NYSCAA Home NYSCAA 2008 Elections

Candidate Bios

President-Elect [ duties ]

Secretary [ duties ]

Treasurer [ duties ]

Board of Advisors (three positions open) [ duties ]




Candidate for President-Elect

  • Kirby Lee (IN 1993)

    Thank you for your consideration of my candidacy for NYSCAA president. I was an Indiana delegate in 1993, and I was fortunate to return on Staph in 1994 and 1997. I now live in Alexandria, VA, and I am a trial attorney at the Justice Department.

    What excites me most about this office is the particular timing with respect to the 50th anniversary of NYSC in 2013. I believe that the success of that reunion will depend greatly on grassroots efforts to inform and energize alumni beginning now. For example, the Regional Science Symposia sponsored jointly by the NYSF and NYSCAA have been a successful outreach program.

    The goal of increasing membership starts with the practical acknowledgment that NYSC represents different things to different alumni, and that membership in the Alumni Association must be meaningful and impart a tangible value. Whether through regular, substantial communication, or localized mini-reunion efforts, or even current technology-driven social networks, I will be committed as president to helping NYSCAA reach out to alumni and serve as a useful, contributing partner to the Science Camp and Foundation.

    Having attended the reunion this past summer in West Virginia, I look forward to harnessing the spirit and enthusiasm that these events bring and converting that energy to true advances for the Alumni Association. I appreciate your support.



Candidate for Secretary

  • Laine Lybeck (MT 2003)

    I was a Montana delegate to the NYSC in 2003. I have been on staph since 2004 as the Music coordinator, Office Manager and PI. I attended Montana State University studying Biotechnology and am currently taking classes at Marshall University. I have lived in Charleston for about 1 year and am thoroughly enjoying it. I am glad to be able to be part of the NYSC and hope we can continue to help it going for another 40 years.



Candidates for Treasurer

  • Grant Bromhal (WV 1990)

    I was a camper from WV in 1990, and I love Science Camp! After leaving Science Camp, I got my bachelors' degrees in Civil Engineering and Mathematics at West Virginia University and moved up to Pittsburgh to get a MS and PhD from Carnegie Mellon in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Since then, I've moved back to Morgantown, WV, to work for the Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory, where I do research related to fossil energy and environmental topics, mostly carbon sequestration (email me if you want to know more). In my spare time, I enjoy reading, hiking, biking, caving, playing the clarinet, juggling, and lots of other fun stuff we did at Science Camp.

    I've had the opportunity to go back to NYSC for the past couple of years to do lectures and directed studies related to my research, and I've been able to attend a couple of the reunions in the past 5 years. That time with campers, staph, and alumni has really helped remind me just how special NYSC is and made me want to be more active in the Alumni Association. So, I'm running for Treasurer and planning to be an active participant in NYSCAA activities for this next year and beyond. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you at a reunion in the near future.



Candidates for Board of Advisors (BOA)

  • Joel Brown (WV 1989)

    My first association with NYSC was in 1987, when my parents began hosting science campers at our home in South Charleston, WV. My father helped organize tours at the Union Carbide Technical Center for the campers prior to their departure for Pocahontas County. I was selected to be a delegate from WV in 1989, had a fantastic time at camp, and have enjoyed memories of that special summer ever since.

    I attended Virginia Tech, studied chemical engineering, and then worked at Union Carbide, at the South Charleston Technical Center in the mid-1990s. I returned to Virginia Tech and received my MBA in 1999. I moved to Northern Virginia to work for a software company in 1999, and two years later I was let go when the tech bubble burst. I'm still in Northern Virginia, currently working as a photographer and tutor.

    Currently I'm maintaining a few connections with the special people I met in 1989, and I'm attempting to reach out to each and every camper from my year. My goal is to use Facebook to reconnect with as many campers as possible, and to work with the alumni director to improve the alumni database. A strong believer in the power of networks of individuals, I'd like to use my position on the Board of Advisors to reach out to as many people as possible, from all years, and expand what is possible for the NYSCAA.

    Sincerely,

    Joel Brown (WV 1989)


  • Janell Lovelace (MO 1986)

    I was a 1986 delegate from Missouri, and have had the pleasure of being on staph in 1990 and 2005-08. I recently served a term as president of the NYSCAA, representing our organization on the NYSF Board of Trustees during the exciting meeting when we signed an intent to purchase land from the Canaan Valley Institute. I helped organize the 2002 alumni reunion, and have been to every one since then (as well as some in prior years). There are wonderful things going on these days with the NYSCAA (and the NYSF), and I would like to continue to contribute to this organization in the years to come. For this reason, I am delighted to accept a nomination to the NYSCAA board of directors. Science Camp has been very important to me over the years, and I believe that the alumni have a lot to offer each other. I'd like to do all I can to help us all become and stay connected.

