Board of Trustees

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Annabelle was introduced to Nantucket by her husband, Gregory Fowlkes and they purchased their home in 2007. After a post-graduate year at School Year Abroad in Rennes, France, Annabelle studied International Relations and Economics at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore (BA, 1994).  Annabelle then attended the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania (MBA, 1999).  Annabelle lives with her family in New York City, but they return to Nantucket as often as possible.  She is involved in the management of her family’s business in Midland, Texas and returns home often.  She is a Trustee of School Year Abroad and a Member of the Dean’s Advisory Board of the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

Susan Blount is a member of corporate and not-for-profit boards and a longtime advocate and thought leader in corporate social responsibility and governance (CSR) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). She spent a long career as an executive and lawyer, culminating with the role of Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Prudential Financial, a leading provider of insurance, retirement and asset management products and services.  Since leaving Prudential, she has devoted herself to a portfolio of not-for-profit activities and service on public company boards of directors.  In addition to her service on the NHA board, Susan serves as President of the Executive Committee for the Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas and Vice-Chair of the University of Texas Law School Foundation.  In 2017, she was an Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow at Harvard University, and in 2019, she served as Interim Executive Director of The Center for Women in Law.  In the past, Susan has served on the boards of Montclair State University (the second-largest university in New Jersey), the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity (LCLD), and the New Jersey Law and Education Empowerment Project (NJLeep). She is an independent outside director for the Boards of Directors of Cavco Industries and C.S. Disco. Susan and her husband, Rick, have been coming to Nantucket for about 20 years.  As a committed student of history (and undergraduate major in the subject), she found herself drawn to the island by its magnificent pre-Civil War homes, cobbled streets and the way it wears its past so proudly.  She feels privileged to walk down Main Street every day during the summer and says she sees something new every time she does so.

Carla McDonald is the Founder and Managing Director of Dynabrand Ventures, which invests capital and marketing expertise in early-stage consumer goods companies. Before founding Dynabrand Ventures, McDonald spent more than 25 years in marketing in a variety of capacities: she ran her own firm for 15 years, advising companies ranging from startups to multi-billion-dollar Fortune 500 corporations, as well as venture capital and private equity firms; served as Chief Marketing Officer of a venture-backed martech company that she helped to rebrand, reposition, and sell; and ran the marketing practices at Hill & Knowlton Strategies and GCI, two of the world’s largest public relations and public affairs firms. In addition, McDonald serves as a mentor at SKU, one of the nation’s leading CPG accelerators; Capital Factory, an Austin-based accelerator; and Beam, a non-profit organization that supports women founders. McDonald, who lives in Austin, New York City, and Nantucket, also serves on a variety of boards and advisory boards.

John L. Flannery is a seasonal Nantucket resident. He is an American business executive who succeeded Jeffrey Immelt as the eleventh CEO and tenth Chairman of General Electric, He served as CEO from August 2017 until October 1, 2018. Prior to ascending to the CEO role, Flannery held leadership roles inside GE for nearly 30 years, heading GE Healthcare, GE India and other business units throughout his career. He received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Fairfield University and an M.B.A. at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. John is a member of the NHA Finance Committee. His hobbies include reading, golf, and music.

Sarah is a practicing attorney on Nantucket, full-time, year-round since 1983. She lives in Sconset with her husband, Bruce Malenfant, the Steamship Authority’s only Nantucket-based captain, and their Frenchie, Edith.  They have a grown daughter and son.  Sarah received a B.A. from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from Boston University’s School of Law.  She has had leadership positions on many committees and boards, including Parents Cooperative of Nantucket (Nantucket New School), A Safe Place, Nantucket Comedy Festival, Nantucket Family & Children’s Services, Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce and Maria Mitchell Association.  She has been elected Nantucket Town Moderator since 1997.  She is interested in making Nantucket’s history accessible to the next generation by expanding educational opportunities and programs, particularly for island youth, and ensuring that the NHA remains a vibrant, world-class organization.

