The 59th Annual Meeting of the Council was held on Friday, June 5, 2026, at the
Cornell Boathouse on the campus of Marist University, Poughkeepsie, NY.

Program links:

Program & Agenda for the 59th Annual Meeting (pdf)
The minutes of Southeastern’s 58th Annual Membership Meeting (pdf)
2025 Year in Review (pdf)
Southeastern’s 2026-2031 Strategic Plan (pdf)
2026 Membership Survey (link)
Report: Digital Navigators of the Hudson Valley (link)
Twila Snead Award Recipient (link)
Program Evaluation (Google form)

Program:

Schedule:

8:30am-9:30am Registration & Breakfast
9:30 am: 59th Annual Meeting & Awards
10:30 am: Coffee Break
10:45 am: Keynote Address by Ana Stern of The Moth
12:00 pm: Boathouse talk by Ann Sandri of Marist University
1:00 pm: Optional tours of the James A. Cannavino Library
- Directions to the library: Drive to the Foy parking lot, Lot #2, and walk to the library.

Keynote Speaker: Ana Stern, The Moth
Topic: Storytelling for effective, emotive, and connected communication

This keynote from The Moth will outline the main framework of Moth-style storytelling. This engaging and interactive experience will allow attendees to see themselves as advocates for their libraries and introduce practical storytelling principles to support more effective, emotive and connected communication to constituents, stakeholders, and more.

Ana Stern Bio:
Ana is born and raised New Yorker and has lived in 4 of 5 boroughs! She has a bachelor’s in Elementary Education and a Masters in Public Administration from New York University. For almost 20 years she has worked with programs within the US and internationally that advocate for and with young people. She strongly believes that their voices, opinions, and stories need to be amplified for the world. The current chapter of Ana’s story features reading with one of her three purring cats on her lap, watching the Knicks, and hanging out with her fiancé and two-year-old daughter.

Presentation from Marist University
Ann Sandri will present on the research conducted for the Marist University Archives collection and on a book co-written by Elizabeth Clarke, The Poughkeepsie Regatta 1891-1950. The book chronicles the establishment of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association, its Regatta, and its connection to the local community. An annual tradition held on the Hudson River where major university crews vied for supremacy, including the University of Washington’s “Boys in the Boat.” Crowds of spectators numbered in the thousands with over a 100,000 attending at its height in the1930s. Local businesses and organizations were involved in preparing for the event and treated Regatta Day as if it were a national holiday. The presentation will feature images of the races, crews, spectators, local establishments that served as crew quarters, and more. The importance of their research and subsequent book was that it is the first of it’s kind to take an in-depth look at the history of this sporting event’s over 50-year tenure on the Hudson River.