Board of Directors

Peter Meyer, founder

Peter is a former News Editor of Life magazine and the author of numerous nonfiction books, including the critically acclaimed The Yale Murder and Death of Innocence. Over the course of his five-decade journalism career Peter, who holds a masters degree in history from the University of Chicago, has touched down in cities around the globe, from Bennington to Baghdad, and has written hundreds of stories, on subjects as varied as anti-terrorist training for American ambassadors to the history of the 1040 income tax form. His work has appeared in such publications as Harper's, Vanity Fair, National Geographic, New York, Life, Time and People, picking up journalism awards from the University of Missouri and Robert Kennedy Foundation along the way. Since 1991 Peter has focused his attention on education reform in the United States, an interest joined while writing a profile of education theorist E.D. Hirsch for Life. He subsequently helped found a charter school, served on his local Board of Education (twice), has been an editor at Education Next, the nation's premier education policy journal, was a founding program manager for the CUNY Institute for Education Policy in New York City and has written on education for Education Week, the American Enterprise Institute, the Manhattan Institute, and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.

Penny MacCormack, Board President

Penny MacCormack, EdD, is Chief Academic Officer for the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE), an organization dedicated to helping students succeed by improving teaching. She joined ACUE in 2015 and led the creation of the organization’s Effective Practice Framework — a research-based and independently validated statement of the teaching skills and knowledge that every college educator should possess. Penny has more than 25 years of education experience, as a teacher, professor and district and state educational leader. Throughout her career, her focus has been on the power of evidence-based teaching practices to move the needle in closing equity gaps and improving student engagement and achievement. She holds an EdD in Educational Leadership from the University of Hartford.

T. Randall Martin, Board Vice President

A communications professional for more than 35 years, Randall is the CEO of Martin AV Services, a full-service video production company offering state-of-the-art broadcast-quality digital media services. Randall is also active fulfilling various roles in the local community. He was the 2022 recipient of the Columbia County Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award. Randall currently serves as vice chair of the Hudson Democratic Committee, Board Member Emeritus of Operation Unite New York, is a former chair of the Hudson Housing Authority and a past chairman of the Catskill Boys and Girls Club. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, Randall received a diploma in electrical engineering from the New York Institute of Technology. He also studied communications at Empire State College in Albany and is a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers and the International Television Association. Along with the Rev. Kim Singletary, Randall hosts the WGXC Afternoon Show every Tuesday on WGXC-FM, a community radio station serving Columbia and Greene counties, NY.

JOHN CODY

John worked for the New York State Department of Labor for most of his career, including overseeing the office which administered state-wide employee benefits for the agency. John has always been actively involved in his local community — Hudson, NY — serving as President of the Hudson Common Council, Board member of the Friends of Olana, Chair of the Hudson Vision Plan Taskforce of the Waterfront Committee and consultant to many other civic and environmental organizations.  He was awarded the first-ever Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award in 1985.

ellen henderson

Ellen is a great-grandmother, long-time Hudson resident, public school aide and co-founder of the local advocacy group, Parents in Partnership.  She has strong experience with community parent outreach.

JANET KEALY

Janet is an attorney practicing law in upstate New York, earning her JD from Albany Law School of Union University.  Law is a second career for Janet.  She began law school when her son was in the fourth grade, with many evenings spent reading torts while her son read Harry Potter.  Previously, Janet was an award-winning film and video production professional in New York, with a BFA in filmmaking from New York City’s School of Visual Arts.  She has worked as a development professional for The Friends of Olana (n/k/a The Olana Partnership) and The Culinary Institute of America.  And she has served on the boards of Albany Law School, Historic Hudson and Friends of the Hudson Area Library. 

Emerita

Kathryn “Kitty” Mackey

Gary Sheffer

Karen Smith

Janet Marsh Ebel