewe in Old Greenwich. More recently, she served as treasurer for six years on the board of River House, and seven years as President of her condominium association. Currently, she is serving on the finance committee of the First Congregational Church of Greenwich. Jeanie’s hobbies are walking, bridge, golf and reading. She is also very involved with three married children and nine grandchildren.

Secretary

2023-2025

E-mail Jeanie

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Jane
Brash

Jane is a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S. Born in Canada, she received her B.A. in Linguistics and teaching degree from University of Toronto and Laval University and a Masters in Business from York University in Toronto. She moved to the U.S. in 1983 to work in Advertising and Marketing. She was relocated to Greenwich in 1995 to work for Clairol and last held the position of VP of Marketing before leaving the corporate world in 2001. She has been a full time real estate agent since 2005. She has held various volunteer positions in Town including PTA President of Riverside Elementary, President of the Riverside Association, Eastern PTA board member, GADC board member, RTM Member and Think Greenwich Co-President. Jane and her husband Alex live in Riverside and have two adult children. When she’s not working, Jane enjoys bridge, tennis, golf and traveling.

Treasurer

2024-2026

E-mail Jane

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Meghan
McSharry

Meghan was born and raised in Riverside, where the McSharry family has resided for nearly 70 years. She attended Greenwich public schools before heading to boarding school in Kent, CT. After graduating Cum Laude from Elon University with a degree in communications, Meghan returned to Greenwich and is now a licensed real estate agent with Compass. In her time off, Meghan is an avid skier and often travels to southern Vermont to ski at Mount Snow. She loves spending time with her five-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (named Binney, after Old Greenwich's Binney Park), walking at Tod’s Point, and checking out the restaurant scene in both Greenwich and Stamford. She is passionate about musical theater and is a member of St. Catherine’s Players, a community theater group for all ages based in Riverside.

Membership
Administration
2024-2026

E-mail Meghan

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Louisa
Greene

Louisa is passionate about three things: her extended family, her career as the Director of Development and Marketing at the Avon Theatre Film Center in Stamford, CT, and her volunteer work for Mount Holyoke College, the Greenwich Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Perrot Memorial Library, the Junior League and Christ Church. Louisa graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a BA in Art History and earned her Masters in Social Work from Columbia University. Louisa has lived in Old Greenwich for over 25 years and has been a development and marketing professional for numerous non-profits, including the Perrot Memorial Library Assn., the YMCA of Greenwich, the Essex Library, the Episcopal Diocese of CT, and the Avon Theatre Film. She is the proud mother and grandmother of an extended family, including Andrew, Charlotte, and Warren, Jr.

Development/
Membership
2023-2025

E-mail Louisa

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Erin
Flynn

Erin Flynn is a partner with Clair Gjertsen & Weather PLLC in White Plains where she focuses on consumer debt litigation. Prior to switching to civil litigation, Erin honed her courtroom skills as a criminal defense attorney. A Boston College graduate, Erin received her Juris Doctor in 2005 from the American University Washington College of Law. Erin is admitted to practice in New York and Connecticut. Erin Flynn has lived in Greenwich since 2016, moving back to Connecticut after time in New York City. Erin grew up in Fairfield, CT. Erin is an active member of the Greenwich YMCA where she also teaches adults to learn how to swim. In her spare time Erin enjoys taking violin lessons through Greenwich Adult and Continuing Education and is a volunteer with the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra.

Membership
Engagement
2023-2025

E-mail Erin

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Deirdre
Kamlani

Dr. Deirdre Kamlani is a policy advisor, academic researcher and former banking executive who has lived and worked in the US, Europe and Asia. She spent 22 years at JP Morgan Chase, where she built and led businesses in a number of areas, including institutional asset management, leveraged lending and credit risk policy. Deirdre’s academic research has focused on financial crisis, sovereign default and regulatory reform. In addition to being a founding board member of The Parity Partnership and the Institute for American Ideals, she has been an issues director, policy advisor and treasury manager for a number of candidates running for elected office. She received her BA, summa cum laude, from Columbia University and her MSc (Hons.) and PhD from the London School of Economics. Deirdre and her husband, Suneel, have lived in Greenwich for nearly 20 years.

