Board of Directors

NEWBURYPORT CHORAL SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The day-to-day management of NCS is overseen by an active 16-member volunteer Board of Directors made up of current NCS singers. These individuals bring a wealth of experience to the table including business and financial management, administrative expertise, grant development, technology, community relations, fundraising, media, and professional music performance. NCS is fortunate to benefit from an extraordinary amount of Board management expertise.

President:  Victoria Leal-Bushey

Victoria Leal-Bushey graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Moving for her husband’s career, Victoria always managed to find a chorus to join in her new community. She is the past president of the “other” NCS, Neponset Choral Society in Foxboro, MA. She moved to Newburyport and joined “this” NCS in 2015. In addition to singing, she finds time to volunteer with Yankee Homecoming festivities in Newburyport. Victoria will shortly be retiring from VOYA Financial where her most recent position was as an Operations Specialist supporting the Tax-Exempt markets for Retirement Plan Services. Her responsibilities have included compliance oversight of agents working with plan participants, and reviewing new business submissions for new tax-exempt plans. Victoria is married with two grown children and grandmother to three grandchildren. 

Vice President: Currently Vacant

Treasurer: Ralph Johnson, Newbury, MA (Interim)

Ralph Johnson has a B.A. in Economics from Columbia University, worked in the banking industry for many years, and brings extensive business and financial planning experience to the Board. Is President and Treasurer of Pert Lowell Company, Inc., a marine equipment manufacturer founded by his father-in-law which has produced custom wooden boats and authentic nautical furnishings for more than 80 years. He serves on the Board of the Howard Benevolent Society of Newburyport as well as the Investment and Outreach Committees of his church. Ralph is a member of the NCS Finance and Music Committees, and has served on the NCS Board as Treasurer (12 years), President (2 terms), Vice President, and Historian for 13 years. Ralph has been a member of NCS since 1969.

Secretary/Historian: Sandra Starr, Georgetown, MA 

Sandra Starr brings management, technical and writing experience to the role of NCS Secretary. As a retired Director of a Municipal public health department, she directed all administrative, regulatory and inspectional activities of the department, created and wrote regulations, reports, educational brochures and news articles promoting and explaining public health duties. In a previous incarnation as a technical writer she has written software user manuals and quality system manuals. She has a BS in education and has been an NCS member since 1982.

Outreach Director: Deborah Szabo, Newburyport, MA

A native New Yorker, Deborah Szabo attended the High School of Music & Art, where she dreamed of becoming the next Joan Baez. Instead, she opted for her second choice, and after attending Boston University for a B. A. in English, she went on to Teachers College, Columbia University for her M.A. to become a high school teacher. Deborah has taught English and Creative Writing to young folks for half a century, including a start in Lakewood, New Jersey, followed by seven years in Boston Public Schools and landing at Newburyport High School for the past 40 years. Deborah has sung with the Newburyport Choral Society since 1983, during which time she also sang with the Bath Bach Choir during a year’s sabbatical in Bath, England, and a couple of other short-lived smaller choirs. She remains her own most enthusiastic audience for her piano and guitar playing. She has lived in Newburyport for the past 41 years with her husband Tom, a physicist whom she met in a Creative Writing class at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. Their children, Sam and Vivien, launched at last, enjoyed many Newburyport Choral Society concerts during their childhood.

Media/Publicity Director: Brian Greenberg, Newburyport, MA 

Brian Greenberg has a M.Ed. in Adult and Continuing Education from Boston University and a B.A. degree in Literature. For 26 years, Brian was an educational program manager with AARP in Washington, DC and worked in areas of development, training, promotion, media relations and administration of national educational and community service programs. He currently enjoys doing remote work as a classroom captioner for college students who are deaf or hearing-impaired. Brian has been singing bass with NCS since 2014, has been a board member since 2015 and has been the Media Director since 2017.

Advertisement Director: Al Cox, Newburyport, MA 

Al Cox brings extensive business, leadership, management, and community experience to the Board. Now retired, he previously worked as a technical sales/service representative for both small and privately owned companies and large international corporations, interacting with all levels of management. He has served in a leadership position with the Boy Scouts of America, been a member of the School Advisory Board of the Immaculate Conception School, and volunteered with the International Medical Equipment Collaborative (IMEC) formally based in Andover, MA. Al is a member of the Greater Newburyport / Bura Alliance, a Sister Cities organization which supports orphans, schools, and medical clinics in the village of Bura, Kenya. He is a volunteer of the Firehouse Center for the Arts, has been a member of NCS since 2010, and previously served on the NCS Board as Fundraising Director. 

Sponsorship Director: Dee Woodward, West Newbury MA

Dee is a graduate of Brown University and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is
recently retired after 37 years of ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church. She and
husband Jim recently moved to West Newbury after decades of joy sailing and cruising,
including a global circumnavigation on their former sailboat, Sweetwater. Having spent
most of her life connected to churches, Dee’s love of singing began in a church choir, and
she has sung in many church choirs and college choirs also. Once Dee was in charge of
congregations, singing in the choir was out! That’s why she is now so grateful for NCS,
and she has been a member since 2013. She feels beyond blessed for our wonderful
music directors, our hard-working Board of Directors, our passionate gifted community
of singers and for the sheer JOY of singing.

Development Director: Currently vacant, Advertising Director is helping and is seeking volunteers.