Nancy Abbey received her BA in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her MBA from the University of California at Berkeley.  She worked for Arthur Andersen in the audit and tax departments after graduate school and prior to devoting her time to raising 3 children.  She has served on the boards of the Edgewood Center for Children and Families, the Katherine Delmar Burke School and the Grabhorn Institute, all in San Francisco where she and her husband live when they are not in Nantucket.  She is a current member of the Advisory Board of Nest, a non-profit supporting the responsible growth and creative engagement of the artisan and maker economy to build a world of greater gender equity and economic inclusion.  Nancy first visited Nantucket in 1996 and has called it home 3-5 months a year since then.  On Nantucket, Nancy likes to garden, knit, needlepoint, cook and explore Land Bank and NCF properties. Nancy cares deeply about the well-being of others. She is a keen listener and is intensely curious by nature. Nancy loves math, finds beauty in all things and embraces the Japanese philosophy of wabi sabi.

Pat Anathan’s family started to come to the island in 1936. She has been coming to Nantucket since 1948. She has a deep and abiding sense of love for the island. She has worked here, played here, married here, lived here part time for her entire life. Her whole family is here. Her parents and brothers are buried here. Her husband’s parents are buried here. The mission of the NHA is a logical extension of her life’s experience here. She loves the stories as much as the pieces in collection. They give the objects meaning and relevance to our visitors. She has volunteered for the NHA for 25 or so years and looks forward to many more. She has a degree in Art History from Finch College and has served on several non-profit boards, including the Connecticut Historical Society, where she was President of the Board for three years. She was also a Corporator of the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford, CT for many years, President of the Connecticut Opera Guild, and served on the Board of the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford.  Currently she serves as Vice-President of the Prospect Hill Cemetery Association.  In Florida, she volunteers for Adopt A Family. 

Lucinda Ballard was born and raised in Maryland, and has spent most of her adult life in New York City. She received her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and later earned an MS ed. in Museum Leadership from Bank Street Graduate School.  After a brief career in the theatre, Lucinda worked as a producer-director-writer of documentary and “special purpose” films at several companies, including Ogilvy and Mather Advertising where she was Vice President and Senior Producer. Lucinda has spent many years as an impassioned gallery instructor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she served as Chairman of the Volunteer Organization and continues to serve on its Executive Committee. She is a board member of East Side House Settlement, a social services agency in New York’s South Bronx and co-chair of The Winter Show, its main fundraiser.  Lucinda has been coming to Nantucket her entire life and is currently Vice Commodore of the Nantucket Yacht Club.  She is also a member of the NHA’s Collections & Exhibitions Committee.  Lucinda loves gardening, sailing, the theatre, and losing herself in museums.

Stacey Bewkes and her husband have become full time residence of Nantucket in August of 2020 after being summer residents for four decades.  As someone involved in the world of design, she has always been inspired by the island’s dedication to preserving its history of culture, architecture and craftsmanship and in particular the NHA. Since the inception of Nantucket by Design in 2015, she has helped the NHA in various capacities, from securing luminaries to speak, chairing the luncheon, moderating the opening keynote, creating original video segments on relevant topics for the NHA to share, helping to secure auction items, writing about the event for the local paper, and in general helping to spread the word through her website and social media. She is proud to co-chair the event with Olivia Charney in 2022. She received her B.A. in Art History from Brown University. She was the Art Director of Simon & Schuster from 1976 to 1993; founded Quintessence; wrote multiple books; and co-founded Annelli Collection. Stacey has four children and has served on the Parents Committee at Deerfield Academy and the Freshman Parents Committee at Duke University. 