Civics

2023-2025

E-mail Deirdre

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Helaine
Winer

Helaine has lived in Greenwich for 5 years. Her background is in business development and operations. She graduated from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and worked as a hotel development consultant and as the Director of Development and Acquisitions for Loews Hotels. Her entrepreneurial pursuits included the founding of a hospitality oriented executive search firm which she sold in 1999; The House – a hair salon, party space and retail concept - which she sold in 2010; and, and a social marketing company from which she retired in 2023. Her past community involvement includes serving as president of the Cornell Hotel Society and the Cornell Club of Northern New Jersey, board positions for Newark Yoga Movement and the Visual Arts Center in Summit, NJ, as well as leadership roles in the Millburn, NJ Township Public School system as co-president of a PTO and of the Millburn/Short Hills Education Foundation. Currently, she is a Trustee at the Greenwich Library, a member of the Greenwich Library’s Friends Board, and serves as the chair of the Greenwich Library’s Performing Arts Committee. Helaine’s hobbies include pickleball, paddle boarding, cooking, and walking. Helaine and her husband, John, have two daughters.

Communications

2024-2026

E-mail Helaine

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LBFS

Lisa Beth
Savitz

LB currently sits on the YaleWomen Governing Council, the Yale Alumni Association of Greenwich (YAAG) Board, and the Youth Achievement Award Committee of Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities. She is a past President of Greenwich PTA Council (PTAC), North Street School (NSS) PTA, and YAAG. Other past service includes the boards of Connecticut PTA, Connecticut Association for the Gifted, Central Middle School (CMS) PTA, and Soldiers Field Park Children’s Center, as well as the Northfield Mount Hermon School Parents Council and Columbia College Parent Leadership Council. LB has also volunteered for the Greenwich School Readiness Council, the Yale Alumni Association, Yale Alumni Schools Committee, the Yale Class of 1988, and as a Greenwich youth baseball (and T-ball) coach, in addition to numerous roles at NSS, CMS, and Greenwich High School. She is an active supporter of the Undies Project and member of Temple Sholom. Her employment history comprises Tri-Star Pictures, the Walt Disney Company, Savoy Pictures, and the WGBH (Boston) Educational Foundation.

Website
Manager
2024-2026

E-mail LB

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Sayah
Trahanas

Sayah is a rising senior at Brunswick School. He plans to study biomedical engineering and political science in college. Sayah has been a member of the Greenwich First Selectman’s Youth Commission since 2022, where he has actively supported youth and community initiatives that strive to lessen political polarization and aim for common ground consensus on key issues. Last year, he co-chaired the Discourse for Democracy event, a panel discussion with political leaders from state and local levels, including First Selectman Fred Camillo and Congressman Jim Himes, on ranked-choice voting. This year, Sayah has created and currently chairs Debate for Democracy, a multi-school presidential-style debate on affordable housing in Greenwich and the greater U.S. Sayah has been the Editor-in-Chief and Head Designer of Brunswick’s cultural magazine, “The Orient Express,” since 2021, which has won several Crown awards from the Columbia University Scholastic Press Association as well as first place in its category from the American Scholastic Press Association. In his free time, Sayah enjoys staying informed about local and national politics and pursuing photography, for which he was a finalist in the 2024 Drexel University High School Photography Contest.

