Meet the Staff
Thomas Bradbury - Executive Director
Tom has served as the President, and now Executive Director, of the Trust since 1978. In 1996 Tom’s conservation efforts for protecting numerous acres that reflect the beauty and character of Kennebunkport were recognized when he became the first recipient of the American Land Conservation Award, becoming the leading citizen conservationist in the United States. Tom was also recognized in 2004 with the U.S. EPA New England Region “Lifetime Achievement” award. Tom and his wife, Shirley, live in Cape Porpoise and raised their daughters in Kennebunkport. His roots in our community run centuries deep.
tom@kporttrust.org I 207.967.3465 x 112
Nikki Schlie - Associate Director
Nikki has always loved being in the woods, and she brings that passion for nature to her role as Associate Director of the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust. With a background in finance, she supports the Trust’s mission through strategic planning, fundraising, and community outreach. Nikki also serves as Administrative Coordinator for the Arundel Conservation Trust, deepening her commitment to local conservation. She enjoys exploring Trust properties with her husband and their dog, Charli.
nikki@kporttrust.org | 207.200.7456
Heather Magaw - Office Manager
Heather’s time in the office is spent making sure that our organization continues running in the smoothest way possible. She handles our day to day operations, rentals, and events such as Trail Fest and the Annual Online Auction. With years of experience in administrative work, Heather’s expertise covers everything from finances to events and everything in between. When stopping by the Trust, head right down the hall to the first office on the left and Heather will have all the answers to your questions!
heather@kporttrust.org I 207-967-3465 x 111
Jenna Van Haren - Education Coordinator
Jenna is a Wisconsin native and grew up with a love of forests, bugs, and nature. She has worked in Environmental Education since earning a B.S. in Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She discovered her love of New England beaches and forests while completing a year of AmeriCorps on Cape Cod. After teaching in environmental settings across the country, Jenna returned to the East Coast and completed a M.A. in Environmental Conservation Education from New York University. She is very excited to bring her experience in environmental education teaching and science curriculum development to KCT and the surrounding schools. In her free time, she can be found hiking with her dog or exploring the beaches.
Jenna@kporttrust.org I 207-967-3465 x110
Juliann Lapierre - Property Steward
Juliann is a passionate and energetic conservationist who is excited to spend her time and energy serving as KCT’s Property Manager. She graduated from the University of New England in 2024 with a B.S. in Environmental Science. During her academic career Juliann utilized the relationship between the KCT and UNE to get hands-on experience in land surveying, invasive species management, and trail design and construction right here in Kennebunkport. Having grown up in rural Maine, Juliann had developed her love for nature at an early age. She pursued a career in Environmental Science so that she can share her love for nature and ensure that current and future generations have access to experiences similar to those she feels so lucky to have had. In tandem with her work at the KCT you can find Juliann spending her time with friends, family, and exploring the abundance of natural spaces that the Atlantic Northeast has to offer.
juliann@kporttrust.org
Leia Lowery- Executive Director - The Climate Initiative
Leia graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, along with a M.S. in Vocational and Technical Education. With classroom and non-traditional teaching experience, Leia specializes in creating dynamic education programs to produce critical thinkers, life-long learners, and productive citizens of the future. She is also the co-founder of The Climate Initiative which was born out of the education programs here at the Trust. The Climate Initiative works with the Trust formulating a model for community and education-based action to create resilient landscapes in the face of our changing climate. You can find more information about The Climate Intiative at TheClimateInitiative.org.
leia@theclimateinitiative.org I 207.967.3465 x 113
Shelley Fleming Wigglesworth - Staff Writer
Shelley is an award-winning journalist specializing in maritime topics and the commercial fishing industry. A fourth generation native of the Kennebunks, she is well known in the community for her articles on people, places and issues that resonate with readers. She is the mother of two grown children. When she is not writing, she works on the commercial fishing vessel The Nor’easter. You can find her stories in the following publications: The Village Magazine, The York County Coast Star, Yankee, National Fisherman, Commercial Fisheries News, Points East, Maine Lobstermen's Association’s Landings and others. She is also the author of the Nunans of Cape Porpoise book.