Wylie lives in Greenwich, CT and, with family roots in Nantucket, has been fortunate enough to spend the summer months on Nantucket his entire life. His wife, Jenny, and three children, Kelsey, Ross and Megan share that same affinity for the Island and spend as much time as possible cherishing all that Nantucket has to offer. Wylie joined the NHA Board in 2014 and has enjoyed serving on the Strategic Planning, Development, and Finance Committees. He is currently a Vice Chairman in Morgan Stanley’s Global Capital Markets Division where he advises companies in the debt capital markets. He has served on the Dartmouth Alumni Fund Council and chaired the Middlebury Parents’ Fund.  He holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from New York University. Wylie’s interests include boating, golf, skiing, and most importantly, time on Nantucket with his family. 

Raised in New York City, at age 12, Amanda started spending the summer on Nantucket. After graduating from Harvard College, she moved to Nantucket full time. She was an early member of Nantucket Planning Commission, Nantucket Arts Council Board, and Opera House Cup Committee.  In 1990, she began spending the winters with her husband and daughter in Sanibel, Florida. Amanda’s business career was devoted to developing computer software.  Amanda co-founded SanCap Cares – raising $15 million for the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. She previously served on the boards of the Southwest Florida Women’s Foundation and the Lee Health Foundation.  Four years ago, Amanda moved back to Nantucket full-time. Amanda has a long time interest in the NHA and the rich history of Nantucket – particularly in women and minority rights. 

Cam Gammill grew up in New Canaan, CT and landed on Nantucket in 1998 to work as a mate on a charter fishing boat with his brother. His first job out of Colby College was at Vineyard Vines, where as the head of their sales team and retail division, he was among the handful of employees who grew the company from the tie market to the all-encompassing clothing and lifestyle brand it is today. In 2009, Cam changed lanes and started in Nantucket real estate. Cam’s biggest professional strength is his ability to communicate and connect with people on a personal level, never overlooking the power of picking up the phone or having face-to-face contact.  Cam’s passion for history can be attributed to his grandfather and his love of old wooden ships and scrimshaw. Cam was married in 2005 to Julie Milligan, Daughter of Frank Milligan, former director of the NHA.  Their reception to their wedding took place at the Whaling Museum only months after the doors opened.  A true entrepreneur at heart, Cam is currently the owner or co-owner of three Nantucket businesses. In addition to being a Principal Broker at Fisher Real Estate Nantucket, Cam is a partner at Bill Fisher Tackle, the oldest tackle shop on Nantucket, and Bill Fisher Outfitters, a charter fishing company operating out of Madaket.

Graham Goldsmith is a lifetime summer resident of Nantucket.  He is the chief executive officer and the co-chief investment officer of Cross Ocean Partners (“Cross Ocean”).  Cross Ocean is an alternative investment management firm based in London, England and Greenwich, Connecticut.  It manages $6.6bn of committed capital focused on special situations credit and hard asset investing.  Prior to Cross Ocean, Graham was a Managing Director and the global head of the Global Credit & Special Situations Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (“BAML”), where he worked for over 20 years.  At BAML, Graham served on the Fixed Income Management Committee and was globally responsible for all secondary trading in credit products.  Graham serves on the board of trustees for Middlebury College, the Board of Visitors for the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and on the board of trustees for the Nantucket Historical Association.

Ashley Gosnell Mody is from New York City, where she works at the Synergos Institute on the annual David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award. Prior to moving to NYC, she spent time in Connecticut as the Director of Development for a high-school student exchange program, ASSIST, and overseas in Beijing, China as the Director of Secondary Placement for Due West Education. She is a Class Agent for St. Andrew’s School in Delaware, the Recruitment Committee Chair for the Nantucket Conservation Foundation Young Associates, and a member of the New York Junior League. Ashley also is a member of the NHA’s Education & Interpretation Committee.  She holds a Master’s in Education from Stanford University and a B.A. from Vanderbilt University. 

