ESSLA’s Board of Directors meets regularly throughout the year; meetings are open to members and meeting minutes are posted to this page. The Board has five standing committees focusing on our activities and initiatives with a view to building on ESSLA’s accomplishments in preserving and protecting the Schroon Lake watershed as an all-volunteer organization. Those committees are:
- Administration—ESSLA’s governance and financial matters. Chaired by the President.
- Partner Relations—strengthening our partnerships with the Schroon Lake Steering Committee, local governments, sister lake associations, other like-minded and Adirondack Park organizations that have the clout and resources to protect our watershed. Chaired by Gary Karl.
- Environmental Stewardship—our signature efforts to preserve and protect the watershed, such as boat inspections and decontaminations, scouting for aquatic and terrestrial invasive species, and Eurasian milfoil harvesting. Chaired by Ev McNeill.
- Membership—retaining and growing the ranks of our membership. Co-chaired by Carol Molino and Bill McGhie.
- Community Engagement—our print and digital newsletters, Facebook page, website, the Floating Classroom, social events, volunteers, and our other initiatives for all of you who love Schroon Lake and River as much as we do! Chaired by Ross Schoembs.
Ours is a working Board of Directors with hands-on involvement in our programs and activities.
Board of Directors
914-456-3325
In 2012 Stephen retired and joined the board. For forty years prior to then he was a senior partner at a law…
Stephen Ehlers
914-456-3325
In 2012 Stephen retired and joined the board. For forty years prior to then he was a senior partner at a law firm in Poughkeepsie where he was a federal trial lawyer specializing in construction, labor and employee benefits law. He and his wife, Karen, have had a home on East Shore Drive, Schroon Lake since 1991. Stephen is the editor of our newsletter, The Pearl. He thoroughly enjoys racquetball, fishing, kiting, woodworking, sailing and gardening with Karen.
Secretary; Environmental Stewardship Committee [2019]Ev & Carol and three boys started building on Schroon in 1979. He was a Sourcing Manager with GE Power Systems in Schenectady. Upon…
Ev McNeil
Secretary; Environmental Stewardship Committee [2019]
Ev & Carol and three boys started building on Schroon in 1979. He was a Sourcing Manager with GE Power Systems in Schenectady. Upon retiring in 2004, Schroon Lake became their permanent residence.
Long Range Planning/Ambassadors (2018) – AdirondackRetired Human Resources professional with a background in organizational development, talent acquisition, training and development, employee relations, compensation and benefits.Currently consulting with Common…
Ross Schoembs
Long Range Planning/Ambassadors (2018) – Adirondack
Retired Human Resources professional with a background in organizational development, talent acquisition, training and development, employee relations, compensation and benefits.Currently consulting with Common Roots, a Burlington VT organization which connects farmers, educators, youth, families, and the wider community in building a sustainable future through place-based educational and service programs. After several years of frequent vacations to Schroon Lake, Ross became a full-time resident of Adirondack NY in the spring of 2014.
Contact: Email | 630.640.0784
Partner Relations Committee; Editor Newsletters [2019]Gary Karl started coming to Schroon Lake with his wife, Debbie, almost 40 years ago. In the ensuing years Gary and Debbie came…
Gary Karl
Partner Relations Committee; Editor Newsletters [2019]
Gary Karl started coming to Schroon Lake with his wife, Debbie, almost 40 years ago. In the ensuing years Gary and Debbie came to Schroon Lake with their three daughters. Gary is ecstatic to be living now in the Adirondack Lodges and sharing his love of Schroon Lake with five grandchildren. He is a transactional lawyer who retired from the private practice of law as a partner in a major Rochester firm. Outside his law practice, Gary was a board member in several Rochester-area not-for- profits and a two-time recipient of USA Swimming’s outstanding service award for his volunteer contributions to the sport in western and central New York.
Ambassadors (2016 - 2019) 518.423.9028
Eric Messer joined the ESSLA Board in 2016. He lives locally with his wife Karalie and their two children. Eric works at…
Eric Messer
Ambassadors (2016 - 2019)
518.423.9028
Eric Messer joined the ESSLA Board in 2016. He lives locally with his wife Karalie and their two children. Eric works at Word of Life.
Member and Community Engagement Committee [2020]Bachelor’s degree – Experimental Psychology – Brown University; Master’s Degree – Physiological Psychology from Emory University; Ph. D. – Biopsychology from University of Georgia; Post doctorate…
Richard F. Seegal, Ph.D.
