Board of Trustees

Jack Calhoun of Harrisville has lived in the Keene area since he was six weeks old, with the exception his college years and an 18-month stint in Washington, DC. He holds a B.A. in political science, and a M.B.A. from the University of New Hampshire and is a graduate of Leadership New Hampshire. Jack has served as a longtime member and chair of both Harrisville’s school board and planning board. He also serves as a trustee for the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music and has served for nine years as trustee and president of the board for the Monadnock Conservancy. Jack is interim executive director of Antioch New England Institute and assistant to the president of Antioch University New England, based in Keene, where he focuses on training, supporting, and developing citizen leadership in rural communities. Jack was also the New Hampshire Lakes Association’s first full-time executive director from 1992 to 1998.

Peri A. Chickering of Hancock is an associate of Dialogos LLC, based in Cambridge, Mass., a firm that promotes the practice and development of strategic change. She holds a Masters in human development and a Ph.D. in human and organizational systems from the Fielding Institute. Peri has also been an associate, coach, consultant, and former associate professor in the Master of Nonprofit Management Program at Regis University. For nearly 20 years, she was a professional mountaineer and wilderness guide, with the outdoors as her classroom, she traveled all over the world creating and leading wilderness-based leadership experiences for individuals and groups. Peri has worked in many countries – including Eastern Block nations and South Africa – creating multicultural leadership development programs for youth. As an outgrowth of these pursuits, Peri raised the funds, trained and developed local staff, and started new leadership schools in several countries including Brazil, Bulgaria, and South Africa.

Rosemary Conroy of Weare is a wildlife painter, freelance-writer and naturalist living on a small farm and wild bird sanctuary. While gaining acclaim as a professional artist, Rosemary is also well known for her work as co-host and writer for New Hampshire Public Radio’s weekly “Something Wild” nature spots. Rosemary was named the New Hampshire Environmental Educator of the Year in the non-traditional category in 2005, and received Antioch New England University’s very first Environmental Excellence Alumni Award in 2004. For her artistic talents, Rosemary has been recognized with awards from the N.H. State Council on the Arts and Artist’s Magazine. In 2008, acclaimed wildlife artist, John Seerey-Lester juried Rosemary into her first national wildlife art show, “Art of the Animal Kingdom.” Rosemary has also been featured on WMUR-TV’s New Hampshire Chronicle show and was named a “Renaissance Woman of the Year” by New Hampshire magazine. Rosemary’s art can be seen at her website, www.studiobuteo.com.

Hunt Dowse, Hancock, Board Chair. For a number of years Hunt was director of the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School's outdoor education program in Harrisville on the old Camp Marienfeld property on Silver Lake. With an introduction like that to the Monadnock Region, it was an easy move to Hancock in 1982 and to a strong interest in the Harris Center shortly thereafter. “The three-sided mission of the Harris Center – conservation education, land protection and programs for the public – is unique for a conservation organization,” Hunt says. “This strong mission has kept me involved at many levels over the ensuing years as a member of the board of trustees, as an occasional hiker on trips, as a proud parent watching our son grow through the Wol's Nest summer experience. It’s exciting to be part of transition to our new director, Laurie Bryan, while still benefiting from Meade Cadot's expertise in land protection and the natural world.”

Paul Faber of Hancock is actively engaged in his community of Hancock and the greater Peterborough area. Paul and his wife Sandra have two young children who have enjoyed many Harris Center activities exploring the wonders of nature. Paul holds a BS in Business Administration and Economics from Fitchburg State College, has earned additional academics at Babson College and Harvard University Extension School and is a graduate of Leadership Monadnock. Paul is vice-president of commercial and municipal banking for Lake Sunapee Bank in Peterborough. He serves on the Hancock Conservation Commission, is past president of the Peterborough Rotary Club, is past treasurer of the Cheshire Housing Trust, and has served for a number of other civic organizations.

Charles S. Faulkner II of Hanover is retired from a career teaching pathology at Dartmouth Medical School, and continues doing hospital pathology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, along with a little research. Following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps, Charles has – since his teenage years – been interested in thoughtful, sustainable forestry. Currently managing partner of Andorra Forest, LP, Charles is actively involved in forestry affairs. He has served on the board of the Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests and remains active with the organization. “Farming is another interest of mine,” Charles says, “currently represented by a herd of highland beef cattle at Pitcher Mountain Farm in Stoddard. My wife, Charlotte, and I have long been involved in Hanover town affairs, my main commitment being many years on the planning board.”

Stephen Froling of Hancock is a retired New York attorney who has specialized in litigation, commercial and computer law and, more recently, New Hampshire land law. Stephen graduated from Amherst College in 1966 and Yale Law School in 1969. He had a private law practice from 1970 to 1999. Stephen and his wife moved from England to New Hampshire in 2002 in order to be active grandparents! He is the chairman of the Hancock Planning Board and a member of the Hancock Conservation Commission.

