ABOUT
The MVCMA Board of Directors
Welcome to Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association (MVCMA) Board of Directors information page. The Board of Directors welcomes you to the Campground and encourages everyone to take part in the community.
The MVCMA Board of Directors consists of 21 members who are nominated and elected by the Board itself. Members are elected to three-year terms and 7 board members are elected to the board annually at the August board meeting.
The Board of Directors typically meet four times a year: in August at the Annual Meeting of the board, and in October/November, January/February and May.
The board is organized into the following committees:
Standing Committees: Architectural Review, Audit, Buildings & Grounds, Development, Finance, Historical Preservation & Archives, Long Range Planning, Nominating, Personnel, Programs, Residential Lease, Special Lease, and Spiritual Life.
Ad Hoc Committees: Communications, Land Management Planning Task Force, and the Social Justice, Diversity, & Inclusion Task Force, and Volunteers.
You are invited to engage with the Board of Directors. During the summer season, you can share your ideas at the “Board Member Under the Tent” forum sessions scheduled periodically throughout the summer, or by approaching board members with your ideas and feedback.
Act of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association, Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts
All committee members are asked to sign a commitment form, similar to the one Board members sign after being elected. This helps protect sensitive information from being shared outside the context of a committee meeting. You can see that form by clicking below:
Board Membership
Members of the MVCMA Board make policy and operational decisions concerning the Association. Because the MVCMA has a small paid staff (above right), members of the Board are also called upon to assist the MVCMA Staff in the management and operation of the MVCMA’s daily operations, particularly during the busy summer months.
Eligibility:
Members of the MVCMA Board are selected by existing members of the board from among those who have applied to join the board. Consistent with the MVCMA’s history and tradition, the current bylaws require a majority of the 21 members of the Board to be members in good standing of an established religious organization. Otherwise, anyone willing to serve and to fulfill the fiduciary duties of a member of the Board is eligible to serve.
To Apply:
​Applications for an open position on the MVCMA Board are solicited in June, July, and August. Applicants are asked to submit an application form and to attend a reception to get acquainted with current members of the Board, in mid-August
OFFICERS OF THE BOARD
Sherrie Saint-Amant
President
ssaintamant@mvcma.org
Sherrie first came to her grandmother’s cottage in Victorian Park as a child. She & her family have pursued the DIY track with a wide range of cottage projects. Her favorite is window glazing and painting interior spaces.
Sherrie discovered early in her professional life the power of community based organizations to effect positive change. As a YWCA Youth Director in rural Maine, Sherrie started learning how she personally and in collaboration with others could help eliminate racism. This focus was transformative and continues to inform how she shows up at work, in her community and with family and friends.
When not on the Campground, Sherrie lives in Washington, DC, and spends time with Darcy and her family in Stuttgart, Germany and Chris and his family in Berkeley, CA.
Kim Jones
Vice President
Finance
Residential Lease (Chair)
Special Lease
Spiritual Life (Chair)
kjones@mvcma.org
Kim Jones is a retired US Army civilian engineer, a former Director on the Picatinny Federal Credit Union (PFCU) Board of Directors (2010 – 2022) and the former chairperson of the PFCU Supervisory Committee (2016 - 2022).
After retiring from the US Army Research, Development and Engineering Center in 2020, Kim was elected to the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association's Board of Directors, elected to Trinity Episcopal Church’s Trustee Board (Oak Bluffs, MA) and selected to be a member of The Cottagers Inc. of Martha’s Vineyard. Kim received a BS in Chemistry from Fisk University, Nashville, TN, a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and a Masters in Management from Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) (Picatinny Arsenal). Kim is married to Lawrence Jones and they have one son, Oliver Starnes.
Eliza Curtis
Treasurer
Building & Grounds (Chair)
Finance (Chair)
Special Lease (Chair)
ecurtis@mvcma.org
Eliza has worked for Marriott International for over 16 years in various financial leadership roles, currently acting as a Bench Director of Finance supporting 150+ managed hotels along the East Coast. Her professional work often includes implementing new systems and initiatives, and streamlining local policies and procedures. Eliza's cottage has been in her family since 1960, and previously had a year round presence when her grandparents retired here in the early 80's. Now taking up the role of fourth generation owner; Eliza, her husband, and two sons, along with two dogs and a cat, enjoy the harbor views year round themselves.