Student
Representative
2024-2025

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Beth
Gilliland

Beth is a native Californian and after graduating from college she moved to New York City to pursue her career in book publishing. She and her husband, Sam, moved to Greenwich in 1991 and have three daughters who attended Greenwich Country Day and Greenwich Academy. After spending 25 years working as Vice President, Director of Publicity at various publishing companies -- Viking Penguin, Random House, Little, Brown, and Rodale – she started her own literary agency 10 years ago, Davey Literary & Media, and works full-time representing authors. Over the course of her career, she has worked with a stellar group of bestselling authors such as Malcolm Gladwell, James Patterson, David Sedaris, Gloria Steinem, Michael Connelly, George Stephanopoulos, Deborah Goodrich Royce, to name just a few, implementing their publicity and marketing plans. Beth served for two terms as President of the Publishers Publicity Association and three terms as their treasurer. In addition, she speaks to publishing groups around the country. Beth volunteered at her daughters’ schools in many capacities: Upper School Division head, both at GCDS and GA, treasurer, auction catalog editor, and was a member of their Parent Boards. For many years, Beth was on the planning committee board of Planned Parenthood where she worked on their annual event. She cares deeply about politics and her greatest love is reading, but also enjoys walking, tennis, pickle ball, and travel.

Events
Coordinator
2024-2026

E-mail Beth

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Aaron
Hull

Aaron earned his 1994 History BA from Bethel College and his Political Science MA from the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk!) in 1998. He followed a ballerina east. At GHS for 18 years, Aaron teaches American History, Civics, AP US Government, and AP Comparative Politics. He is also a UCONN Early College Experience Associate Professor. He brought to GHS “We The People” simulated congressional hearing program, with seven National Finals teams. He’s coached three student pairs to Harlan Virtual Supreme Court Competition Finals, including the 2017 National Champions in front of Brett Kavanaugh. His students have taken six National History Day projects to Nationals, and have won many local, state, and national essay contests. Numerous professional awards have taken Aaron across the country and to England and Poland. He’s brought Constitutional Law professors Akhil Reed Amar and Stanford Levinson to GHS and to professional development at UCONN. Aaron is a member of the National Constitution Center Teacher Advisory Council. He also moonlights with Tesla Motors. He is married to the ballerina, Emily, with two daughters.

Youth
Outreach
2023-2025

E-mail Aaron

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Lynn
Garelick

Lynn holds an undergraduate degree in Art History and a graduate Credential in Elementary Education from the University of California, Berkeley. Upon graduation, Lynn taught third grade in Berkeley and Minneapolis, MN. In 1977, Lynn started her Interior Design career. She graduated in 1978 from the New York School of Interior Design with a Credential in Residential Design. She established LBG Interior Design, LLC, in 2001. She is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers and was President of the CT Chapter 2012-2013. A resident of Greenwich since 1992, Lynn has held leadership roles in the community including Vestry Member, Historian, and Property Chair at Christ Church, and Recording Secretary on the Art Council Executive Board. Lynn is an Artist member of Greenwich Pen Women, and a docent at the Bruce Museum. Lynn has two grown sons, and two teenage grandchildren: Olivia and Andrew.

Historian

2024-2026

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Cathy
Steel

A native of Ohio, Cathy Steel has lived in Greenwich since 1996. She has worked for 30+ years in the gift, home and furniture wholesale industries, and launched her own PR agency, Steel Associates, in 2006. She graduated from George Washington University with a BA in Political Communications, and a minor in Journalism. She has been active in the Greenwich community since 2009, assisting both ISD and EMS with local PR efforts. Currently, she volunteers for the Greenwich Alliance for Education as a member of its Turkey Trot committee, and Jewish Family Services in its Supermarketing for Seniors program. She has been a member of the RTM since 2017, representing District 11 on the Appointments Committee. She has been an active member of the LWVG Voter Services Committee since 2017, assisting with launch of the Electronic Voters’ Guide in 2016 and leading Voter Registration Day efforts each September. She enjoys sports and fitness, as well as travel and quality time with friends and family, including her husband, Alan, and sons, Thomas (17) and William (15).

