Marian McCorkle-Beckerman – President
Marian McCorkle-Beckerman has served on the Board of Trustees since 2010. She holds a BA in Business Management and a BFA in Graphic Design, the latter being the career she has pursued. Her work covers a wide range of clients from theater to farming, international to local, and profit to non-profit. Marian is a life-long resident of Ulster County, living in Stone Ridge on the property purchased by her ancestors a century ago. She has sat on numerous non-profit boards in the community serving in various capacities, and served as Vice-Chair of the Marbletown Historic Preservation Commission.
Eric Stewart – Vice-President
Currently serving his 2nd two-year term in the Ulster County Legislature representing portions of Hurley & Marbletown, Eric Stewart formerly served 4 years on the Town Board of Marbletown. Prior to that, he was active in the town’s Environmental Conservation Commission, the Historical Preservation Commission, and the O&W Trail Committee. In the Legislature, he serves on the Energy & Environment, Economic Development, and the Housing & Transportation committees as well as on the Trail Advisory Committee, the Lower Esopus Conservation Advisory Council, and the Electrical Licensing Board. He also serves on the BOD of the Rondout Valley Business Association, the Rondout Creek Watershed Alliance, and has been on the Board of Trustees for the Ulster County Historical Society for 2 years. He is originally from Albuquerque, NM, and grew up in Amarillo, TX. He has a BA in journalism and public relations from Baylor University in TX, and received his MA in education and English from Hunter College, CUNY. He is a former public relations professional and an inner-city public school teacher. He and his husband purchased a home in Accord in 1996. For many years, he owned and operated a landscaping company from his home and later sold real estate. He is now focusing on his legislative and volunteer projects and is an avid gardener, writer, painter, uncle, dog dad and Eagle Scout.
Alison Buckley – Treasurer
Alison Buckley, Ed.D., serves as the seventh president of SUNY Ulster and brings a lifelong passion for local history to her role on the Board of the Ulster County Historical Society. A historian by training, her interest in community heritage was sparked during college summers working for the Chester County Historic Preservation Office and the Islesboro Historical Society in Maine while pursuing graduate work in museum studies.
Alison is committed to strengthening community and educational institutions across the region. Outside of her leadership at SUNY Ulster, she volunteers with the Bike Patrol at the Mohonk Preserve and serves on the Board of Directors for Pattern for Progress.
She holds a doctorate in organizational leadership from Northeastern University, a master’s degree in history and a postgraduate certificate in museum studies from the University of Delaware, an M.Phil. in women’s studies from Trinity College Dublin, and an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland. She earned her bachelor’s degree in classics and history from Randolph College, where she also serves on the Board of Trustees.
Matthew Silverman – Secretary
Matthew Silverman has served as secretary for the Ulster County Historical Society board of trustees since 2017. He has worked in publishing since 1996 and previously served at various newspapers. He is author of more than 15 books and is proprietor of Silverman Editing Services. Originally from White Plains, he has lived with his wife, Debbie, and two children, Jan and Tyler, in High Falls since 2000.
Leslie LeFevre-Stratton
Leslie LeFevre-Stratton is a former museum curator and consultant who worked on a variety of curatorial and collections management projects in the Hudson Valley. She holds an M.F.A. from Tyler School of Art (Temple University), Philadelphia, PA., and a B.F.A. from Syracuse University – School of Visual and Performing Arts.
She also attended the Central School of Art in London. Born in Kingston, N.Y., Leslie lives in Gardiner, N.Y. with her husband Richard. Now retired from museum work, Leslie is a mixed-media artist.
Susan Sprachman
Susan is a past president of the Ulster County Historical Society and served on its Board of Trustees for several years. She has also been a member of the Marbletown Historic Preservation Committee and briefly served on the Marbletown Town Board.
After retiring in 2010, Susan moved to Ulster County and settled into a 225-year-old home, where she developed a deep interest in local history. Through her research, she discovered that the rich archival resources of the county allowed her to learn more about the history of her home than her own family—a reflection of the region’s remarkable historical depth.
Susan’s lifelong curiosity about people and cultures began early. Following her university studies, she and her husband, Paul, served as Peace Corps volunteers in Afghanistan, taught at a university in Iran, and traveled extensively, focusing on understanding the lives and experiences of the people they encountered.
Before relocating to Stone Ridge from New Jersey, Susan was a Senior Fellow at Mathematica Policy Research, where she conducted social policy research on programs such as Head Start and Early Head Start, examining their impact on children and families.
She holds a Master of Arts in Human Development from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Staff
Peter Criswell – Executive Director
Peter is a seasoned nonprofit executive with extensive experience in history-focused and educational programming. He has served as Executive Director of several organizations, including Historic Philadelphia, Inc., where he produced dynamic interpretive programs about the founding of the nation and oversaw operations at the Betsy Ross House. He also led Hudson River Heritage, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the Mid-Hudson Valley’s historic architecture and landscapes. In addition, he served as Capital Campaign Manager for the Hudson River Maritime Museum, leading efforts to fund key initiatives. Peter currently serves as Chair of the Ulster County Legislature.