Board & Staff

Liz SearleExecutive Director, started working at LVOY in 2018 as the director of development and community relations. She became executive director in 2022. Liz has spent her career working in non-profits in the Rochester/Finger Lakes/Central New York region. She has two cats, Curious and George, and she likes to garden, bake, and read.

Cheryl FlynnYates County Program Coordinator, has been with LVOY since early 2019 and she enjoys working with the learners, tutors, and volunteers. Cheryl is also the Volunteer Coordinator for Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Yates County Master Gardener Program and the coordinator for the Penn Yan Community Garden. In conjunction with her work with the community garden, Cheryl also serves on the program committee for Milly’s Pantry. Cheryl enjoys reading, cooking, growing vegetables, peanuts, and flowers. She also has two pet pygmy goats, Frankie and Snowy.

Barbara WillmottOntario County Program Coordinator, is a long-time teacher, originally from Boston, MA, who moved to western New York just a few years ago. Barbara taught for decades, all levels from Head Start to college, people with special needs in Massachusetts, New York and Florida. She also tutored Haitian learners in Florida and worked with Brazilian students on Martha's Vineyard.

Assistant Program Coordinator for Geneva, joined LVOY in August 2025. She taught French language and linguistics at the University of Maine before retiring in 2020 and returning to western New York, where she grew up. Prior to that, she studied and worked in Seattle and Washington, DC. In 2024 she began tutoring English and coaching toward citizenship with LVOY and was thrilled when there was an opportunity to work for the agency. She enjoys working with people who are eager to learn and helping them develop the knowledge and skill they are working to build. She also enjoys baking, gardening, beading, reading, and traveling.

As Program Assistant for Yates County, Marisol (Sol) combines her passion for service with her experience working with diverse communities. In her free time, she volunteers, offering free Bible classes and supporting students in any way she can. Originally from Quito-Ecuador, she has lived in the United States since 2016 and previously worked in finance and accounting for a nonprofit refugee NRC. Sol is known for her joy, her compassionate spirit, and her love for her family, which she shares with her husband and their husky, Mia.