Meet the Board of Directors
Lisa H. Hall, President
Lisa H. Hall was elected The Sembrich’s president in 2022. She joined the board in 2001, in part to maintain the museum’s collections of costumes and textiles. It was a task for which she was well suited. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Apparel, she opened a studio in New York City and was named one of the best new American couturiers by Vogue magazine in 1990.
Although her clothing and home furnishings have been featured in Martha Stewart Living, the New York Times Magazine and Town and Country, the publication that absorbs most of her time these days is the Lake George Mirror, where, as publisher, she oversees the newspaper’s design, advertising and digital media. A resident of Bolton Landing, Hall is also vice-president of the Bolton Historical Museum.
Anita Behr-Richards, Vice President
Anita Behr Richards served as Administrative Director of The Sembrich from 1990 to 2011 and then as a part-time staff member until her retirement in 2019. She was central to the writing of the bi-annual newsletter, initiated the current Summer Festival format, developed the annual Young Performers Program, and created a comprehensive inventory of the Museum collection. Anita’s long history with The Sembrich began in 1944 when her father was hired as caretaker of the museum property and Pine Hill, the summer home of Juliette de Coppet Stengel, one of the founders of The Sembrich.
A graduate of Bolton Central School and Syracuse University with a major in English Education, she received her Master’s degree in German from Middlebury College. As a recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship, she studied in Germany at the University of Tübingen and at the Free University of Berlin. Anita incorporated her extensive travels in Germany and Europe as a teacher of German at Cobleskill, Guilderland, and North Colonie high schools. After retiring from teaching, Anita and her husband Charles, a guidance counselor, moved into the caretaker house of the former Sembrich estate where Anita had grown up and hosted Hilltop Cottage Bed & Breakfast guests.
E. Elizabeth Spinelli, Treasurer
Betty Spinelli has served on the Board of Directors of The Sembrich since 2008. She holds two Master’s Degrees (Mathematics and Computer Science) and has enjoyed two prior careers, one in academia and one in the corporate world. After teaching high school mathematics in the Albany area and computer science at the University of Albany, Betty joined the Xerox Corporation in Rochester, NY. At Xerox, Betty managed Information Technology for 23 years, and retired as Director of International Data in 2004. She has served on the boards of the Warren County Historical Society and The FUND for Lake George where she led the FUND’s effort to produce the EPA-awarded Do It Yourself Water Quality publication. In addition to her service on The Sembrich board, Betty also researches, develops, and delivers presentations on local historical personalities.
Philip Kates
Violinist and composer Philip Kates has served on The Sembrich’s Board of Directors for over a decade. Kates is a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra, having joined in 1980. He was a guest concertmaster with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops and the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia, with which he has made nearly annual solo appearances since 1981. Kates is also a violinist with Liebesfreud and is a composer and performer of chamber music. He leads an active life in community service, raising funds for numerous humanitarian charities and other organizations. Since 1990, he has performed as solo violinist at Philadelphia’s annual Holocaust Memorial Observance Ceremony. For over three decades, he has performed in Philadelphia-area nursing homes, hospices, and soup kitchens during the holiday season. As an educator Mr. Kates has been a guest lecturer for Temple University and Philadelphia Elderhostel and has presented programs in schools throughout the United States and during The Philadelphia Orchestra’s international tours.
Cheryl J. Lamb, Secretary
A former board member and Vice President of the Lake George Association and an active volunteer in both Florida and New York, Cheryl Lamb is best known to many as the longtime co-owner and operator of Bolton Landing’s Norowal Marina, which she and her husband Buzz ran for more than thirty years.
Cheryl’s interest in The Sembrich began with a love of music (and a love for Lake George, which she first began visiting in 1955.) She is an accomplished pianist, the daughter of a drummer of a dance band, and an organizer of benefits for Florida’s Gold Coast Jazz Society. For many years, Cheryl has been a volunteer at The Sembrich, much admired and appreciated for her elegant receptions!
Born and raised in the Mid-Hudson Valley, Cheryl graduated from Newburgh Free Academy and earned an A.S. degree in Dental Hygiene from SUNY at Farmingdale on Long Island. Upon graduation, she worked as a dental hygienist in Glens Falls and Queensbury.