Robert Greenspon first came to Nantucket over 50 years ago when, as a college student, he taught swimming at the Cliffside Beach Club.  He is a graduate of Columbia Law School and retired in New York as senior partner and head of the aircraft and equipment finance practice of Latham & Watkins LLP, an international law firm.  Previously, Bob was the chief legal officer of the leasing division of Guinness Peat Aviation (GPA Group plc), one of the world’s largest aircraft finance and leasing firms based in Ireland.  Bob lives in Darien, Connecticut and has also lived in Ireland and London.  On Nantucket, he chaired the Atheneum board of directors for a number of years, and was also a board member of the Lightship Basket Museum and the Westmoor Club.  Bob is a director, and on the executive committee, of the Humane Society of the United States.  Bob and his wife Claire have been married for 50 years and have two grown children, five rambunctious grandsons and Miles, their wonderful dog.  He is an avid reader and passionately bad golfer.  

Wendy Hudson is originally from Cleveland, Ohio.  She is a graduate of Hawken School and Smith College, where she studied ethical philosophy. She came to Nantucket for the summer in 1988 after attending the Williams College/Mystic Seaport Semester in American Maritime Studies.  She and her husband Randy co-founded Cisco Brewers in 1995, the same year they got married and the same year she started working at Bookworks, which she purchased in 2000. She later purchased Mitchell’s in 2012. Wendy co-founded the Book Festival and is a frequent decorator and past chair of the Festival of Trees.  With twenty years of small business and civic experience (she is a past president of the Chamber of Commerce and current member of the NP&EDC), Wendy loves collaborative efforts and looks forward to finding ways for the NHA to further its vision within the community and position itself for its next exciting chapter.

Carl was born, raised, and lives year-round on Nantucket. He loves Nantucket’s history, its diverse population and all that the island has to offer. Carl is the owner and president of Toscana Corporation, a multi-faceted company providing a comprehensive package of earth-work services and products.  Carl graduated from the Thompson School of Civil Technology at the University of New Hampshire.  He enjoys sailing, fishing, skiing, snowboarding and travel.  Carl’s two children, Scarlett and Sinclair, are the center of his world. 

Kathryn Ketelsen is Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board at Project GRAD Houston.  Project GRAD reaches deeply into the communities we serve in order to achieve our mission, partnering with trusted community organizations, high schools and charter schools, and community colleges and universities. The programs provide a continuum of services during students’ high school years, as they transition to college, and while they are pursuing a workforce certificate, associate’s degree, or bachelor’s degree.  Since 1994, GRAD has worked in economically disadvantaged communities to become Houston’s premier organization supporting students on the journey to and through college. GRAD has a deep knowledge of the challenges facing students and families as they strive to create a better life through education.

Valerie Paley is a seasonal Nantucket resident who has lived in Sconset for the past three decades. The senior vice president and Sue Ann Weinberg Director of the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library at the New-York Historical Society in New York City, she was the founding director of its Center for Women’s History, the first such center in the United States within the walls of a major museum. A graduate of Vassar College, Paley holds an MA in American Studies and a PhD in History from Columbia University, where she serves on the adjunct faculty at the Columbia Center for American Studies. Her work at New York Historical encompasses a range of curatorial, scholarly, and administrative responsibilities, including the development of a joint MA Program in Museum Studies with the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Professional Studies, launched in 2019. Valerie is the 2020 recipient of the American Historical Association’s Herbert Feis Award, recognizing distinguished contributions to the field of public history. She also is a member of the NHA Nantucket Women’s Initiative Committee. Her first experience working with archival materials was transcribing whaling logs at the NHA.

Marla Sanford and her husband, Terry, own Blue Flag Partners. Headquartered in Boston, Blue Flag is a collection of investment, real estate, construction, and design experts on a mission to deliver profound experiences through physical spaces. Marla is also a co-founder & Vice President of Territory Real Estate, a web-based start-up providing flat-fee representation exclusively to Massachusetts home buyers. Additionally, Marla owns Nantucket Sole, a shoe company founded in 2014. Nantucket Sole is a collection of women’s shoes designed to be an effortless addition to your closet that you can depend on all season long. Inspired by Nantucket, where a casually-chic lifestyle can quickly take you from day to night activities, Nantucket Sole strives to meet all outfit demands.

