Governor Cuomo has announced the appointment of Julie Noble, Neil Bettez and Jeff Rindler as new members of the SUNY New Paltz College Council. Noble was appointed in March 2021, and Bettez and Rindler in May 2021.
Neil Bettez is the current supervisor of the Town of New Paltz, where he is responsible for fiscal and managerial oversight of day-to-day operations, ranging from community outreach to coordination with local and statewide agencies. Bettez is also a visiting scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and holds a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from Cornell University. He is author or coauthor of more than 40 peer-reviewed papers and sits on the board of the non-profit Wallkill River Watershed Alliance.
Julie Noble currently serves as environmental education and sustainability coordinator for the City of Kingston, New York, in which role she helps shape and direct municipal initiatives related to energy, land use, transportation, education and citizen outreach, among other duties. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Binghamton University and is married to Steve Noble, current mayor of Kingston.
Jeff Rindler has held leadership positions in both business management and the not-for-profit sector. He served from 2016-2020 as executive director of the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center in Kingston, a period of significant growth during which the Center expanded programs for LGBTQ youths, doubled offerings for the transgender and gender nonconforming community, and created new programs for older LGBTQ adults.
“Each of our new College Council members brings valuable experience, insight and perspective that will serve SUNY New Paltz well as we emerge from the pandemic and face new challenges and opportunities ahead,” said President Donald P. Christian. “I know our leadership team and the campus community as a whole will benefit from Julie, Jeff and Neil’s wisdom and contributions to major decisions in the months and years to come.”
There are now eight voting members on the SUNY New Paltz College Council: seven Governor-appointed members and the elected student representative. An additional alumni representative and faculty representative attend Council meetings as non-voting members. There are two current vacancies for Governor-appointed Council members.
The current membership of the SUNY New Paltz College Council is as follows:
Eli Basch, Interim Chairperson (Kingston)
Judy Bishop ’82 (Communication Studies), Alumni Representative (Highland)
Neil Bettez (New Paltz)
Vincent Cozzolino ’83 (Physics), ’89 (Electrical Engineering) (New Paltz)
Jordan Hennix ’23 (Undecided) (Manhattan)
Ronald Law ’74 (Political Science) (Bronx)
Julie Noble (Kingston)
Jeff Rindler (Hollowville, Columbia County)
Reynolds Scott-Childress, Faculty Representative (Department of History) (Kingston)
Eleanor Venables (New Paltz)
Each state-operated campus in New York State has a College Council, which exercises powers and duties including recommending candidates for college or university president; making regulations regarding campus facilities; naming buildings and grounds; supervision of student housing and safety; and many other responsibilities.
Use this link to learn more about the SUNY New Paltz College Council.