Nathanael (Sandy) Greene, Peterborough

Emily Hartshorne of Nelson has lived, run, and hiked in Nelson and throughout the Monadnock Region for the past 20 years. She holds a BA in philosophy from Mount Holyoke College and a ME from Antioch New England She is currently the teaching principal at Wells Memorial School in Harrisville and has worked closely with the Harris Center in designing her school’s naturalist in residence program. That work continues as the teaching staff continues to provide extensive opportunities for placed-based science education. Emily is also a musician and plays her violin in several community groups, including the Raylynmor Opera, Keene Chorale, and the Mill Pond String Trio.

Ben Haubrich of Francestown is an active volunteer for the Harris Center, Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests, the Piscataquog Watershed Association, and the Francestown Conservation Commission. He is also a board member and volunteer land manager for the Francestown Land Trust, tending its 580-acre Rand Brook Forest, handling stewardship and administration needs for the trust. From 1972 to 1993, Ben worked for the N.H. Division of Parks and Recreation at Monadnock State Park in Jaffrey, starting as seasonal manager of the 1,000-acre park and later as manager of Monadnock, Rhododendron, Annett and Gap Mountain State Parks, 5,000 acres in all. From 1993 to 2001, Ben was supervisor of the Division’s western region state parks, overseeing more than 100 employees and a wide array of operations. From 2001 until he retired in 2004, Ben was director of recreation services, which included administering the federal Land and Water Conservation fund, for the N.H. Department of Resources and Economic Development.

Marcia Kayser of Stoddard has a master's degree in education and human services and has provided workshops for many years in the areas of children and grief and suicide. She worked as a pediatric dental hygienist for many years and has been the dental coordinator at Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center in Greenfield for 24 years. She has four grown children and moved to the area four years ago after 33 years in Amherst, N.H. “I like to read, travel, and try new things,” Marcia says. “I especially enjoy exploring outside with grandchildren. So working with the Harris Center is a great fit.” As a lifelong volunteer and learner, Marcia is currently on Stoddard’s school and library boards and is a member of the N.H. Disaster Behavioral Health Team. Employed part-time, Marcia spends much of her time outdoors, hiking, kayaking, gardening and snowshoeing.

Ted Leach of Hancock was born in New York, raised in Illinois, and attended the University of Tulsa, its College of Law and Harvard University. He served as administrative assistant to Oklahoma Governor Dewey F. Bartlett. He was executive editor of Pipeline and Gas Journal in Dallas. Ted founded Leach Newspapers, Inc. in 1979 when he acquired The Monadnock Ledger, Peterborough, NH. The company then purchased newspapers in South Carolina and Nantucket, Mass. He also created America's first and only opera company performed entirely by string-operated marionettes. The New England Marionette Opera (www.marionettes.org) was one of New England's most talked about cultural attractions until it was destroyed by fire on Jan. 1, 1999. Ted was elected to the N.H. House of Representatives in 2000 and founded the Legislature's Environmental Caucus. In 2003, he became co-chair of the Carbon Coalition, a non-partisan, non-profit group of New Hampshire citizens who advocate for a responsible energy policy. Ted lives with his wife Beverly on Powdermill Pond in Hancock. He has two grown children, both Wol's Nest alums, who live in California.

David Lesser, Keene

Mary Lesser of Peterborough was raised in the Allegheny Region of Pennsylvania and the Finger Lakes Region of New York. She earned a B.A. in marketing from LeMoyne College in Syracuse. Her love of outdoor adventures attracted her to a job at Eastern Mountain Sports, which brought her to the Monadnock Region in 1986. Mary's career at EMS has been varied and tenured, first in the retail store, next as the director of training and development, and for the last several years, as the director of E-commerce operations. She's traveled extensively; backpacking in New Zealand, diving in Fiji, sea kayaking the Virgin Islands, adventure travel in East Africa, and more. She says she's always glad to come home to this region – much of which has been protected and preserved by the Harris Center. Mary has served on the Hancock Recreation Committee and has recently built a sustainable, energy-efficient home on Cunningham Pond in Peterborough.

Alison Rossiter of Hancock earned a BS in nursing and an MBA from Rivier College. She has taught in the graduate program in health services administration at Framingham State College. Allison and her husband Dennis have lived in Hancock since 1980. “As a neighbor, we have enthusiastically supported many of the Harris Center’s efforts over the years,” Alison said. “Serving as a trustee of the Harris Center allows me to extend my involvement in a more formal and meaningful way.” With more than 25 years of experience in providing and managing nursing and healthcare services, Alison is vice-president of clinical services for Life Coping Inc. of Nashua.