New GRF Board members seated at annual meeting
The 62nd annual meeting of the Golden Rain Foundation on June 10 ended with Linda Herman from Mutual 12 as the new GRF president.
She will preside over an executive board comprised of Mutual 4’s Vicki Burdman, vice president; Mutual 11’s Edward Jablonski, returning as corporate secretary; and Mutual 3’s Sandy Geffner, treasurer.
The board will have freshmen representation from Jeffrey Mulqueen and Tim Kearns of Mutual 1; James Farr of Mutual 5; Kathryn Jones of Mutual 9 and Namil Shin of Mutual 14. He was elected as a mid-term replacement for Lee Melody.
Geffner has returned to the board after a four-year hiatus, and Mutuals 7, 11, 15 and 17 will be represented by returning incumbents Pattricia Vienna, Jablonski, Marla Hamblin and Nick Massetti respectively.
In welcoming the newly installed board, GRF President Herman acknowledged that the group might “be young in experience, but one that brings fresh energy and a sincere desire to move this community forward with unity.”
“Each of you is valued, and each of you brings something unique and important to the table. We may not always agree, but every voice matters, and every vote counts,” she said, noting that her job is to “lead and guide, not to dictate . . . I do bring experience, a long history in this community and a deep commitment to its future. I have been a resident of Leisure World for 23 years, and I have seen a kinder, more cooperative GRF—a version of this community that I believe we can return to and improve upon.”
The board’s top priorities will be fostering “trust and transparency. These are not just buzzwords; they are the foundation of any strong organization. Without them, we lose connection. With them, we gain strength,” Herman said, adding that “this is an opportunity to move forward.”
Outgoing GRF President Janet Isom thanked board members for their hundreds of hours of service and all the talent they brought to the board.
Outgoing GRF Director Maureen Habel from Mutual 3 expressed her
ANNUAL MEETING, page 5 gratitude to Isom for her leadership during a challenging year: “She led this board . . . with incredible dignity and grace under pressure. Your ability to listen carefully, evaluate thoughtfully and offer your opinions based on data and common sense are an absolute inspiration to me. We owe you a huge debt, Janet.”
Outgoing committee chairs gave reports listing highlights and accomplishments completed during the last term:
• Administration Committee Chair Susan Hopewell reported on important projects completed by her committee, including a benchmarking and salary survey as a best practice for optimal staffing strategy, updating 60-year-old GRF bylaws, including the GRF Petition Policy, the review of a five-year GRF strategic plan that awaits board consideration; and ways to improve GRF communication and transparency.
• Facilities Committee Chair Teri Nugent reported on some of the many projects completed in the 2024-25 term: Facilities roofing, HVAC upgrades, renovation of office spaces into rental space; paving and roadwork; a traffic signal project now underway; street sign replacement; 30 new electric utility vehicles, as well as refurbishment of the On-Site Sales Office, Stock Transfer office, the Amphitheater, and clubhouses, among other improvements.
• Member Services Committee Chair Maureen Habel reported on a very successful year working with GRF staff to provide an array of amenities, including the summer Amphitheater program and yearlong holiday-themed celebrations and ongoing weekend entertainment.
The committee tracked the use of Leisure World’s recreational amenities, approved a new paper-supply system for Trust property bathrooms for a reduced cost; recommended a two-year contract extension for janitorial service and on-call bus service for residents, and monitored Member Services activities, which offer valuable social service resources to residents.
• Operations Committee Chair Donna Gambol reported on the GRF departments her committee oversaw: Communications, Information Technology Services, Mutual Administration/Stock Transfer and Security. The committee managed all projects and issues related to LW Weekly, LW Direct, the GRF podcast; the lwsb. com website, including upgrades to assist the hearing and vision-impaired; the resident and GRF CINC portals and Proptia guest management system; LW Live email blasts; IT’s rollout of wireless campus links for a faster, more stable communications network, cybersecurity improvements, the installation of 125 new security cameras, livestream captioning, Homewise document processing to better manage real estate transactions in Stock Transfer; and Security personnel changes to facilitate gate operations and the gate access system, which has decreased the number of gate runners and increased security, among others.
• Finance Committee Chair Nick Massetti reported that the committee’s main accomplishments were in the provision of needed and useful information to the residents about a wide variety of financial topics, specifically education and transparency regarding financial operations and the current status of the GRF’s finances. The committee also improved the assignments of general ledger numbers to ledger items.
To view the meeting in its entirely, visit lwsb.com and click on “livestream.”
