SNA President Dean Weinberg, right, awards a certificate of recognition to community activist Gil Mason.
The approximately 50 people who attended the Summit Neighborhood Association’s annual meeting joined in honoring a community activist, elected a new board of directors and engaged in questions and answers with their elected representatives.
SNA President Dean Weinberg began the evening by thanking the Highlands of the East Side, 101 Highland Ave., for hosting the event at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 27. He then reviewed the organization’s accomplishments over the year, including the snow-shoveling assistance program, the fall bake-off competition, the lecture series, the education discussions and the blow-out music festival in the summer.
Weinberg next introduced Gil Mason, who has worked for 20 years to develop the book sales that benefit the Rochambeau library, as well as other aspects of support for the library system. Mason was awarded a plaque that took note of his behind-the-scenes efforts. The inscription reads: “The Summit Neighborhood Association recognizes and appreciates the years of quiet service to the community of Gil Mason and awards him this certificate as a token of the community’s esteem.” Mason took the opportunity to express his appreciation of the sense of neighborliness in the Summit area and his enjoyment in being a part of it.
The required element of business at the annual meeting was the election of the board of directors, which was handled by Thomas Schmeling, SNA secretary. The slate, which was approved by acclamation, was: Weinberg, president; Kerry Kohring, vice president; Schmeling, secretary; Britt Page, treasurer; incumbents Erik Christiansen, Lee Clasper-Torch, Grant Dulgarian, Anneliese Greenier, Daniel MacLellan, Sheila Perlow, Emily Spitzman, Mark Tracy and Sharon Lee Waldman; and newcomers Ting Barnard, Kim Clark, Thomas Doyle, Ethan Gyles, Coryndon Luxmoore and Toby Shepherd. They will serve one-year terms until the next annual meeting.
Rounding out the evening, City Councilman Kevin Jackson, state Rep. Aaron Regunberg and state Sen. Gayle Goldin took the floor to discuss issues with their constituents. They answered questions about the possible sale of the city water system, which is included in a consultant’s report to Mayor Jorge Elorza but not is not being actively pursued, the revaluation of property for tax purposes as well as the methods of appeal and the threat to Rhode Island of global warming.
Throughout the evening, participants were able to munch on pizza and sip wine, beer and soft drinks. This year, in observance of Passover, kosher snacks were provided by Mikaila Mariel Lemonik Arthur and kosher wine was available.
Here are profiles of the new board members.
Ting Barnard is the owner of an independent consulting firm specializing in empowering small-business owners and local artists, with a studio in downtown Providence. She lives on Fosdyke Street with her husband, Ian, and 6-year-old daughter, Victory. Ting is actively involved on several philanthropic projects and endeavors throughout the state.
Kim Clark has lived in the Summit Neighborhood for 23 years, far longer than she’s ever lived anywhere. Kim has two sons with whom she’s been navigating the Providence Public School System for the past 15 years. For the last 18 months, she has run a small business called Rhody Craft on Hope Street, and this neighborhood is the only place she’d have felt comfortable embarking on such an adventure.
Thomas Doyle came to Providence in 2001 to attend Brown Medical School and lives on Vassar Street with his wife, Amy, and their two daughters. He is an internist at Charlton Hospital in Fall River, but has a background in writing and journalism, having worked briefly in newspapers before going back to medical school. He is interested in community organizing and has helped set up three tree-planting days on the East Side.
Ethan Gyles lives with his wife, Pam, and 8-month old daughter on Hillside Avenue and has lived in the neighborhood since 2008, when he and his wife decided to make Providence their home after graduate school. He’s a professional engineer and project manager with the Providence office of ERM, an environmental consulting firm, where he focuses on contaminated site restoration projects and environmental permitting. He’s a member of the Providence Ethics Commission, Common Cause Rhode Island, and the American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists.
Coryndon Luxmoore ives on Sarah Street, having relocated from Richmond, Va. in 1990 to study Industrial Design at RISD. He moved into Summit in 1996 as a tenant on 11th Street and later as a homeowner and landlord on Sarah, but is most recognized as the companion of a purple-booted Basset Hound. Coryndon works in Boston as a lead UX architect for Mortgage Builder, a provider of Mortgage Origination Software. Before that, he built a UX design team and practice as vice president of user experience at Buildium.
Toby Shepherd is the strategic initiative officer for education at the Rhode Island Foundation. Before that, he was director of policy for Providence Mayor Angel Taveras. Toby holds a masters degree in public policy from Harvard University, serves on the board of Temple Emanu-El and is raising his three kids (ages 6, 3 and 1) on Lauriston Street.
SNA education committee member Emily Spitzman reports on the fund-raiser planned for Flatbread Pizza at 6 p.m. June 7 to help pay for extracurricular events for students at Martin Luther King Elementary School.