Wendy Haskell
Secretary
Audit
Residential Lease
Special Lease
Communications
Volunteers (Chair)
whaskell@mvcma.org
Wendy is a retired educator after working 34 years as a Computer Science teacher and Director of Technology and Libraries for the Falmouth Public Schools. Wendy and her husband, Barry, have been visiting Martha's Vineyard for over 30 years, first by sailboat. They bought their cottage, "Seas the Day", in 2009 and have embraced life in the Campground. When they are not on the island, they live in Marion, MA and winter in Bonita Springs, FL.
DIRECTORS OF THE BOARD
Joni Bergen
Architectural Review
Land Management Planning
Program (Chair)
Spiritual Life
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Joni first came to the island as a teenager to work at the Vineyard Sailing Camp. She and her husband, Thomas, rented in the Campground for many years before purchasing 60 Trinity in 2009. She is a full time artist and a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design. She has had many different jobs over the years (graphic designer, retail display, gardener, children’s librarian) but has always been a painter. Her website is www.joannebergen.com.
Nate Bernard
Architectural Review (Chair)
Finance
Land Management Planning
Long Range Planning (Chair)
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Nate Bernard is an attorney specializing in structuring low income housing transactions as well as other community development projects across the country. He first visited Martha's Vineyard in 2008 on vacation with his now wife Catherine, and purchased in the Campground in 2020. Nate and Catherine have two children and enjoy participating in the Camp Associations many family activities. When not on Marthas Vineyard, Nate lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Jan da Silva
Architectural Review
Building & Grounds
Historical Preservation & Archive
Land Management Planning
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Jan da Silva remembers seeing her 1st Illumination Night in 2014 as magical and being totally enchanted by the campground. So enchanted, she purchased 6 Trinity Park in 2015. Currently she works at New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park (National Park Service) as the Program Manager for Interpretation and Resource Management. When not on Martha’s Vineyard, Jan, her partner Ira, and puppy Leo live across Vineyard Sound/Buzzards Bay in New Bedford.
James Duffy
Audit
Historic Preservation & Archive
Residential Lease
Spiritual Life
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Jim Duffy is a third generation Campgrounder who shares two cottages on Lake Avenue with his two brothers and their families. He is a lawyer by profession, a partner at the national law firm Nixon Peabody LLP, based in the firm’s Boston office, where he leads the firm’s renewable energy tax credit team and represents clients on the development and financing of renewable energy facilities, mostly solar and wind projects. Before becoming involved with renewable energy, he spent a number of years representing clients on the development and financing of affordable housing developments. He is in his 17th year as a member of the MVCMA Board (2004-2013 and from 2016 to the present). He also serves as a Board member and officer of the Distributed Wind Energy Association and as a Board member of the non-profit advocacy group, Windustry. He spends most of his summer days on the Campgrounds, with his wife, Catherine, and his daughter, Mary. During the winter, he lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, where he serves as a member of his church’s parish council and is a season ticket holder of the Boston Bruins and the world champion Boston Celtics.
Ted Gavin
Development - Chair
Long Range Planning
Personnel
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Ted Gavin is a Certified Turnaround Professional and the managing partner of Gavin/Solmonese. He has over 20 years of experience working with distressed companies and their stakeholders in diverse industries, including retail, transportation, regulated and non-regulated manufacturing, pharmaceutical and healthcare, professional services, construction, and metal-forming.
He has served in leadership roles in engineering, manufacturing, information technology, and regulatory affairs functions. Ted has extensive experience in strategic planning and process re-engineering, with hands-on management experience in nonprofit, for-profit, and public sector operations. Ted testifies frequently as an expert witness on matters such as ordinary course of business issues in preference litigation, as well as on fiduciary duties of management in distressed companies. In 2021, Ted launched business/disrupted, a weekly talk radio show and podcast on the VoiceAmerica Business network.
Christine Decker Marquis
Communications (Chair)
Historic Preservation & Archives
Program
Volunteers
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Christine Decker Marquis is a retired Marketing and Communications Executive. She has led large Marketing and Operations teams and budgets in the Banking and Software industries. Christine brings Marketing, Communications, PR, Promotion, Events and Project Management experience to the MVCMA Board.