    I received a B.S. in Computer Science from Duke University with a second major in Physical Anthropology. Until the birth of my son Bram, I worked as a software engineer for companies including GE and Decision-Science Applications, and I now work part-time for SciFiGenre.com. I am starting my 14th year singing in the Duke Chapel Choir, serving as an officer for at least 8 of those years. I have been involved for more than 10 years with the Odyssey of the Mind program, and I also enjoy my activities with the Durham Savoyards, the North Carolina Geocachers Association, and the Triangle Troglodytes caving club. I am an amateur radio operator (KI4BZG) and an occasional net controller for the local Skywarn spotters network of the National Weather Service. I am a life member of the International Jugglers Association, and enjoyed sharing this and many other of these hobbies in the form of seminars with delegates over the years. In my spare time, I love to read and to travel, and have visited 48 states and 16 countries.


  • Alex McPherson (WV 2007)

    Everyone had an amazing experience at the National Youth Science Camp. It's a completely unique program that could never be replaced. But for me, Science Camp is in my blood. My grandfather Chuck Cochran was the first Director of the NYSC back in 1963. Even as West Virginia's delegate in 2007, I had no idea what he had accomplished until I saw how it can change people in incredible ways. Following in the footsteps of my grandfather and my aunt Jill Cochran, NYSF board of trustee's member, I'd be honored to serve on the Board of Advisors and continue to make the National Youth Science Camp an unforgettable experience for generations to come.

    I'm currently a Public Relations major at West Virginia University with a double minor in Entrepreneurship and Foreign Literature in Translation. College activities include tutoring English, History and Journalism courses for the Honors College, heading promotions of Stalnaker dorm hall council, and aiding the community service club. Monday nights 10:00-Midnight I also DJ the Debut LP show at the award winning WWVU FM radio (listen online u92.wvu.edu!). This past summer I taught underprivileged elementary aged children reading, writing and art in a program called Enegry Express, run by Americorps. In my spare time I pretend I can play instruments on the video game Rock Band and experiment with various incarnations of Ramen Noodles. Thanks again for this opportunity.

  • Ray Rappold (Staph 1975-1977, 1979-1986, 1992-1993)

    Former NYSC Director
    Former Board Member of NYSCAA - 1994-1998
    Attended every alumni reunion between 1976 and 2003
    Alumni Database Coordinator - 1992-2000
    One of the three Incorporators of the National Youth Science Foundation (NYSF)
    Charter Board Member of NYSF 1983-1991
    Current Board Member of the US LST Ship Memorial, Inc.
    Undergraduate degree in Biology
    Graduate degrees in Geography
    Former college faculty in Geography
    Currently a self-employed health care data analyst
    West Virginia native (4th generation) and current resident

    I am running for the Board of the NYSCAA because I want this organization to be all that it should. I pledge to work with the officers and other board members of this association to make an 'accessible' database a reality (and soon), to bring back 'newsbytes' to the (hopefully, more frequent) newsletter, and to facilitate communication and restore interest in this organization. Since the rebirth of this organization in 1994, there has always been one non-delegate staph alumni on the board — and I would like to continue that tradition.


  • Julie Wentworth (RI 1994)

    I was a 1994 delegate from Rhode Island and was thrilled to return as the Office Manager for the 1997 and 1998 science camps. Through NYSC, I met many wonderful people, some of whom I am still close friends with today. I attended the regional science symposium in Boston as well as the 45th NYSC reunion in West Virginia this year.

    I received my BS in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Vermont and worked as a Registered Dietitian for a few years. I then went on to obtain my Bachelors and Masters of Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania. Now back in Boston, I am a Nurse Practitioner in the Geriatrics section at Boston Medical Center, where I work with hospitalized frail elders.

    Now I hope to give back to the organization that has given me so much by serving on the Board of Advisors of the NYSCAA. As the 50th anniversary of the NYSC approaches in 2013, we need to energize our alumni base beginning now and get as many alumni as possible to attend the 50th reunion in West Virginia.



Note: Voting is now over.