RTM
Liaison
2023-2025

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Ann
Blinkhorn

Ann specializes in building leadership teams for businesses at the intersection of media, marketing, and technology. Ann founded Blinkhorn in New York in 2009 following seven years as a leading executive recruiter at Spencer Stuart. She has reshaped senior leadership teams for established media companies transforming their businesses, and has also recruited executive talent to digital companies working to rapidly grow their brands and franchises. Ann has led CEO, board and other senior-level engagements for a diverse range of clients including Hearst Corporation, Google, Comcast, Guardian News and Media, Microsoft, Dow Jones, Business Insider, and POLITICO Media Group, among many others. Ann’s background includes over 25 years of traditional and digital media operating experience combined with executive search experience. She began her career at The New York Times Company, where she served in corporate strategy and later as publisher of the first foreign-language edition of The New York Times, a joint venture in Russia with The Moscow News. She also served as president of the North American division of the International Herald Tribune (now International New York Times). Prior to transitioning to executive search in 2002, Ann was part of the founding management team of zUniversity.com, where she launched and ran an online recruitment business. Ann resides in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, and has two grown sons. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB degree from Smith College. She serves on the advisory boards of WFUV Radio (Fordham University public radio affiliate), Connecticut Public Broadcasting, and ProPublica, and previously served on the board of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy at Harvard University.

Director
at Large
2024-2026

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Ann
Edwards

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Ann has lived in Greenwich for 48 years. A life-long educator, she earned her BS and MS from Queens College of the City University of New York and a doctorate in education administration from Columbia University. Ann served as a secondary school English teacher and then an administrator in New York and Connecticut. She also served as an adjunct on the college level. She was the principal of Rye Middle School for 22 years before retiring on August 31, 2020. Now she is delighted to pursue many different activities. A volunteer for At Home, she regularly reads to a delightful woman who has diminishing vision. She attends a weekly Bible studies class and is a regular at water aerobics and knitting. Ann was active in community affairs years ago but raising three sons made those activities challenging. She is thrilled to be a member of the LWV after a long hiatus. The sons are grown and her six grandchildren range in age from 22 to 10, but her home is not quiet. It is filled with the sounds of her many pets, including a parrot who loves to squawk. Ann loves to play on- line scrabble, read, and write.

Director
at Large
2024-2026

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Abigail McCarthy

Abigail
McCarthy

Abigail has lived in Greenwich for over 20 years, having previously resided in London and New York. While raising three children (and now most recently her Golden retriever, Clementine), Abigail has volunteered in many different capacities for her children’s public and independent school PTAs, served as a former Board member of the Greenwich Point Conservancy and Summer on the Hill (a Bronx based K-8 child enrichment program headquartered at the Horace Mann School), and served as a Reading Champions Tutor for the United Way of Greenwich. A graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, she received her AB from Brown University graduating magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and Honors in English and American Literature. Her professional life has primarily focused on alumni/ae affairs and fundraising for independent high schools and universities. Abigail is currently a member of the Greenwich RTM serving with Parks and Recreation and Land Use Committees. She also volunteers regularly with Abilis Friends at French Farm visit program between the Greenwich Country Day School and Abilis.

Director
at Large
2023-2025

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Nancy
Duffy

Nancy is a 43-year resident of Greenwich. She earned a degree in education from Boston University. After college, Nancy taught for five years in the Arlington, MA public schools before moving to Greenwich in 1980 with her husband, Ken. She served as President of Greenwich Newcomers and has been an active community volunteer on the boards of the YWCA, Brunswick School, and Greenwich Academy Parents’ Association. Nancy has been a docent at the Bruce Museum for 16 years where she has served on the New Bruce Capital Campaign Committee and where she currently co-chairs the Bruce Museum Council. Nancy has served on the Board of the Round Hill Association for 10 years and currently serves as Vice President. She is currently serving on the Selectman’s Nominations Advisory Committee (SNAC) and the National Board of Trustees of the Educational Theatre Foundation. Nancy and Ken are the parents of three adult children and have four grandchildren who live and work in the New York area. Leisure time is enjoyed by pursuing travel, exercise, art, and politics. Introduced to the League at a young age by her mother who was active in the League for over 50 years, Nancy is delighted to be a member of the LWV Greenwich Board of Directors.

Nominating

2023-2025

E-mail Nancy