Minutes & Reports
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AAUW New York State Board of Directors
Celia Serotsky
Secretary
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Home Branch: Poughkeepsie
I am a retired French and Spanish teacher who taught in the Greece Central School District, a suburb of Rochester, for thirty years. My husband and I moved to Poughkeepsie in 2005 to be closer to New York City where he grew up in Brooklyn. I joined AAUW Poughkeepsie in 2006 and participated in a couple of Interest Groups but did not volunteer for a leadership role for a variety of reasons. Then, in 2020 I was asked if I would be interested in being Public Policy Chair, and I accepted. Two years later in 2022 I agreed to accept the nomination for President and have served two terms in that position. My tenure in both roles has taught me so much, and I have been honored to work with the many talented women in the Poughkeepsie Branch. I look forward to serving as Secretary of AAUW NYS to complete the one year remaining of the previous Secretary’s term.
Suzanne Young-Mercer earned a BS degree from Baruch College, NY in 1988, and an MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2005. She has had a 42-year career in the healthcare industry, including 23 years of administrative experience.
Suzanne joined AAUW in 2012 with the AAUW-Rockland, NY branch, serving as Program VP and Branch President. She was selected to join the AAUW-NYS Board as Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, holding the position for six years. She also serves on the AAUW National Inclusion and Equity committee. In June 2024, Suzanne began her term as AAUW-NYS President after serving as President-Elect.
Sandy Camillo is an advocate for women’s equity. Author of "The Journey of an Invisible Woman" and the upcoming "THE SHOCKING TRUTH: Behind What Men REALLY Think About Women," she has also published numerous articles exploring gender dynamics. Her commitment to advancing women’s rights led to roles like Director and Governance Officer at AAUW. She also served on the NY Leadership Council of Autism Speaks.
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Sandy holds MS and Administrator’s degrees in education and is a licensed real estate broker. Her career spans roles from school principal to writer, paralegal, receivership specialist, realtor, court appointed special advocate, and gender advocate. Her unusually diverse experiences enable her to realize that regardless of socio-economic backgrounds, there is a wide gap in men and women’s understanding of one another.
A Message from the President
Janet Lobel-Adler
Treasurer
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Home Branch: North Shore
As a member of the North Shore Branch for 14 years, Janet has held the positions of Recording Secretary, Director and co-chair of the Branch’s Nosh political action study group. As current President of the branch, she is serving in her second term with one year remaining.
Before joining AAUW she was a forty year veteran with the Board of Education as a classroom teacher, reading specialist and mentor/staff developer in schools around her district.
As an AAUW member for 56 years, Julie is a member of North Shore, a most exciting branch. She has served as president of two other branches, San Bruno, CA and NYC and three other NYC organizations (BPW, Altrusa International and American Legion Auxiliary). She also served as NYC Branch Legislative Chair organizing programs featuring Congressional Members and State Representatives.
A seasoned leader and advocate, Julie has driven impactful legislative, educational, and human rights initiatives— authoring national policies, including one signed into law by Barack Obama and Joe Biden— while serving in key roles across AAUW, the United Nations community, and veterans’ organizations.
Dr. Danielle Tucker is an educational leader and higher education administrator with experience in academic operations, student success, retention strategy, and institutional leadership. She currently serves as Dean of Instruction at Bryant & Stratton College, where she oversees academic performance and student outcomes across multiple campuses in Western New York.
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In addition to her work in higher education, Dr. Tucker serves in community and nonprofit leadership roles, including board service with Webster Montessori School and previous service with the Rochester Police Accountability Board, where she also served as Vice Chair. She is passionate about educational equity, leadership development, and creating pathways for women and students to thrive academically and professionally.
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Dr. Tucker is proud to serve as a member of the AAUW Rochester Branch and looks forward to supporting AAUW’s mission of advancing equity for women and girls through education, advocacy, and leadership.
Abby Hirsch has been a member of national, state, and local AAUW for over 25 years. She is currently the co-president of the AAUW Westchester Branch. She has been an active member here and has served as corresponding secretary, a member of the STEM conference a member of the Running and Winning program to encourage young women to be involved in service among other things.She is also a member of the NYSAAUW state public policy committee where she has prevented on the topic of book bannings. This is an area that she feels passionate about.
Abby received both a BA and MA from New York University. She also has a counseling degree from Hunter College and worked for over 30 years as a school counselor. After retiring from that profession she became a counselor educator at Mercy University. She was associated with Mercy for over 15 years as an administrator and professor in the graduate program of school counseling.
Lynn Gore earned a BA at Hartwick College and a Master’s degree at University of Wisconsin-Madison. She taught French for 35 years and was involved with both local and state-level Foreign Language organizations. In retirement, she joined AAUW Kingston and has served as Membership VP from 2017-2019, and as President from 2019 to the present. She previously served on the AAUW NYS board as secretary for three terms 2020-2023.
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She looks forward to serving on the board again.
Barbara grew up in Queens, married, became a mother, and later returned to Queens College to earn her BA degree. With a background in accounting, Barbara became an investment advisor with Merrill Lynch. After 40 years, Barbara recently retired from Merrill as a Vice President and Wealth Management Advisor.
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Barbara joined AAUW in 2022 and hopes to make a valuable contribution to the organization.
AAUW New York State Committees
Finance Committee
Suzanne Young-Mercer
Janet Lobel-Adler
Lynn Gore
Barbara Mastellone
Grants Committee
(Vacant)
Abby Hirsch
Betty Harrell
See Also
Welcome to the American Association of University Women- New York State, Inc. (AAUW-NYS).
It is both an honor and a privilege to serve as President of AAUW New York State, an organization with a long and distinguished history of advancing equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.
Throughout my professional and volunteer career, I have remained deeply committed to leadership, advocacy, and service. I have served for four years on the national board of AAUW, including two years as Secretary of the National Board, after which I was employed for four years as AAUW’s National Compliance Officer. At the local level, I have also held leadership positions on the boards of the Ballwin-Chesterfield, Missouri, and North Shore, New York, branches. These experiences have strengthened my dedication to AAUW’s mission and provided me with the opportunity to work alongside extraordinary leaders committed to creating meaningful change.
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In addition to my work with AAUW, I am an author, educator, and longtime advocate for women’s equity and social impact initiatives. I believe strongly in the power of informed voices, collaborative leadership, and grassroots action to shape a more equitable future.
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As President of AAUW New York State, I look forward to supporting our branches, strengthening member engagement, expanding leadership opportunities, and continuing our advocacy on the critical issues affecting women and girls today. Together, we can continue building an organization
that not only honors its proud history but also boldly embraces the future.
I encourage you to explore our website, read our monthly newsletter, learn more about our programs and initiatives, and discover ways to become involved. Whether you are a longtime member or new to AAUW, your participation helps strengthen our mission and amplify our impact across New York State.
Thank you for visiting our website, and welcome to AAUW New York State.