A Warm Welcome to SPRYE’s New Director
At the annual meeting of SPRYE (Staying Put in Rye and Environs) on June 19, members of the board of directors welcomed Marie Johnson, who will become the organization’s second executive director at the end of the month.
She succeeds Betti Weimersheimer, who is retiring after serving at the helm since the organization’s founding in 2011.
Johnson, a resident of Stamford, recently served as Social Services Manager at River House Adult Day Care Center in Cos Cob, where she was responsible for admissions, caregiver support groups, and community outreach. Previously, she was Executive Director of Senior Services of Stamford (now known as Silver Source) for eight years.
Originally from Syracuse, N.Y., Johnson graduated from SUNY Oswego and earned a Master’s in Counseling and Therapeutic Recreation from Southern Connecticut State University.
At the board meeting, SPRYE President Barbara Brunner also introduced the new members of the board, who were elected to serve through 2021: Ron Cohen (Rye), Hilary Garland (Rye), Maria Hargraves (Rye), Julie Hartman (Rye Brook), Lauren Miscimarra (Rye Brook), and Tilly Young (Port Chester). They will help expand the organization’s mission and membership in all of the communities it serves — Harrison, Port Chester, Rye, and Rye Brook.
At its annual meeting, the board also established an Advisory Council comprised of founders and other long-serving board members, including Paul Hicks, Lee Katz, Katherine Moore, Arthur Stampleman (chair), and Gil Weinstein.
Marie Johnson