She is also well known for:
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Leading and inspiring teams / communities through developing clear goals, coaching, and building collaborative cultures
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Building cost/impact systems to inform a shared, rational prioritization of tasks
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Building and documenting processes and project plans
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Researching, educating and pioneering groups through new areas of need
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Managing stakeholders through education, enthusiasm building, and consensus building
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Christine and her husband Jim have belonged to the MVCMA community since 2010 and live in the MVCMA 5 months per year. Prior to her MVCMA Board Membership, Christine was an active member of the Communications and Program Committees, and a Co-Chair of the Cottage Tour Committee.
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The other 7 months of the year, the Marquis’ live in Downtown Historic Savannah, GA, where Christine serves as a Ward Captain, building community within a larger tourism ecosystem, in a historic landmark district.
Cheryl Hacker
Architectural Review
Audit (Chair)
Communications
Long Range Planning
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Cheryl Hacker is a mostly retired attorney from
Columbus Ohio. For much of her legal career, Cheryl served as an Asst. Attorney General in the Ohio Attorney General's Office where she worked in the Charitable Foundation Section & then the Education Section. She then served as the General Counsel at Shawnee State University & now works part-time in the Legal Affairs office at Ohio University. Cheryl also
currently serves on the Board of Trustees of her alma mater, Bluffton University, & since 2021,
has been Board Chair. Cheryl previously served on Columbus' architectural review commission for the historic district of German Village.
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Cheryl first visited Martha's Vineyard as a teenager while on family vacation where family friends had a Campground cottage. It wasn't long until her parents bought their own cottage on Cottage Park. She and her husband, Jeff Ferriell, took over her parents' cottage about two decades ago. They now spend a little over 5 months a year here and live the rest of the year in Columbus.
Trish Hahn
Building & Grounds
Land Management Planning (Co-Chair)
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Trish is a retired Research Technician, first working at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in NY and then at the University of Illinois. Leaving behind her research career, Trish followed her second dream of landscape design and studied Landscape Architecture at the University. She started her own business, Hahn and Assoc. Changing careers once again, Trish became President of the Mahomet-Seymour Schools Foundation. Soon after, she was hired as the Executive Director for 11 yrs.
Trish and Ned purchased their cottage, Hahnshafan, in 1997. They have 4 children and 3 granddaughters who all love the cottage and the campground. Trish was first elected to the MVCMA Board in 2009 and served for 9 years, during which time she served at VP for 3 yrs and President her last year. When not on the island, they winter in Nokomis, FL.
Mike Hotaling
Communications
Finance
Personnel (Chair)
Social Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force
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Mike Hotaling is a retired insurance exec and attorney, and this is his second stint on the MVCMA board. He has led large organizations with a focus on work quality, customer service, and employee engagement, including diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. He and his wife Kathy bought their cottage on Clinton Ave in 2006, and they cherish the friends they've made in this unique community. Kathy's history with the cottage dates back to her childhood, from the time her grandmother bought the cottage in 1971. They have two adult daughters who were privileged to enjoy their summers in the Campground while growing up. Since retiring, Mike and Kathy spend the off-season traveling the country, taking every opportunity to hike and bike in beautiful places.
Sarah Leaman
Historical Preservation & Archives (Chair)
Program
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Sarah Leaman is a fourth grade teacher at P.S. 321 in Brooklyn, NY, and a Master Teacher Fellow at Math for America. A third generation Campgrounder, Sarah feels blessed to have spent a lifetime immersed in the life of the Campmeeting; she enjoys working to preserve its rare cultural traditions of shared worship, singing, and close, enduring community. Sarah loves hearing from people interested in the study of MVCMA history and of the larger American Campmeeting Movement and its impact on the development of American religion and culture.
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Craig Lowe
Building & Grounds
Program
Volunteers
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Craig is a 6th generation Campgrounder and a happily retired computer sales executive. One of his ancestors built a number of cottages on the Campground. Craig previously served on the MVCMA Board from 2004 -2013 and rejoined the Board in 2022.
Craig enjoys working on their cottage (as one must to maintain our old homes!). In his bit of limited spare time, he enjoys fishing, gardening and working on cars, particularly antique cars. He and his wife, Edie, enjoy sitting on the porch visiting with friends and neighbors and answering questions from folks passing by.
