September 13, 2023 Paul Bell Elected President of the Lake George Land Conservancy
The LGLC Board of Directors elected four new members and thanked four for their years of service.
Bolton Landing, NY – The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is pleased to announce that Paul Bell has been elected President of the LGLC Board of Directors. Mr. Bell is taking over the position from past President Jeff Brozyna, who reached his term limit on the Board.
Mr. Bell joined the LGLC Board in November 2020 and had since served two years as Vice-President of Conservation. A resident of Silver Bay, New York, and Laurel Park, North Carolina, Mr. Bell is a retired senior media executive and business strategist with experience in advertising, broadcasting, marketing and publishing. He has over 30 years of volunteer service to non-profit organizations, including experience in leadership development, fundraising, and governance.
LGLC Executive Director Mike Horn said, “Paul has a great sense of what has made the LGLC successful and what is needed to carry this organization forward to best fulfill our mission of protecting the land that protects the lake. I am very much looking forward to working with him as President of the Board.”
“I’m humbled yet excited to be selected by my peers to serve as president of the LGLC Board of Directors,” said Paul Bell. “It will be a great honor to work alongside volunteers and friends from all around the lake’s watershed.”
Mr. Bell continued, “I’m especially indebted to our incredible and highly professional staff team, led by Mike Horn. They’re well known and respected all around the lake. I’m looking forward to partnering with them. Likewise, I’m grateful for the service of my immediate predecessors, Jeff Brozyna and Mike O’Reilly. They’re steadfast supporters of the LGLC. With their continuing counsel our board and staff will move ahead boldly with our mission to protect the land that protects the lake. “
Outgoing Board President Jeff Brozyna joined the LGLC Board in 2011 and served 10 years as Vice-President of Development before stepping into the President position in September of 2022. He also volunteered to lead the LGLC as Interim Executive Director from October through December 2022, while a search for a permanent executive director was underway.
Mr. Horn said, “Jeff has worked tirelessly to advance the Lake George Land Conservancy. His efforts are reflected in the more than 3,000 acres of land permanently protected during his 12-year tenure on the Board, and also in the overall strength and stability of our organization. I am glad that he will join our Advisory Board and continue his relationship with us.”
Other changes and additions to the LGLC Board of Directors include the election of Tracey Clothier, William K. Bixby III, Diane Marr Asiel, and Michael Barrett to the Board; and the appointment of Elizabeth Avery, Ed Becker, Jeff Brozyna, Elizabeth Guest, and Elizabeth Meigher to the Advisory Board. Mrs. Avery is new to the LGLC, while the other four are continuing their involvement after completing the maximum number of years of service as a Director.
In addition, the Board elected Sheryl Arenholz as Vice-President of Conservation and Stewardship, and Tracey Clothier as Vice-President of Administration. George Morris will continue to serve as Vice-President of Finance and Treasurer, Patty HasBrouck as Vice-President of Development, and Bobby von Werne as Secretary.
Mr. Horn said, “Our outgoing Directors have done tremendous work. We are incredibly grateful for their generous contributions over many years, and also for their desire to continue on with our Advisory Board.”
New Directors Joining the LGLC
Diane Marr Asiel first came to Lake George as a young child and then, as a teenager, worked on the summer staff of the Silver Bay YMCA. She has been coming to the lake ever since. With her husband, John, she now spends most of three seasons at their home in Arcady Bay in Hague. Mrs. Asiel has had a 40-year career in journalism, media relations, and public health communications that included working as a newspaper reporter, university journalism instructor, college public speaking instructor, speechwriter, and 25 years with the New York State Department of Health, from which she retired as deputy director of public affairs. She then went on to serve as vice president of communications for the New York Stem Cell Foundation, a nonprofit research institute. Mrs. Asiel earned a BA degree in English Literature from Elmira College and a MS degree in communication from RPI. She enjoys tennis, boating and hiking around Lake George.
Michael Barrett has been coming to Lake George for over 50 years. His family built a house in Clark Hollow Bay, opposite Clark Island, in 1970. His family, and now their sons’ families, have shared a lifelong love of the lake. Mr. Barrett founded and ran his own lobbying firm, Barrett Associates, for 42 years, representing a variety of business organizations and trade associations before the NYS legislature and various state agencies. He was previously President of the Troy/Albany Youth Hockey Association and is currently Chair of the Finance Committee of Vanderheyden School which serves troubled youth in the Capital District. He is a graduate of Wagner College and holds a MS degree from RPI. Now retired, Mr. Barrett and his wife, Ruth, split their time between Albany and their lake home.
William (“Will”) K. Bixby III is part of a seven-generation Lake George family and a long-time supporter of the LGLC, including as an Advisory Board member since 2012. Recently retired, Mr. Bixby spent his career working in the private equity sector, typically as the first institutional investor in family or owner-operated companies. Most recently he spent over 13 years at Trinity Hunt Partners, building world-class companies across several business sectors. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in Economics, Mr. Bixby also received an MBA, with a concentration in Finance, from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst. Mr. Bixby and his wife, Stacey, have three daughters and split their time between Lake George and Dallas, Texas.
Tracey Clothier has rejoined the Board after being on the Advisory Board for one year. Prior to that, she had served nine years on the LGLC Board, including seven as Secretary. Mrs. Clothier operates her own certified Woman-Owned Business with professional memberships in the American Institute of Certified Planners, American Planning Association, and Capital District Planners Association. She oversees the permitting of special projects and the development of comprehensive plans, watershed management, local waterfront revitalization, open space, recreational needs analysis, environmental impact statements, economic impact analysis, zoning regulations, and grant applications. Mrs. Clothier previously spent 28 years as a senior planner at The LA Group. She resides in the Town of Lake George with her husband, Dale.
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