Board of Directors
Judith Hauser, Treasurer
(contact Judith)
Judith is a CPA and the CFO of a corporate event production business serving Fortune 500 companies world-wide. She has served on local boards throughout the community including Catskill Ballet Theatre, Rondout Valley Little League and Diana’s Cat Shelter. Judith is a member of the Rondout Valley Business Association. Along with her husband, Peter, she was instrumental in bringing back musical theater to Rondout Valley High School. Judith joined the Rondout Valley Education Foundation because she has a passion for bringing amazing educational experiences, whether in the arts, sciences, community engagement or sports, to the students in her community. Judith was elected Chair in October 2018.
Maggie Colan, Emeritus Director, Vice-Chairperson
(contact Maggie)
Maggie Colan-Maggie grew up in Dutchess County. She graduated from S.U.N.Y. Oneonta in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts and Science. She moved to Ulster County in 1990 after meeting her husband. She lived in High Falls until 1995 when she moved to Stone Ridge, where she currently lives. She has been active in both the school and municipal communities as both a volunteer and staff. She currently works as the Planning & Zoning Committee Secretary for the Town of Marbletown. In the past, she was on the CDC committee for the Town, was PTF President for Marbletown Elementary and is a founding member of the Foundation. She believes it is important to be active in her Community.
Nancy Taylor, Emeritus Director, Treasurer
(contact Nancy)
Nancy is one of the founding members of the RVEF. Currently an emeritus board member she holds the position of financial secretary, manages the foundation’s designated funds, and previously served as chairperson of the RVEF Board. She attended school in the RVCSD from kindergarten through graduation as did her three children. Living within the district and serving in various volunteer capacities, including 9 ½ years on the School Board, working within the framework of an Education Foundation provided the next logical step to expand on the ways that individuals, alumni, community businesses and outside agencies could contribute to maintaining and enhancing the educational opportunities for all students in the district.
Nelda Gerner, Corresponding Secretary
(contact Nelda)
Nelda Gerner is currently the co-secretary and chairs the RVEF Board meetings. She helped form the Parent Association at Rondout Valley High School and served as its chairperson. As a member of the Rondout Valley Business Association, she established the RVBA Education Committee, which developed a Leadership Institute Course for high school students that she organized and ran from 2013-2018. She is also the current director of the Rochester Food Pantry. “Building bonds between community members and students is a bridge to a strong community spirit.”
Wayne Beckerman
(contact Wayne)
Wayne served 6 years as a trustee on the Rondout Valley Board of Education, serving two years as Vice President. He and his wife have two children, one that has graduated from Rondout and one currently in the High School. He is the Director of Quality, R&D and Safety, at Stavo Industries in Kingston. Wayne is a strong supporter of public education and believes that all children deserve the best education possible. He is a lifelong Ulster County resident and has lived in Stone Ridge for the last 20 years.
Carl Cox
(contact Carl)
Carl Cox spent 30 years in Corporate America in jobs ranging from Information Technology management to Director of Procurement and Supply Chain Management. After corporate downsizing he spent a year traveling to professional photography schools to hone his skills before launching his business, Carl Cox Studios, as a Portrait Artist. His fine art photography can be seen in various galleries around the county. In addition to RVEF, Carl is a member of the RVBA and served on the membership committee of the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce. “I’m very excited to be a part of the RVEF and look forward to helping the organization fulfill its mission.”
Briana Maloney, Vice Chair, Chair of Grant Committee
(contact Briana)
Briana Maloney co-founded the boutique grant writing firm Choice Words, LLC and has been assisting Hudson Valley non-profits with their funding, public relations, and strategic communications needs for the last ten years. As a private consultant, she also worked with the SUNY Ulster Foundation for a year and helped them secure funding for scholarships. Before that she worked as an academic research librarian at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh and Rockland Community College. For the last four years, Maloney served as President of the Board of Lederman Children’s Center in Stone Ridge and left that position as her two children moved into Kerhonkson Elementary School. “I’m hopeful that my decade of experience with Hudson Valley non-profits will benefit the Rondout Valley Education Foundation, and consequently the students of the Rondout Valley. I strongly believe in the value of providing children with enrichment beyond what regular funding might allow.”
Caroline Berninger, Emeritus Director
(contact Caroline)
A Marbletown resident for over twenty-six years, Caroline Berninger is the pastor of the Rondout Valley United Methodist Church and the mother of two RVCHS graduates. One of her children is a 2015 college graduate and the other is currently in college; both were educated in the RVCSD from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Caroline appreciates the RVEF’s role in opening up new and creative opportunities for learning for students and teachers in the Rondout Valley, connecting people in the District to others in the “real world” (both locally and beyond the bounds of the District).
Dr. Al Roberts
(contact Dr. Al Roberts)
Al’s educational leadership in our community is all about strengthening and leveraging the ties from K-12 partnerships and connections to college. During Roberts’ tenure as President of SUNY Ulster (July 27, 2015, through July 27, 2022), SUNY Ulster was named the #1 Community College in New York State for two consecutive years in a row (2020 and 2021) by BestColleges.com. In 2016 he launched the President’s Challenge Scholarship through the Ulster Community College Foundation, Inc., a scholarship initiative to assist first-generation college-bound students with overcoming the financial barriers associated with attending college starting in 8th grade. Today, all 9 Ulster County school districts are participating with 300 students receiving 2 year scholarships to SUNYUlster. Dr. Roberts received his Associate’s Degree in Marketing and Retail Management from North Country Community College; his Baccalaureate Degree in Business and Marketing and Master’s Degree in Distributive Education from the University of New York at Albany; and his Doctorate in Community College Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Central Florida.