Member and Community Engagement Committee [2020]
Bachelor’s degree – Experimental Psychology – Brown University; Master’s Degree – Physiological Psychology from Emory University; Ph. D. – Biopsychology from University of Georgia; Post doctorate – Neuroendocrinology from University of Connecticut.
I spent more than 38 years working for the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health in Albany. The majority of my efforts involved study of the neurological effects of environmental contaminants, including PCBs, methyl mercury and pesticides using cells in culture, laboratory animals and humans. I have also studied the role of sex (biological differences) in neurological diseases.
I spend summers on Schroon Lake with my wife, Donna.
Partner Relations and Environmental Stewardship [2020]John has been sharing the beauty of Schroon Lake with his family for over 40 years, fishing, hiking and waterskiing. He is currently an…
John Greening
Partner Relations and Environmental Stewardship [2020]
John has been sharing the beauty of Schroon Lake with his family for over 40 years, fishing, hiking and waterskiing. He is currently an Environmental Health and Safety Professional, with a Bachelors Degree in Biology – Chemistry from The College of Saint Rose, AAS degree in Natural Resources Conservation from Fulton Montgomery Community College.
Tad’s interest in the Adirondacks began in the early 80’s while living in upstate New York. A career move with GE brought him back…
Tad Matley
Tad’s interest in the Adirondacks began in the early 80’s while living in upstate New York. A career move with GE brought him back to the area in 2000 when he purchased a camp on Adirondack Road. Tad retired from GE in 2013 as an Operations and Supply Chain Management executive, a career spanning 33 years. He and Abby look forward to spending their summers on Schroon Lake.
Tad has a BS in Engineering and BA in Business from Rutgers University and an MBA from Purdue University. He is the proud father of three children and one granddaughter.
Treasurer [2019]Rick and his wife, Maryanne, have owned their home on Schroon Lake since 2006. They thoroughly enjoy year-round activities with their five children, son-in-law,…
Rick Smith
Treasurer [2019]
Rick and his wife, Maryanne, have owned their home on Schroon Lake since 2006. They thoroughly enjoy year-round activities with their five children, son-in-law, family and friends.
The Smiths reside in Yardley, PA, where Rick volunteered in youth sports and various non-profit organizations. He retired from KPMG as a senior partner in 2016.
Bill McGhie first visited Schroon Lake in 1945 and visited every year until entering the service. In 1962, while in the service, his folks…
Bill McGhie
Bill McGhie first visited Schroon Lake in 1945 and visited every year until entering the service. In 1962, while in the service, his folks built an A-frame camp which was used until 1996 when Bill and Joanne tore it down to build their current home.
Bill’s hobbies include hunting, fishing and Tae Kwon Do. In 1985 as a first-degree black belt Bill was NYS Senior Division champion in full contact competition. He later earned a ranking of fifth degree black belt.
In 2002 Bill retired from Bell & Howell as a field engineer and technical team leader. In that same year Bill and his wife, Joanne, moved to the place they love, Schroon Lake.
Bill served as president of ESSLA during its reorganization and helped it grow from a predominately social organization with a membership of about 70 to an award-winning conservationist organization with over 700 members. Bill considers serving on the ESSLA board once again a privilege he is looking forward to.
Carol has been lucky to have been coming to Schroon Lake her whole life–from staying with relatives on Sand Point to summers at her…
Carol Molino
Carol has been lucky to have been coming to Schroon Lake her whole life–from staying with relatives on Sand Point to summers at her parents’ camps on the East Shore to owning a townhouse at the Adirondack Lodges since 2004. Carol has passed the love of Schroon Lake onto her husband, Kent, and two children. Carol’s involvement in ESSLA has come full circle as her parents were on the board of ESSLA 25 years ago!
President [2019]Retired in 2009 after a 40 year career in banking and finance. Have owned a house on Schroon Lake since 2001 and currently…
Bob Colegrove
President [2019]
Retired in 2009 after a 40 year career in banking and finance. Have owned a house on Schroon Lake since 2001 and currently lives here for 6 months and winter in South Carolina. Currently supervises the water testing activity for ESSLA and participates as a super scout.
Contact: Email
Ali Marie has been spending summers on Schroon Lake since she was two years old. Her family purchased the iconic Faith’s Landing camp on…
Ali Marie Carkciyan
Ali Marie has been spending summers on Schroon Lake since she was two years old. Her family purchased the iconic Faith’s Landing camp on East Shore in 1982. Ali and her husband, Shant, love spending time on the lake. They both work in the family construction business (Lake Carmel Seamless Gutters) as well as graphic art.
