Plimoth Plantation Announces New Board Members

Plimoth Plantation held its Annual Meeting of the Board of Trustees this weekend at the famed living history Museum. This was the first Annual Meeting for three of the Museum’s newest Trustees, who have been attending monthly meetings and making great contributions to Plimoth Plantation since their appointment to the Board, over the past eight months. In addition, Plimoth Plantation’s Board proudly announced the selection of three additional Trustees at Saturday’s meeting. Each brings individual talents and expertise to the table, adding to Plimoth Plantation’s governing strengths.

“Since 2008, I have served as Chairman of the Board at Plimoth Plantation. It has been my mission to recruit diversely talented individuals who have a true love for the Museum, to join me in carrying out Founder, Harry Hornblower’s dreams for Plimoth Plantation,” said Steve Brodeur. “The Board has worked together with the Museum’s directors to bring about positive transformation over the past few years, and we continue to strengthen Plimoth Plantation, reinforcing the organization as a thriving, world class, cultural and tourism destination.”

The Board of Trustees serves as the fiduciary stewards of Plimoth Plantation, overseeing the governance of the Museum. There are 18 members in total, each bringing their own individual experience and
assets from the business world. Together, they serve as advocates for the Museum. The newest Board Members include:

Edward T. Russell joined Plimoth Plantation’s Board of Trustees in the fall of 2010, after serving as a Museum Overseer for 13 years. Ed and his wife Charlotte are co-founders of Plimoth Cinema, Plimoth Plantation’s first run, independent movie theater. He is currently serving on the Governance and Facilities Committees and worked hand-in-hand this past year with Museum directors on the creation and implementation of Plimoth Plantation’s new website, www.plimoth.org, launched a month ago. As a member of the Massachusetts Bar, Mr. Russell spent his career in corporate law and served as a Corporate Vice President for Foster Grant Corporation, responsible for Law, Administration and Human Resources. As a longtime Plymouth resident, Ed is an elected Town Meeting Representative in Plymouth, serving on several town committees. In addition, he serves on the board of a number of environmental and arts organizations. Mr. Russell’s strengths have been and continue to be a real asset to Plimoth Plantation.

Darice Grippo Wareham joined Plimoth Plantation’s Board of Trustees in the fall of 2010. Ms. Wareham is a Senior Investment Professional with a unique asset management and consulting background that spans decades. Darice lives in Plymouth, and since 2009, she has been a consultant at Preview Consulting LLC, located in Plymouth, MA, providing evaluation, coaching and feedback to investment firms, helping them refine and improve their marketing presentation and client reviews. Prior to joining Preview Consulting LLC, Ms. Wareham served as a Senior Research Consultant with Cambridge Associates in Boston. She has been a Vice President at John Hancock Advisers, a division of John Hancock Financial Services, and also at Putnam Management Company. From 1998 to 2000, Darice was the Principal and
Founder of GRI Companies, Inc., a consulting firm providing independent, third party research to institutional investors with a focus on information, technology, communication and media industries. She also managed a private fund for high net worth investors. Ms. Wareham is a Business graduate of Harvard University. Since becoming involved at Plimoth Plantation, Darice has been a part of the Development Committee and consulted on the development of the Museum’s new website.

Linda Hart also joined Plimoth Plantation’s Board of Trustees in the fall of 2010. An avid and active volunteer at numerous historical societies and garden clubs, Ms. Hart co-chaired a fundraiser to fund and build a new workboat for Mayflower II in 2007. Today, Linda is retired from a long and illustrious career in the high-tech field working for such top brands as Hewlett Packard, Compaq and Digital. She was a training manager and a trailblazer working closely with engineers to develop some of the first training standards and developing processes with regard to emerging technologies. Ms. Hart also worked as a project manager coordinating large teams of employees globally, while organizing best practices in engineer training and technical writing. Linda was often published and she presented at technical conferences across the country. She received her degree in Management from Lesley University in Boston, MA. But, one of her true passions is genealogy and playing the role of family historian. Hart is a member of the Mayflower Society, Daughters of the American Colonists, Daughters of the American Revolution and United Empire Loyalists. She lives in Cotuit, Massachusetts with her husband, Dan, and enjoys spending time at her second home in North Carolina. In the short time Ms. Hart has been on Plimoth Plantation’s Board of Trustees, she has helped to organize events and facilitate the Museum’s collaboration with the Mayflower Society’s Winslow House to present a public holiday program.

At the 2011 Annual Meeting, held on Saturday, June 11, 2011, three additional Trustees were named to the Board and were enthusiastically welcomed.

Thomas F. Gloster III has been a Plimoth Plantation Overseer since May of 2005, and now joins the Board of Trustees. Gloster is an attorney, specializing in securities, real estate syndication and equipment leasing, with an emphasis on equity, bond, lease and other types of financing; partnership, governmental assistance and preparation of registration statements. He worked at Nixon Peabody LLP in Boston, for close to 30 years. As a long time Plymouth resident, Gloster lives in Plymouth and is well established in the community. He has served on the Board of the Plymouth Public Library and is known as a team player within the town. He hopes to become more involved with governmental, community and charitable affairs as he advocates for Plimoth Plantation. Married with two children and four grandchildren, Thomas Gloster has a great interest in history, music, travel and sports.
 
Gordon Harris was elected and has served as a Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council Member from 2009 through February of this year. He is also the President of Wakeby Fire & Associates, a fundraising, membership and development consultancy firm, based out of Mashpee, on Cape Cod. Specializing in not-for-profit fundraising, Harris provides guidance in advertising, data analysis and over all development programs, making him a wonderful asset to Plimoth Plantation’s Board of Trustees and overall fundraising efforts. Mr. Harris has served as the Senior Vice President of Diversity at Sovereign Bank in Boston, as well as the Director of Employment for Foxwoods Resort & Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. He currently resides in the community of Forestdale, a Village within Sandwich, Massachusetts.

Catherine C. Brawer served a term as a Board Member in the early 2000’s and has been an Honorary Trustee since January 2007. An author, lecturer and curator, Ms. Brawer brings a wealth of knowledge in arts and culture to Plimoth Plantation. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, she received a Master’s degree in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. As an independent curator, she has mounted exhibitions on such diverse topics as The Auspicious Dragon in Chinese Decorative Arts and Many Trails: Indians of the Lower Hudson Valley, at the Katonah Museum of Art, where she served on the Board for more than 20 years. Brawer has authored and co-authored books on a wide range of topics, including: Chinese export porcelain and women artists move into the mainstream 1970-1985. Most recently she curated and wrote the catalog for an exhibition at the National Building Museum, Walls Speak: The Narrative Art of Hildreth Meiere, which will run through November of this year. In addition to art, history and exhibitions, Ms. Brawer has a large interest in developing school programs and publications. She currently resides in New York City with her husband, Robert. She is a Howland family descendent and a Board Member of the New York Mayflower Society. Brodeur went on to say, “The Board of Trustees is looking forward to doing great things together, ensuring Plimoth Plantation’s success for generations to come.”