Debbie Halverson

 

I joined LRI in spring 2003 after a move to Virginia to be near family members. Not one to depend upon them for either activity or social life, I was thrilled to find a brochure about LRI at the community center and joined in the fall. A year after volunteering on the Publications and Membership committees, I was asked to be Membership Committee chair and also to fill a vacant Board of Director's slot. In that position I considered my job to represent the best interests of the members in every way. I served as president on the Board while maintaining my Membership Committee job, a job I still hold today albeit it is now Member Services Committee chair. My focus continues to be member satisfaction with an emphasis on communication. To that end I instigated our annual town meetings and have written fairly regularly for the E-News whenever I felt an important message needed to be conveyed. 
     In the course of my dual service on the Board and the Membership Committee, I instigated the February Valentine socials and served twice as chair of the Silent Auction on Annual Membership Meeting Day. I also accepted the role of Reston Coordinator to enlarge the activities of the Reston membership.
     I started my teaching activity with life stories classes and then followed with a focus on significant women in American history. I've taught literature classes on Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Joseph Conrad. Currently I am planning use of our new kitchen with culinary arts classes.
     I graduated from Middlebury College with a B.A. in literature and hold teaching certification through the University of California in Berkeley. I have had an active career in publishing including an editorial slot on a national magazine, account management with a printer, and production manager for Library Journal magazine. All of these jobs were detail oriented and required management skills. They were pressure oriented and stimulating and occurred while raising three children and working around the migratory career of a journalistic husband.
     I am especially interested in the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead of OLLI as we continue to establish our presence and influence in the greater Washington, DC area. Our growth, while welcome, presents new opportunities and problem solving, and I expect to continue playing a part in the visionary growth of OLLI-Mason.