Denise and Andrew Saul are private collectors of Modern, Contemporary, and 18th Century American and Asian art. Denise has been a Trustee of The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation for the past 35 years serving as Vice President. She is also Chairman of the Art and Museum Committee, Chairman of the Nominating Committee and is a member of the Executive Committee and the Collectors Council.  Denise has a long association with the New York City Ballet as a Trustee, founder of The New Combinations Fund (which focuses on new choreography), and the Choreographic Institute, which promotes the development of choreographers and dancers. Denise serves as a Trustee of the Asia Society in New York, where she is also Chairman of the Development Committee and serves on the Board of Trustees Executive Committee.  At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Denise is a member of the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Committee, the European Painting Committee, The Visiting Committee of Asian Art, as well as The Visiting Committee of Nineteenth Century Modern and Contemporary Art. In Washington, DC, Denise served as Chairman of the Collectors Committee of the National Gallery of Art. In 2019, Denise became a member of the International Club #1 and the Sulgrave Club.  In 2020, she became a Trustee of The Kennedy Center.  Denise is a Member of the Board of Trustees, Mount Sinai Health System and is on the Mount Sinai Research Committee.  She is also a member of the Mount Sinai Lung Cancer Advisory Board.  Mrs. Saul has a BA in Elementary Education from Mills College of Education. Over a 22-year career, Denise was responsible for building and implementing curriculum in 3 different Manhattan schools–Madison Avenue Presbyterian Day School, the Dalton School, and the Dwight School.

Sara Schwartz is the President of Schwartz Hannum PC, a law firm she founded in 1995. Sara graduated from Concord Academy, and is a cum laude graduate of both Yale College and Harvard Law School. She began her legal career at Ropes & Gray in Boston, after completing a federal court clerkship with The Honorable William Young in Boston. Schwartz Hannum PC represents hundreds of employers and educators across the U.S., including several dozen clients on Nantucket. In her non-profit law practice, Sara serves as a trusted advisor to independent schools, colleges, hospitals, museums, private clubs, and social services agencies.  Sara began spending summers on Nantucket in the 1980’s, when she worked at Straight Wharf, Provisions, and elsewhere, and she has been visiting Nantucket annually ever since. Sara and her husband, Will Hannum, a native, were married on Nantucket, and have had a house in ‘Sconset since 2010 (which has been their primary home for the past several years). Their five children (now ages 21-31) have all enjoyed summers on Nantucket throughout their childhoods, and continue to return for visits as often as their busy lives allow.  The NHA has a special place in Sara’s heart, As an American History major at Yale, with a lifelong fascination for American history, Sara has always enjoyed her work with the NHA, visits to the Whaling Museum (especially Festival of the Trees), and visits to other NHA sites. Sara’s primary hobby is photographing the historic parts of the Island.

Janet Sherlund joined the NHA Board in 2006 after chairing the Antiques Show in 2005 (having originally joined the committee in 2000).  She has recently become a full-time resident of Nantucket, after living in New Vernon, NJ for many years. She is a Trustee Emeritus of the NHA, and a member of both the Nantucket and New Vernon (NJ) Garden Clubs. She is a past Board member of the Nantucket Cottage Hospital and the Cottage Hospital Foundation, an advisor to the Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum.  Janet is a past Board member of Colgate University, The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in NJ, The Paper Mill Playhouse, The Winston School, and the Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation.  Janet holds a B.A. in English and Fine Arts from Colgate University.  Her interests include writing, photography, gardening and collecting.  Janet and her husband, Rick, have two grown sons, Will and Ben.  

