Board & Staff
We are people like you who love the outdoors and the distinctive charms of Maine and who believe in celebrating and protecting them, for everyone, forever.
Our Board of Directors
David MacMahon - Treasurer, was born and educated in the United Kingdom. He immigrated to the United States in 1976 and has since become a U.S. citizen. His professional work includes being President and Chief Executive Officer of Formed Fiber Technologies, with facilities in Maine, Ohio, and South Carolina, and CEO of Maine Machine Products before retiring in 2013. David has extensive board experience with educational, human services, and financial organizations. He and his wife, Mary live in Poland. David joined the board in 2022 and is on the Financial Planning Committee.
Lizz Peacock, Assistant Treasurer, has worked in the outdoor recreation field since graduating college as a language major. After spending a number of years bouncing between summer rivers and winter mountains she became a full-time resident of Newry in 2000 and began work with Outward Bound. She is currently the Operations Director at Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation and brings a background of program development for all ability types and ages. She is happiest when paddling or wandering in the woods. Lizz joined the board in 2018.
Laurie Winsor, President, is a retired nonprofit administrator. Laurie brings skills in community relations, philanthropy, policy and program development, and strategic planning to the Board. She is currently serving with a number of regional and local organizations, including the Bethel Planning Board and Board of Directors of the River Valley Healthy Community Coalition and Community Dental. Laurie joined the Board in 2013 and is the Chair of the Governance Committee, and serves on the Financial Planning Valentine Farm, and Development Committees.
Glenn Saller retired to Maine after a career working as an engineer for the US Navy. Glenn, and his wife Brenda, were impressed with the land trusts in Maine and had a strong desire to do some community volunteer work. In 2018, Glenn joined MLT’s Stewardship Committee, and has been actively involved with the McCoy Chapman Forest property. Glenn is particularly interested in MLT Goals for Land Conservation and creating community recreational opportunities. Glenn joined the Board in 2020 and is on the Stewardship Committee.
Sara Whalen Shifrin is an educator and directs the IDEAS Center at Gould Academy, a facility devoted to innovation and creative problem solving. Sara has skills in human-centered design for property development and property use. Sara has lived in Bethel for over 25 years. She is also an active Board member of the Weld Free Public Library in Weld, Maine. Sara joined the Board in 2014 and serves on the Education and Valentine Farm Committees.
Art Marshall started his career in the hospitality industry including 10 years at the Sunday River Ski Resort. Recently, he retired after spending 20 years as a financial consultant with BerryDunn, a regional accounting firm based in Portland, Maine. Art and his wife Ellen have lived in the Bethel area for 30 years and enjoy many forms of outdoor activities in all seasons. Art joined the Board in 2021 and is the Chair of the Finance Committee and serves on the Audit Subcommittee.
Bill White is a graduate of Gould Academy and has lived in and worked in Bethel for 34 years. He's experienced in hotel and restaurant management, residential and commercial banking, manufacturing, and working with nonprofits. Bill loves cooking, yoga, biking, swimming, and teaching skiing. Bill joined the Board in 2021 and serves on the Stewardship and Finance committees.
Cassie Mason grew up in Bethel among a family of outdoor enthusiasts. After ten years living in Colorado and Montana, she and her husband, Mark, completed a through-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail before moving back to Bethel in 2013. Cassie has an appreciation for hunting and fishing, and supports the efforts of improving wildlife management, increasing land access, and protecting public lands and waters. She is a real estate broker and a mother of two. Cassie joined the Board in 2020 and serves on the Development Committee.
Amy Halsted is thirty-five years a creative director with clients as diverse as the maritime and superyacht industries, familiar global lux brands, and worthy causes. She handles multi-media creative services for clients, and spends lots of time volunteering. She’s passionate about climate change and the environment, gardening, skiing, hiking, cooking, and meditating. Amy joined the Board in 2018 and is the Chair of the Development Committee and serves on the Lands, and Stewardship Committees
Sue Dunn brings communications and marketing skills to the Board. She is involved with the Bethel Planning Board, and is a volunteer for the Bethel RePant! project and the Bethel Food Pantry. Sue is a multi-media artist, as well as an avid hiker, gardener, winter sports enthusiast, and novice birder. Sue is Chair of the Valentine Farm Committee, Co-chair of the Monarch Festival Committee, and a volunteer for the pollinator garden. Sue joined the Board in 2018.
James S. Reddoch, Jr. is a former senior team member with Boston-based HMR Weight Management Services Corp. He grew up in Mississippi where his family instilled in him a love of all things wild. He is an avid birder and amateur naturalist. He writes about the birds of Western Maine and leads birding walks and classes. James volunteers with NOAA as a member of a team which conducts bird and mammal surveys on the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. James and his wife Katherine have a home in Albany. James joined the Board in 2020 and serves on the Valentine Farm Committee.
