A Short History of UCWN

by Melody Newcombe, immediate past president of UCWN

Ulster County Womens Network (UCWN) began as the Shandaken Womens Network, (SWN) in 1994 with Faye Storms, Doris Bartlett, and Susan Wadler at the helm. These and other women from Western Ulster County were tired of driving over Route 28 to Margaretsville to attend The Catskill Womens Network monthly meetings. The founding women decided to start their own womens network in the Shandaken area. Faye Storms remembers: “We went from a core group of about four or five women to almost 175 members in a year’s time. It was wild, and back then, sorely needed as internet networking really was in its infancy.”

For many years, UCWN membership was primarily women from Highmount, Big Indian, Shandaken, Boiceville, and Willow. The most recent past presidents of the Shandaken Womens Network included Kimberly Wendt (now Jade Moon), Nola Gutman, Alma Rodriquez, and Melody Newcombe. Monthly meetings were held in restaurants and private homes; generally 15 to 20 women attended. I, Melody served as program and marketing director for six years and then as president for seven years. We promoted the organization beyond the Shandaken area to the greater Ulster County and western Dutchess County. Women began to attend from Red Hook, New Paltz, Saugerties, Kingston, and Woodstock.

Attendee numbers increased dramatically, to as many as 63 for a publishing panel of authors at La Duchesse Anne, and 72, at our Alternative Health Fair at River Rock Spa. Several members made a motion to change the name of Ulster County Womens Network to reflect its county-wide scope. Women from the Shandaken area were opposed to the name change and wanted its group to stay intact, but no one from the Shandaken area was willing to take on the administrative role of president or serve as board members.

We became UCWN. While in office, we instituted the Dynamic Duo system. Simply, 12 sets of two women sign up to each organize one meeting. Dynamic Duos decide on a meeting place, meal plans, and program topic, and speaker. This has been an excellent way for women to easily team up and forge new bonds and friendships. In 2018, I stepped down after more than 20 years of service, leaving the administration to the current Advisory Committee and the monthly dynamic duos. UCWN currently has 50 dues-paying members, nearly 500 on the email distribution list, and almost 1000 on its Facebook page.

Our Mission

Ulster County Womens Network is an open forum for the exchange of information and ideas to enhance the quality of women’s lives and vocations in the Catskills and Hudson Valley Region.