Laura Drake - Volunteer Coordinator

Our new Volunteer Coordinator, Laura Drake, brings with her almost 30 years of experience working for the IT division at McKesson Corp as the contract administrator and sales operations manager. She also has 15 years experience working in a private primary care practice, working in the front office with responsibilities that included working with patients, companies and local hospitals. Laura is excited to take on her new role as Volunteer Coordinator with Amherst Neighbors and help us further the organization's mission and vision.

Diane Amsterdam

Diane has lived in Amherst since 1984, where she and her husband Michael raised their two daughters. Now retired from her Ob/Gyn practice, Diane loves continuing her connections with the community that was so much a part of her working life. Along with being a call manager, she is on the services committee and regularly volunteers with in- person services. Diane has many interests and enjoys sharing these with her friends, family, and members of AN.

Susan Juskalian

Susan has lived in Amherst since 1988 with her husband, Rich. She and her husband raised their two children in Amherst. Susan taught in elementary and middle schools for over 36 years teaching, special education and regular education, specifically hands on math instruction.  After retiring from public education, she worked with the state providing courses and workshops on co-teaching. Susan loves surrounding herself with the natural world. Her home has many flower gardens that she has toiled endless hours to create. Previous to Amherst Neighbors, Susan volunteered for 10 years with the Amherst Survival Center. It is wonderful to see how many people are benefiting from the services Amherst Neighbors provides and call managing gives her a front seat view.

Sue Lowery

Sue has been a member and volunteer with Amherst Neighbors since 2020. She's a retired family doctor who enjoys cooking, reading, film, and travel. Sue serves on the Programs Committee and is a weekly Volunteer Call Manager. She has a puppy named Nugget who gives her very specific instructions on how to manager her life.

Maureen Millea

Maureen and her husband made Amherst their home in 1981. She loved living, working as a general internist, and raising 3 three children in the valley. Shortly after retirement in 2018, she joined the Amherst Neighbors’ Services Committee and then became a volunteer call manager. She enjoys meeting and connecting members with volunteers as Amherst Neighbors continues to grow. She loves to spend time outdoors running, hiking, gardening and more recently birding. She started baking sourdough bread long before the pandemic and is still at it. 

Austin Sarat

Austin Sarat has lived in Amherst for 48 years and teaches at Amherst College. He is active in civic and volunteer organizations, including serving on the Jones Library Board of Trustees and the Patient Family Advisory Committee at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Larry Steinhauser

Larry has lived in Amherst since 1990. He and his wife Ann (a local theatre costumer and lover of the arts) have three grown kids and three grandkids. Larry is a licensed Psychologist who worked in Human Services for 42 years. He retired in 2019 after 22 years of senior management of assisted living communities throughout New England. In retirement Larry enjoys Yoga, Tai Chi, biking, Pickleball and walking in the woods. He looks forward to helping AN grow in it’s service delivery to members.

Anne Stoddard

Anne followed her husband Sandy Roth into volunteering with Amherst Neighbors. Anne and Sandy have a blended family of four adult children and seven grandchildren. Anne moved to the Valley in 1977 to teach biostatistics at UMass Amherst. After retiring early from UMass she worked for 11 years at a small research firm in Watertown. When she retired for the second time she returned to Pelham full time where she enjoys reading, walking and yoga, among other pastimes.