Peter Beitchman, President

Peter Beitchman, whose human service career spanned more than 45 years, retired as the CEO of The Bridge, a New York City non-profit that provides clinical, rehabilitation and housing services to people with serious mental illness, the homeless and people with substance use disorders. Prior to his 31 years at The Bridge, Peter held significant policy and program positions in the NYS Assembly, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Association of New York Community Health Centers.  He also served as Executive Director of The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies.  He holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work and a Doctorate in Social Welfare from the City University of New York.

Debbi Honorof, Vice President

Debbi Honorof retired from Hofstra University, where she was the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications for Hofstra Continuing Education. Prior to that, Ms. Honorof spent many years in the not-for-profit field, including serving as CEO of the Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation and as Executive and Artistic Director for Landmark at Main Street. Ms. Honorof was also the corporate video production manager for Deloitte and a contributing writer at Long Island Woman magazine. Ms. Honorof served as Board president of the Huntington Arts Council and Board VP at the Port Washington Community Chest. She holds a Masters Degree in Communications from NYU.

Stephen Weinstein, Secretary

Stephen Weinstein and his wife Judith have lived in Lincoln Towers since 2010, and he has been on Project Open’s Board since 2015. He created and administers Project Open’s website, and took many of its photos.  He holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and had a long career as a communications engineer.   He has participated as an instructor in Project Open’s “Lincoln Towers University” (LTU) and continues to compose many editions of Project Open’s Calendar of Local Events.

Celia Gagnon, Treasurer

Celia Gagnon, niece of Project Open co-founder Janice Hohenstein, began visiting family and friends at Lincoln Towers in the early 1960s, becoming a full-time LT resident in 2016. Her professional career began with a Fortune 500 company in the IT sector, which she later used to create and support innovative all-volunteer mentoring programs in the local public schools of northern California while raising her two daughters. Most recently, she obtained her graduate degree in the field of psychotherapy and art therapy and is enjoying spending time between her private practice and supporting her Lincoln Towers community through Project Open.

Lynne Hodgson, Chair, Project Open Advisory Committee

After 40 years of living and working in Connecticut, Lynne Hodgson and her husband retired to Lincoln Towers in 2017. Fittingly, it was a news article about Project Open, and its mission to help older residents to maintain their independence, that first brought them to the complex.  As a Professor of Sociology at Quinnipiac University for 35 years, Lynne spent many of those years developing a gerontology program, helping to prepare generations of students for careers in the field of aging.  Along the way, she learned much more than she taught, mostly from the community leaders she met while serving on the boards of a variety of aging services organizations. As an academic with a doctorate from Cornell, Lynne’s research interests mirrored her community outreach, focusing on the families of people with Alzheimer’s, family caregiving for older adults, and grandparenting. In the ultimate act of “practicing what you preach” (or, in her case, “teach”), retiring to NYC and specifically to Lincoln Towers, offered the opportunity to age-in-place in a city that offers enrichment around every corner and a community that supports that goal.

Susan Laubach

Susan Laubach is an actor, playwright, and author. She has appeared off-off Broadway, in films, and on TV. She has written nine full-length plays for young people that were produced in Baltimore and Cleveland, and ten solo pieces performed off-off Broadway. Susan is the author of seven books and numerous magazine articles. From 2015-2019, Susan toured “On the Home Front: Memories and Music of WWII,” which she also wrote. Her latest book “Rumpelstiltskin’s Rules for Making Your Farthings Grow”,” which draws on her many years’ experience as a stockbroker. Susan holds an M.Ed. and Ph.D  (University of Virginia) and is a member of Actors Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA, the Dramatists Guild and DGPG (Dramatists Guild Playwrights Group). In addition, she is treasurer of the Board of the Dramatists Guild Foundation.