Carter Stewart is the Executive Vice President for Programs at the Andrew W Mellon Foundation, a not-for-profit grant making organization and one of the largest supporters of arts and humanities in the US. Previously, Carter was a Managing Director at the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, a venture philanthropy that funds and helps scale early-stage non-profits around the world.  Prior to joining DRK, Carter served as the presidentially-appointed United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. In this role, he was responsible for prosecuting federal crime in a district which included Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton. Carter also served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee and chaired the Attorney General’s Child Exploitation Working Group. He previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in San Jose, CA, and he was a litigator at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP in Columbus, OH, and Bingham McCutchen LLP in San Francisco, CA. Carter received a JD from Harvard Law School, holds an MA in Education Policy from Columbia University, and received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Stanford University. His family has been coming to Nantucket for five generations.  He’s particularly eager to help broaden NHA’s appeal to diverse audiences and to continue to enrich our present and future by knowing and celebrating our past.

Melinda Sullivan was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She has been coming to Nantucket since she was 12 years old, and has owned different houses on the island since 1987. Her interest in serving on the NHA Board stems from a belief that all people benefit from knowing the unique stories of the citizens of the place they choose to call home. It helps foster pride, tolerance, excitement, caring, and support for the past, present, and future citizens of Nantucket. Melinda received her BA from Northwestern University and attended Columbia Business School. Melinda has published 4 group cookbooks, and created a 501C3 organization to study and publish a 3 volume scholarly publication of the 2nd European factory after Meissen to make hard paste porcelain- Du Paquier of Vienna, Austria.  She has had leadership roles in many non-profit organizations focused on the decorative arts.  These include the Mark Twain House in Hartford, CT, and the Renbrook School in West Hartford, CT. Additionally, Melinda was a trustee at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum, and the Hartford University Art School. Melinda is currently active with The Frick Collection and the New Britain Museum of American Art as a trustee, and is part of the European Decorative Arts Committee at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Michael Sweeney has worked and lived on Nantucket for just over 20 years. He is married to Athalyn and they have two wonderful children – Áille and Lochlán. He received his B.Tech and B.Ed degrees from the University of Limerick in Ireland in Materials and Wood Construction Technology.  In 2011, he started M. Sweeney Construction Inc. which specializes in high end residential construction and, the company has completed a number of historical restorations in Nantucket and ‘Sconset. He currently serves on the board of the Nantucket Preservation Trust and has helped out with volunteer work at the Garden Club, Fairwinds Counseling Service, Nantucket Triathlon and Half Marathon and various other running and cycling endeavors of which he is also a keen participant.

Jason Tilroe is a founder and partner of a boutique specialty investment group, based in London, with operations in Europe, North America and South America.  He formerly held senior positions as head of global finance businesses including derivatives, foreign exchange and capital markets at Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs.

Alisa joined KKR in 2003 and is a Partner of the Firm. She has been actively involved in the Firm’s global capital raising activities and new product development.  Today she heads the Private Markets product specialist area which includes private equity, growth equity, real estate, energy & infrastructure.  Alisa has worked on the creation of the former KKR Private Equity Investors which was then used in a reverse merger to take the Firm public in 2007.  She has also worked on the build out of the Firm’s real asset and emerging markets product platforms, as well as numerous strategic partnerships around the world. Prior to joining KKR, Ms. Wood was with Deutsche Bank’s Private Equity Group focused on the institutional placement and structuring of private equity, venture capital, real estate, and securitized debt products. She holds a B.A. from Columbia College and an M.B.A from Columbia Graduate School of Business. Ms. Wood currently sits on the Columbia Business School Private Equity Board, the Convent of the Sacred Heart Board of Trustees (where she is vice-chair), the Sloane Hospital for Women’s Advisory Committee, the PE-WIN’s (Private Equity Women Investor Network) Steering Committee, and co-chairs the Columbia College Young Leadership Council.  Alisa is married to Alastair Wood, who she met as an undergrad at Columbia College where they both attended, and together they have 3 children, Alastair, Maggie and Teddy.