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Kyla McCartney
Historic Preservation & Archives
Program
Residential Lease
Social Justice, Diversity, & Inclusion (Chair)
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Kyla is a 4th grade teacher in the Boston Public Schools and studied American History as an undergraduate in college. She first came to stay at her grandparents cottage at 53 Trinity at 6 weeks old, and has spent part (or all) of every summer of her life in this magical place. She and her wife, Elizabeth, took over the cottage two years ago and have been experiencing the joy of watching their daugter, Wren, grow up with the same love and community that Kyla did. Her grandfather, Walter Frey, was a long time member of the board and her grandmother, Beryl, was the caretaker of a memorial garden that supplied flowers for the Tabernacle for many years. Kyla is excited to be able to contribute to the community as her family has done for three generations.
Rodney Sampson
Development
Finance
Spiritual Life
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Bishop Rodney Sampson is a consecrated suffragan bishop and member of the College of Bishops of The International Bishops Conference USA; and along with his wife, Dr. Shanterria Sampson are distinguished graduates of the historic Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University.
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Sampson’s more than twenty-five year career at the intersection of innovation, finance and faith is best captured in his doctoral dissertation, “Streaming Faith: Building Black Wealth Ecosystems via Clergy Investment Education in the Fourth Industrial Revolution & Beyond” and his best-selling economics book, “Kingonomics: Twelve Innovative Currencies to Transform Your Business and Life, Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
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In 2000, Sampson innovated linear streaming via Multicast Media Technologies (today Piksel) and Streaming Faith; and in 2013 with his wife, co-founded Opportunity Hub [OHUB], the nation’s leading inclusive technology, startup and venture ecosystem building platform created to ensure that everyone, everyone has equitable opportunities in the future of work, fourth industrial revolution and beyond as definitive paths to new multi-generational wealth with no reliance on past multi-generational wealth. To date, they have trained thousands for their first tech careers, incubated hundreds of new startups and invested in over 23 venture capital funds and hundreds of startups that have created thousands of net new American jobs.
Sampson is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution; and has held professorships at Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Duke University and The University of North Carolina Kenan Flagler School of Business as a Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professor where he created the Black Technology Ecosystem Investment and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Solutions Certificates.
Sampson is a life member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
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As natives of Atlanta, Georgia, Drs. Rodney and Shanterria Sampson are excited about the home and life they are building with their family in the Campground and Martha’s Vineyard.
Jennifer Saxe
Communications
Development
Social Justice, Diversity, & Inclusion
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Jennifer has been coming to the Campground for over 30 years and feels fortunate to have found this very special place. She, her husband, Andrew Fletcher, and their two children share their home on Clinton Avenue with Andrew's sister and brother-in-law and their three girls The house has been in the Fletcher family since 1964.
Jennifer has worked in nonprofit fundraising for over 25 years in both the U.S. and Europe, primarily in smaller and start-up programs. She has served on several nonprofit boards and believes strongly in the difference that mission-driven organizations make in, and the value that they add to, their communities. When not on Martha's Vineyard, she and Andrew live in Concord, MA.
Scott Slarsky
Architectural Review
Building & Grounds
Land Management Planning (Co-Chair)
Long Range Planning
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Scott, Alex, Olivia and Odin can usually be found on the porch of 24 Butler Ave anytime from April to November. In addition to being a Dad, Scott is an architect and planner for the Boston Planning and Development Agency, (BPDA) in Boston, and he splits his time between Boston and MV year round. Gardening, cooking and architecture are his passions, and if you see him in the garden, on the porch or by the grill please stop by and say ‘Hello!’
Marney Toole
Personnel
Residential Lease
Social Justice, Diversity, & Inclusion
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Marney Toole is a retired nurse who worked in clinical settings, Early Childhood Intervention and coordinated the MV Family Center for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services for 23 years. She and her husband Richard have lived in Oak Bluffs for over fifty years. The first three years in the cottage Richard’s grandmother bought in the 1950’s. They have two adult children whose families continue to enjoy Campground summers in the cottage.
Marney has been a volunteer in many capacities over the years. Currently, she is Chair of the
Oak Bluffs Library Board of Trustees, convener of the Sanctuaries Volunteers at Felix Neck and
a member of Vineyard Independent Partnership.