Kathy met Marty, her husband of 50 years, when they both worked on the Northeastern News, and married him soon after graduation, with several fellow Newsers in the wedding party.
She attended Teachers’ College, Columbia University, where she earned a master’s degree in Special Education, the start of a more than 40-year career in that field, 35 of which she spent with the Esperanza Center in New York City.
In her words: “It was an exciting time to be in this field. Great strides were being made in the understanding of the process of learning and behavior, and advances in technology were giving individuals with developmental disabilities opportunities for a more independent life.”
As associate director, Kathy watched Esperanza grow from a day respite program for 25 adults to an organization offering a myriad of services for several hundred people, from job training to independent living and even providing vacation opportunities to expand their worldview.
She also chaired a citywide committee comprised of parents and representatives from other adult agencies from the city’s department of education whose goal was to ensure that all New York City special ed students had work or job training upon graduation to provide “meaningful options for the future.”
Parents of two children, she and Marty have retired to Rhinebeck, N.Y., and enjoy being grandparents of two.
While she spent her career in education, Kathy says, “The Northeastern News was in some ways the most significant part of the education I received at Northeastern. … the skills I acquired at the News and the respect for the written word I observed have served me well in all aspects of my life. More importantly, it was at the News where I met my husband of 50 years and made friendships which continue to this day.”
Kathy Kepner Beiser graduated from Northeastern University in 1971 with a degree in Liberal Arts.