Board of Directors Candidates 2015

    Martha discovered OLLI in January of 2013--a life-altering experience. Now she is Co-chair of Member Services and Chair of the Liaison Sub-committee, and also participates on the Outreach, Hospitality, Development, and Publications Committees. At board meetings, she takes notes on her laptop to assist the secretary.
    OLLI has drawn out Martha’s “inner ham.” She’s in the OLLI Players and coordinated Readers’ Theater in Loudoun during Fall 2014. She has presented classes about Liberace, Victor Borge, Carol Burnett (May 1st), and about her book, Losing Marmee: A Mother, a Daughter, and Six Years in Assisted Living. During the spring term she is coordinating the course “Remembering My Hometown.” Martha has presented between-term events like “Hansel & Gretel” and “The Russians Are Coming!” She looks forward to offering “Calendar Girls” in late May.
     A graduate of Annandale High School, American University, and Virginia Tech, Martha specialized in consumer direct marketing. She handled fundraising for MADD, Doris Day Animal League, and Help Hospitalized Veterans, and managed a mail-order business for AARP. She also founded Operation Happy Sock: http://ohappysock.blogspot.com/ An estimated 500,000 catnip toys have been distributed to homeless cats over the past decade.
     Martha lives in Fairfax with one husband and one cat.

Ray Beery has been an LRI and OLLI member since 1993. He teaches course nearly every term; most recently online courses on the Kennedy Legacy and the Modern World.     He is a retired Air Force officer and was a program director at Computer Sciences Corporation. He holds an AB in International Relations from Kansas University, an MBA from Missouri and a diploma from the National Defense University.
    He served six years on the LRI Board in the 1990s and was president 1999-2000. He led the project committee that activated the Loudoun site in 2007. He headed the search team that brought us our Executive Director, Jennifer Disano.

    Corky Rainey is a DC native, raised in the metropolitan area, and a graduate from the University of Maryland, with a BA in History. Following graduation, he entered the US Air Force and completed a successful 26 year career, retiring as a Colonel. Most of that career was spent with IT systems, at several bases in the US and one assignment in Tokyo, Japan. During this time, he also completed his MS in Systems Management from USC.
    After retiring from the Air Force, he went into the defense industry in 1993 as a marketing manager and retired as a Senior VP for Business Development in 2010. Since retirement, he has been working part-time as a Washington DC tour guide for middle school students/teachers from all over the country.
    Corky has been a member of OLLI since 2010 and enjoyed and participated in numerous classes and forums. OLLI has been and is today a highly successful enterprise, but challenges are there in the future. Corky believes that his experience both in the Air Force and industry will allow him, if elected to the Board, to make a meaningful contribution and to provide fresh ideas to address these challenges.

Michelle Blandburg’s aim in running for the Board of Directors (BoD) is “to help preserve what’s best at OLLI, and to prepare for OLLI’s future.” Michelle discovered the world of OLLI in 2013; she’s been eagerly exploring ever since. She’s active in many fun activities, especially OLLI Players and Readers Theater. Fun alone, however, is not what keeps OLLI working. Michelle is a member of the Dirty Knees Club, the Humanities & Social Sciences Planning group and the Liaison sub-committee, and is a class coordinator. She was also an E-News editor. Michelle’s interest in OLLI’s operation led to attending numerous BoD meetings.
     Before retiring, Michelle was a devoted employee of Navy Federal Credit Union for more than 40 years. She held many positions, including Loan Officer and Branch Manager, before focusing on her talent for administrative responsibilities. Her organizational skills led to her favorite positions: Staff Assistant to the Credit Committee and consequently to an Executive Vice President.
     Besides OLLI, Michelle volunteers at the Shepherd’s Center of Fairfax-Burke, providing free transportation to senior adults. She’s a proud mother; her daughter is a special education teacher. Originally from Chicago, Michelle came to this area to attend Howard University; she now resides in Springfield.

Carl Baxter