tomlis@gwi.net
Board of Directors
Christ Angelos - President
Christ has been a member of the Board of Directors for 20 years. He enjoys being involved with trail maintenance, fundraising for KCT’s many projects and working with the Alternative Education Program. He is especially excited about the new dog park at Meadow Woods Preserve. Christ has been a practicing veterinarian in our community for the last 40 years. He is constantly amazed by the vision of Tom Bradbury and the team at KCT because while most people would say "I'll believe it when I see it,” the team at KCT says “We'll see it when we believe it.” KCT believes in what is possible and then sees those projects to fruition. Christ looks forward to many more years of involvement at KCT.
Jerry Mullin - Secretary
Jerry has been a member of the KCT Board of Directors since 1993 and has served as Secretary since 2011. Jerry earned his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of New Hampshire and is currently Professor of Chemistry in the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University of New England. His research areas include the study of compounds having unusual fluorescence properties, the development of chemical sensors, and the determination of heavy metal distributions in environmental samples. In his free time, Jerry is likely to be found hiking in the mountains of western Maine or the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He is strongly committed to the Trust’s mission of preservation and stewardship of open spaces for habitat protection and recreation.
Ashley Baker Koch
Ashley became a member of the KCT board in 2024. Born and raised in the Kennebunks, she has deep roots in the community. Ashley and her husband, Adam, met while attending Kennebunk High School, and they now reside with their two children, Haven and Florence, in a home they built on Adam's family land at Blackrock Farm. Ashley is a dedicated Kindergarten teacher at Kennebunk Elementary School.
Throughout the challenges of online teaching during the Covid pandemic, Ashley and her children found solace in the KCT trails, making it a daily tradition to explore a new trail and try a new recipe. Inspired by the peace and connection to nature that the trails provided, as well as her role as an Assistant Lighthouse Keeper at Goat Island Light, Ashley was motivated to become more involved with the Trust.
Her favorite Trust activities include painting at Goat Island Lighthouse (both siding and watercolors), spending time at Goose Rocks Beach, boating in Cape Porpoise Harbor, and tidepooling at Vaughn’s Island.
Ajeet Grover
Ajeet was born in Boston to a military family and has lived from coast to coast and in Germany. She is a graduate of UMASS Amherst with a degree in International Relations. She is a mother of three, a yoga instructor, and an IT Manager for an international company. Ajeet and her children have spent much time at the Trust properties over the years where all four find inspiration, and where cherished memories continue to be made.
Dr. Pam Morgan - Vice President
Pam has been involved with KCT since 2008, when she helped create the Trust in Our Children program for K-5 students at Kennebunkport Consolidated School. In 2012 she became a member of the Board of Directors. She is a professor in the Environmental Studies program at the University of New England, and enjoys creating educational opportunities on KCT properties for her students that benefit both them and the Trust. In her free time, she can be found outdoors whenever possible, since nature is so good for the body, mind, and spirit!
Juliet Altham
Juliet arrived in Kennebunkport from the UK with her family for a 3-year ‘house swap’ in 2010; they couldn’t leave! First encountering KCT through her children who got to experience field trips while at Consolidated school, she ultimately got involved leading volunteers to build the KCT community labyrinth. Having had a Bowenwork (therapeutic bodywork) practice in town since 2014, she has got to know and support local people addressing physical and emotional issues through holistic healthcare. She sees access to nature as critical to health and Maine’s extraordinary natural landscape a privilege to now call home. Juliet also brings her previous experience of ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) in business and investment to her role with the Board.
Charlie Buckley
Charlie and his family moved to Kennebunkport full time in 2019 after spending many summers here throughout the years. After a 25 year career in banking, Charlie and his wife Robin recently opened Kennebunk Outfitters, a specialty outdoor apparel and footwear store. When not working, Charlie can often be found coaching local youth sports teams, running, hiking and fishing the beautiful lands of southern Maine and the trust. He is a passionate supporter of the trust's mission and its unique role in encouraging an active outdoor lifestyle.