Fundraising Director: Elizabeth Beach Newburyport, MA 

Betsy Beach holds a BA from Cornell University and an MBA from Boston University.   She worked as a channel marketing manager for a number of high tech companies in the Boston area before retiring in 2016.  She has sung without interruption with a choral society since college.  While living in Chelmsford MA, she sang with the Westford Chorus for 28 years where she held numerous leadership roles including publicity, grant-writing, ad sales, ticket manager, fundraising, and most recently President of the Board.  She and her husband moved to Newburyport in June 2019, and she joined NCS in fall 2019.  Her passions include hiking in the White Mountains where she has a summer cottage, tennis, pickleball, and cycling.

Membership Director: Penny Lazarus, Newburyport, MA 

Penny has multiple degrees related to education and the arts including a B.S. in Psychology, a B.A. in Music, a master’s degree with Ph.D. coursework in the Philosophy of Art, and national certification in middle school history and as a teacher of music. She currently runs a studio with 45 piano students of all ages and is a lecturer at nationwide conferences and a published author in professional music journals. She has an online publishing company, Lazarus Publications, that is dedicated to arranging music by women and BIPOC composers so that students can study pieces not normally represented in traditional beginning piano books.  Penny has been with NCS since 2000 as the Alto 1 section leader, member of the music committee, an occasional soloist and former director of development on the board.  She also sings around the world with Berkshire Choral International. All her family is devoted to the arts: husband Josh is a playwright, her oldest son is a theatrical light and sound designer, her other son works in music production and even their dog Tess sits under the piano during music lessons. But most importantly, Penny, like NCS, is committed to social justice in the arts and an equitable choral experience for all.

Concert Manager:  Janet Nee, Beverly, MA

Janet is retired from New England Biolabs, Inc. where her responsibilities included Lab Assistant,
Shipping/Receiving Coordinator, Purchasing Director and Entertainment Coordinator. Since retiring she
has enjoyed volunteering at the Beverly Senior Center and Beverly Bootstraps and Food Pantry along
with biking, skiing at Sunday River, paddling, gardening and playing guitar. She sang in two other choirs
in Hamilton and Manchester-by-the-Sea before her daughter Jenna suggested joining NCS together in
2015. Jenna has since moved to Chicago while Janet continues to sing with the second sopranos and is
currently part of the NCS sound crew. She has another daughter Michelle and lives with her husband in
Beverly.

It Director: Carol Yunker, Groveland, MA 

Carol Yunker is retired from ACT where she managed and maintained all the data systems for videoconferencing (both hardware and software.), and brings extensive technology and database experience to the BOD. She currently coaches swimming and diving and manages all the data for local high school teams and is involved in the New England Masters Swim Club. She has served on the BOD previously in several roles including, Membership, Vice President, and President. She has been singing with the Choral Society since 1987  

Logistics Director: Ralph Johnson, Newbury, MA 

Ralph Johnson has a B.A. in Economics from Columbia University, worked in the banking industry for many years, and brings extensive business and financial planning experience to the Board. Is President and Treasurer of Pert Lowell Company, Inc., a marine equipment manufacturer founded by his father-in-law which has produced custom wooden boats and authentic nautical furnishings for more than 80 years. He serves on the Board of the Howard Benevolent Society of Newburyport as well as the Investment and Outreach Committees of his church. Ralph is a member of the NCS Finance and Music Committees, and has served on the NCS Board as Treasurer (12 years), President (2 terms), Vice President, and Historian for 13 years. Ralph has been a member of NCS since 1969.

Printing Director: Stephen Craft, Haverhill, MA  

Stephen has been in the software engineer industry for over 30 years, with experience in imaging,
automation, safety and security. He is a licensed seafaring Captain, available for sailing charter along
the coast of New England, and has been known to sing a sea shanty or two. If you are a yogi or yogini,
Stephen also teaches yoga on Wednesday nights on zoom. As a two year member of Newburyport
Choral society, Stephen hopes to contribute toward the cultural and collective success of this new family
he has joined.

Member-At-Large: Jack Plimpton, Boxford, MA

Jack has a B.A. from Harvard College and MBA from Stanford University.   He helps the NCS board with IT and marketing tasks.  Early in his career, he worked at Lotus Development.  For 32 years he ran Japan Entry, a consulting company that assisted over 250 leading IT companies to sell their products in Japan.  Jack joined NCS in 2017 as a tenor.   Early in life he sang in various school choruses, managed the Bach Society Orchestra in college, and restored dozens of antique reed organs.  Jack serves as the secretary for a 500-person homeowners’ association on a lake near Bangor, Maine.  In addition to singing, Jack enjoys making post-and-beam structures, landscaping, and crew.

Member-At-Large: Member at Large: Rob Authier, Newburyport, MA

Singing with the NCS First Tenor section since 2017, Rob’s music background extends from youth choir, to five years as rock and roll lead singer, to writing/recording more than 30 acoustic ballads (frequently playing at the Grog), to decades singing classical, jazz, barbershop and gospel music.  He plays guitar, harmonica, jaw’s harp, some flute and drums.  For more than 40 years, he was CEO of REALTOR state associations in Virginia, Massachusetts and New Hampshire and received his national association’s highest staff award of excellence.  Recently, he has served in consulting roles as strategic planning facilitator, leadership speaker and most recently Airbnb’s national Industry Relations Advisor.  He holds a BS degree in Public Affairs from Boston University, served as Boy Scout Council Vice President, Virginia Council of Economic Education Chairman, youth soccer and basketball coach and is an Eagle Scout.  He and his wife Deborah live in Newburyport.

If you need to contact any of our Board Members, please click on their job title.