Mission    |    Club Officers    |    Directors    |    Volunteer Roles    |    Contact Us

MHAA Active Members: 117
Astronomical League Members: 9

Our Mission

The Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association (MHAA) is a group of amateur astronomy enthusiasts based in the Mid-Hudson region of New York state. Our purpose is to share our knowledge and the excitement of astronomy with members, students, and the general public. We utilize various methods including organizing:

  • Outdoor observing sessions
  • Indoor meetings
  • Member presentations
  • Guest speakers
  • Collaborations with other groups and organizations
  • A monthly newsletter
  • Guides about public dark site locations

If we can be of assistance at one of your events, or if you have general questions, you can contact us through any of our social media accounts or using our web form.

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Meet the Team

MHAA Elected Officers

Each year we elect officials to take on key responsibilities that keep our club running, our content fresh, and our outreach active.

Steve Dittmar
Steve Dittmar
President
Moderator of club meetings, de facto volunteer for events, "Jack" of all trades.
Michael Goldstein
Michael Goldstein
Vice President
2nd hand man for club event coordination and moderation.
Eric Myers
Eric Myers
Treasurer
Club accountant and manager of membership dues, payer of club insurance and technology fees, etc.
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Jim Rockrohr
Secretary
Documentation of all things official business.
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Bart Hennin
Guest Speaker Coordinator
In charge of finding and coordinating guest speaker appointments for our monthly presentations.
Rick Versace
Rick Versace
Newsletter Editor
Editor of our newsletter, sent out monthly to our members reporting on results of our club meetings, events, etc.
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Tim Denman
Publicity
In charge of promoting club events in public media.
Michael Goldstein
Michael Goldstein
Outreach
Point of contact to coordinate our attendance or resources with other organizations who've engaged us to assist with astronomy related programs for their own members.

Directors

The elected directors are assist with organizationally responsible decision making and approvals when it comes to things like large purchases, policies, the annual budget, partnerships, etc.

Alex Passas
Alex Passas
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Karl Loatman
Jack Chastain
Jack Chastain
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Willie Yee

Board

Our board consists of our President (Chair), Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Directors (see above). They hold the responsibility of the duties of care, loyalty, and obedience to ensure the club is making responsible decisions that act in the best interest of the organization and its mission, bylaws, and state and federal laws.

Volunteer roles

A few roles are filled in by volunteers to share the workload of indirect activities that are beneficial to the club, but perhaps not critical and not required by our club bylaws to be ordained by member vote.

Steve Dittmar
Steve Dittmar
Webmaster
Curator of this website, administrator and moderator of the MHAA social network sites.
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Willie Yee
NASA Solar System Ambassador
A NASA JPL volunteer role to communicate the science and excitement of NASA's space exploration missions and discoveries with the people in their communities.