Executive Director
Board of Trustees
Trustees
Volunteers
Peet Foster – DLT Beekeeper
Sig Buchmayr – Volunteer at Large
Photographers
Trustees Emeriti
Ed Cosden
Linda Ferguson
Chris Filmer
Charlie Goodyear
Betty Jewett
Shirley Nichols
Beth has over 20 years of experience in domestic and international consumer brand, sports, and event marketing, as well as in sales and public relations in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. A Darien resident for fourteen years, she and her husband have raised three children, all DHS graduates. Beth’s extensive community outreach and board service include the Darien Environmental Group, the Town of Darien, and The Community Fund. Beth joined the DLT Board in 2017 and became Executive Director in 2018.
Elizabeth moved to Darien in 2015 with her husband David and two sons. She is a native of Ithaca, NY and a 1992 graduate of Cornell University with a BS in Design and Environmental Analysis. Elizabeth practiced commercial interior design with the architectural firm Swanke Hayden Connell up to 2002, and has been very active in several school Parent Associations, including serving as Treasurer. She and her family spend part of the summer on Twin Lakes in Salisbury, CT and their 1766 home in Westbrook, CT that they have been restoring since 2002. In addition to interior design, Elizabeth enjoys graphic design, painting, gardening, walking their tireless 3-year-old lab and playing tennis. She and David have been members of the Darien Land Trust since 2015 and have enjoyed the annual Farm to Table Dinner.
Amy has lived in Darien for 18 years with her husband and two sons. A seven-year member of the Darien Land Trust, Amy chairs the Outreach Committee and leads communications efforts with the media, writing timely articles for the Darien Times and other news outlets. Amy also spearheads events, including educational panels, documentary films and the Land Trust’s annual Farm to Table Event in August. Most recently, Amy produced several video series with experts on conservation issues for the Land Trust website as well as a video series to celebrate the Land Trust’s 65th anniversary. A veteran magazine journalist, Amy now enjoys writing for regional magazines, including Sound Watch and Darien, New Canaan & Rowayton Magazine. She is a graduate of Connecticut College and the Radcliffe Publishing Course.
John joined the board of the Darien Land Trust in 2015. He served as Co-President for two years and became President in 2021. John and his wife Dale have been residents of Darien for 20+ years where they have raised their three daughters, all Darien High School graduates. John has actively supported local organizations including Joshua House Fund, ABC in Darien, Darien EMS – Post 53 and the Fresh Air Fund. Appreciation for open space and the integration of natural habitats is driven by living earlier years in densely populated metropolitan areas.
Throughout her life, Brooke has been fortunate to spend a significant amount of time exploring nature and playing outdoor sports. An elementary school teacher for many years in New York City, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, Brooke has also taught in underserved schools in Bridgeport for fourteen years as a volunteer. She has also coached soccer and served on local PTA and church committees for many years. Brooke spends time each year in Acadia National Park; she has been shaped by her exposure to this extraordinary place.
Janet graduated cum laude from the University of Maryland College Park in 2003, earning a B.S. degree in Information Technology. She began her career by joining Deloitte Consulting, where she advised and assisted Fortune 500 companies with enterprise-wide system implementations across the nation. In 2008, Janet joined HSBC Securities (USA), Inc. as vice president within the Wealth Management group, responsible for Product Development. In 2014, she departed HSBC to become a stay at home mom. Since moving out of the city, she has thoroughly enjoyed exploring the CT outdoors with her family. She is grateful for being able to introduce fascinating elements of nature to her little ones and see them grow up in an environment where the ocean meets the meadows. Janet’s interesis include experiential travel, landscape photography and the performance arts. Janet lives in Darien with her husband Michael and their four children.
Scott and his wife, Allison (a Darien native), have lived in town since 2011. They both love exploring nature and the local DLT properties with their two daughters and a pair of [always leashed!] golden retrievers. Scott is an avid outdoorsman and spends as much of his time as he can on the water locally, and on Martha’s Vineyard, both fishing and exploring new areas with his family and friends. He especially loves teaching his kids and their friends about the marine wildlife the Sound has to offer, with hands-on experiences (including tagging sharks for the National Marine Fisheries Service). Scott is a Founding Partner of DeepCurrents Investment Group, a Relative Value hedge fund in New York. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004, and is a graduate of the Kent School.