Jacqui Holmes
Jacqui is a 2013 graduate of Bates College and is currently working at Kennebunk High School as an Alternative Education teacher. In fact, Jacqui and her colleague, Ed Sharood, were recently named “Maine High School Alternative Educators of the Year” for their work in that capacity. Over the past eight years Jacqui has partnered with KCT through her role as a teacher in the Alt. Ed. program. “Watching the students find a sense of belonging through their work at the Trust has brought me immense joy and a sense of pride. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with an organization that preserves land and places to be accessible for everyone, forever. To me, the Trust exemplifies the Maine motto ‘The way life should be’” In addition to teaching, Jacqui coaches the tennis and cross-country teams at KHS. She loves birds, puzzles, the morning, and being outside.
Tom Putnam
Tom grew up in Kennebunk and graduated from Kennebunk High School. After a career as an educator and director of two history museums (the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and the Concord Museum) he retired in 2022 and moved back home. He's been involved with the Trust for many years and joined the board in 2023. He and his wife, Phyllis Wentworth, a native of Kennebunkport, live in Cape Porpoise. Their favorite properties are Emmons Preserve and the islands off Cape Porpoise which they explore via their kayaks.
Russ Grady - Treasurer
Russ was raised in Clinton, Massachusetts, and from a young age, he developed a deep appreciation for nature and the outdoors. In 1997, he and his wife Julie decided to settle down in Kennebunkport, making it their home. Here they have raised two sons and have spent countless hours exploring Trust properties. Russ has dedicated a significant portion of his professional life to the auto insurance industry, specifically within operations and strategy organizations. Currently, he serves as a local realtor and works as a consultant for a technology company based in Chicago. Russ's association with the Trust dates back to 2010, and he has served as board president since early 2020.
Arnie Amoroso
Arnie arrived in Kennebunk in 1966 where a 16 year old Tom Bradbury was one of his charges. He spent a year-long fellowship in Orono developing courses that nature writers and thinkers saw as the beginnings of conservation progress. After returning to Kennebunk, Arnie naturally slid into contact with Tad Dow, Hale Whitehouse, and other folks who would eventually form KCT. Outside of Trust activities, Arnie has enjoyed cross country ski racing and running up until what he would say was “fairly recently.” As the longest serving and only original board member, Arnie looks fondly back upon his last 50 years of service to KCT.
Tim Fraser
Tim is married to Wife, Lee-Anne, and has two grown adult children. Professionally, he co-founded and managed a successful business based staffing group in Boston for over 25 years. Tim is a graduate of the Business School at the University of New Hampshire. Tim has long-time family ties to the area and has been fortunate to have been a homeowner in Cape Porpoise for more than 25 years, and here full time for the last few years. His love of the outdoors has him either biking, hiking or kayaking, much of that time spent on KCT property and trails. Tim has camped on the islands in Cape Porpoise over the years, and most recently became part of the Island Steward team. His hobbies include woodworking, vegetable gardening, golfing, and playing with his Grandchildren - who are a joy.
Joan Hull
Joan has been a KCT board member since 2017. She also serves as a joint member of both the KCT and the Arundel Conservation Trust (ACT) Boards of Directors. She has retired from a career in nursing and executive health care leadership, living in Arundel since 2007. She is also a Maine Master Naturalist and enjoys working with KCT on areas of governance and strategic planning. She is grateful for the mentorship KCT has shown ACT as it has grown and appreciates the collaborative values and commitment to community she has found as a board member. In her free time, she is most happy building trails and relationships.
Board of Trustees
Kate Adams
Jestena Boughton
Ed Bull & Sheila Matthews Bull Bob Collins
Sharon Cummins Bud Danis
Karen Dombrowski Scott Dombrowski
Spike Emmons
Ruth Fernandez
Tom & Jenn Fries
Dot Gregoire
Kenneth Hutchins
David James
Bob King Mary Susan Leahy
Linda O’Neil Ken Raynor
Rebecca Roberts
Gail Roller
Chris Smith
Dan Viehmann
Rich Woodman
Linda Zuke