Bob Iles’ love for the outdoors and passion to preserve beautiful places in Maine brought him to MLT. He came to Maine in 1991 after watching 30 years of environmental degradation in Florida, determined to work with others in conserving Maine’s woodlands, waters and beauty. He brings his willingness to work, and any skills he might have in fundraising, organizing, or as a handy man to MLT. Bob served on the Board from 2001 to 2012 and was re-elected in 2013. He serves on the Stewardship Committee.
Bonnie Pooley, Secretary, retired from a long tenure as an English teacher at Gould Academy. She is a registered Maine Guide with a summer guiding service, Maine Explorations. Bonnie brings expertise in grant writing and editing as well as skills in strategic planning and thinking and many community connections. A passionate gardener, she grows vegetables for her own health and also for others in the community who need them. Bonnie has served on the Mahoosuc Land Trust Board since 1991 with a short break in service in 2015. She serves on the Outreach, Stewardship, and Valentine Farm Committees.
Steve Smith spent 30 years in independent and public education. He retired from being a senior high school principal in Topsfield, MA, to take a position with an international educational consulting firm. Steve brings grant writing skills and in-depth knowledge of science to the Land Trust. He is a member of the Bethel Rotary Club and is on the board of the Western Mountains Senior College. Steve joined the Board in 2014 and serves on the Lands and Financial Planning Committees.
Mia Purcell has enjoyed an extensive career in economic development at the national, state, and regional levels. She is currently serving as the Manager of Economic Development for the Community Concepts Finance Corporation, assisting in development and planning initiatives for 35 towns in Oxford County. An avid gardener and hiker, Mia also enjoys cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter months. Mia joined the board in 2018 and serves on the Development, and Financial Planning Committees.
Katie Stuart was a Forester with the U.S. Forest Service White Mountain National Forest and retired as District Ranger. She has expertise in forestry and natural resource sciences as well as strategic planning. She is active in the NH Association of Conservation Commissions, the Shelburne Conservation Commission, the Shelburne Trail Club, and is the writer-editor for the American Wildlife Conservation Foundation. Katie enjoys gardening, hiking, kayaking, photography, skiing, and snowshoeing. Katie joined the board in 2019 and serves on the Stewardship, and Lands Committees.
John Wholey retired to Bethel after 35 years as a tax lawyer and CPA. He holds a BS in Finance and JD/LLM in taxation. The majority of his career was spent at Ernst & Young LLP and three other large corporations. He and his wife, Jeanne, moved to Bethel in 2015. They were drawn here by the beauty of the Mahoosuc Region. They enjoy hiking in summer and cross country skiing in winter. He is focused on helping MLT conserve fields and forests for future generations so they will have a place to play outdoors. John joined the Board in 2020 and is on the Finance Committee.
Larry Ely, Vice-President, retired as a Deputy U.S. Marshal in 1998, followed by 13 years as a contract Special Investigator with the FBI. He played a leadership role in Shelburne, New Hampshire’s conservation efforts in protecting the Philbrook Farm Inn Lands, First, Crow, Middle and Bald Cap Mountains in addition to greatly expanding the Appalachian Trail corridor in Success Township. Larry brings expertise in field biology, land title issues, conservation easements and resource inventories. Larry joined the Board in 2015 and is Chair of the Stewardship Committee and serves on the Lands Committee.
Staff
Kirk G. Siegel, Executive Director, was a co-founder of the Mahoosuc Land Trust in 1988 and served as its first president. As a land conservation attorney, for two decades he completed projects throughout Maine ranging from 10,000-plus acre timber tracts to small Androscoggin River islands. Kirk is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Maine School of Law and received his BA from Dartmouth College. Kirk and his wife, Martha, live in Albany Township, and frequently take forays into the area’s hills and mountains on skis and on foot. He was appointed E.D. in 2017. Kirk can be reached at kirk@mahoosuc.org.
Barbara Murphy, Director of Development and Habitat For All, believes gardening in any form is a powerful vehicle for community engagement and global change. She taught the Master Gardener course for the University of Maine for 23 years and has in-depth experience in volunteer management. She co-owned a specialty plant nursery with her husband, Mike for 10 years. Barbara joined the Land Trust in 2017. Barbara can be reached at barbara@mahoosuc.org.
Spenser Williams, Land Steward, is a long-time trail user, bushwacker, and backcountry enthusiast in the Mahoosuc and Oxford Hills region. He is thrilled to be taking an active role in the vital conservation efforts of Mahoosuc Land Trust . With invaluable aid from a small army of dedicated volunteers, Spenser is responsible for maintaining MLT's trails and monitoring conservation properties. Additionally, Spenser is focused on using tools in Geographic Information Systems to support the MLT mission. Spenser joined the Land Trust in 2021 and can be reached at spenser@mahoosuc.org.
Becca Hoskins, Gifts Administrator, came to the Mahoosuc Land Trust as a Science Illustration Intern in July 2020. She painted the mural on the Valentine Farm office as her internship project, went on to create the Valentine Farm Birding Trail, and continues to contribute her illustration and graphic design skills to MLT as a resident artist. Becca loves hiking, snowshoeing, and campfires. Becca joined the staff in 2022 and can be reached at becca@mahoosuc.org.