Kevin and his wife Jyotsna have lived in Darien since 2018. They love sharing the outdoors with their two children, often observing bird and aquatic life on their pond. Kevin is active in Darien youth sports, coaching lacrosse and soccer. He currently runs an energy investment fund and previously held portfolio manager roles at Graham Capital and Taconic Capital Advisors. Kevin earned an MBA from Columbia Business School in 2010 and a BA in History from Connecticut College in 2001.
Kara has been actively engaged in a number of civic and philanthropic endeavors over the past 14 years, including Board positions at Greens Farms Academy, Third Option Foundation, and board committee positions for the Squam Lake Conservation Society, the Piranha Swim Team, and the Putnam Indian Field School. She was recently elected as a member to the RTM. Kara is a graduate of Wesleyan University with a B.A. in economics and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Prior to retiring to raise her family, she spent over a decade working in strategic planning in the financial services, healthcare and entertainment industries. Kara has three children and has lived in Darien for 13 years. She is an avid hiker, enthusiastic triathlete, and is working toward a certificate in Applied Positive Psychology from University of Pennsylvania through Coursera.
Christian has lived in Darien with his wife and two children since 2001. He previously served on the Board of the Darien Nature Center. As a Communications and Public Policy executive with Bank of America, his responsibilities include managing the firm’s Global Advisory Council and Policy Analysis & Development. Prior to his current role, Christian served as Director, Media Relations for the New York Stock Exchange. Prior to entering public relations, he worked as a financial journalist for Dow Jones Newswires and the Wall Street Journal. Christian holds a Masters in Law from the University of Utrecht (Netherlands) with a specialty in environmental law, a Journalism Certificate from the Auckland Institute of Technology (New Zealand) and is accredited in Public Relations by the Public Relations Society of America.
Jay has lived in Darien with his wife and two children since 2010. He is an avid outdoorsman who spends much of his free time trail running, fly fishing and bow hunting around Fairfield County and the US. He has served on multiple organizations that promote land and wildlife conservation, and habitat creation, and dedicates much of his energy to his family’s 500 acre farm in Wellsville, NY. Jay is also heavily involved with Darien youth sports. He has spent over 20 years in finance and currently serves as an executive at Bank of America.
Polly joined the Board in 2012 after moving back to Darien from Vermont where she earned an advanced degree in environmental law focusing on land conservation and water law. Polly sees conserving open spaces as an important benefit to our community and environment. Polly has practiced law for over 20 years in Connecticut at large and medium sized firms primarily in the areas of commercial real estate and environmental law. She now works as underwriting counsel for a national title insurance underwriter.
After many years in Manhattan, Julie and her husband were drawn to Darien’s natural beauty and its coastal waters and became Darien residents in 2011. Julie has spent over twenty years practicing private equity and hedge fund law. In 2020, she decided to pursue a lifelong desire to focus her time and attention on conservation. Julie serves on Darien’s Advisory Commission on Coastal Waters and heads the Commission’s contributions to Save the Sound’s Unified Water Study of Long Island Sound. In the fall of 2022, she completed a Graduate Certificate in Natural Resources Management and Sustainable Ecosystems from Harvard University. She also has degrees from Middlebury College, William and Mary School of Law, and Durham University in England. Julie can often be found hiking one of the many trails around the tri-state area, photographing nature, sailing on the Sound, traveling to far-flung locations around the globe, or enjoying the company of her husband and their two cats.
Danielle has lived in Darien with her young family for seven years. She and her husband Gabriel were drawn to the coastal water town because of its diverse natural landscapes and resources. Danielle spent ten years working in finance in New York City before becoming a birth and postpartum doula and is now largely dedicated to her two young daughters. Danielle loves to serve her community and is a deeply involved volunteer. She is currently co-chair of the Hindley Elementary School Garden and was a board member of Five Mile River Nursery School in Rowayton. Danielle and her family love to be in nature and spend quality time outside! Together they surf, sail, kayak, ski, hike, camp, and bike ride all around town. Danielle looks forward to working with the Darien Land Trust and honoring its ultra important message.
Kelly and her husband, Colin, were drawn to Darien because of its beautiful, diverse landscape, strong community appeal, and nostalgic summer memories spent with family in Coastal Connecticut. Colin and Kelly planted their roots in Darien during 2018 and lovingly restored a 1910 farmhouse a stone’s throw away from their favorite Darien Land Trust site, Olson Woods. Both Colin and Kelly have a deep passion for land conservation, protecting the environment and enjoying nature with their three children. Kelly loves that nature offers an abundance of recreational, educational and restorative opportunities which has led her to the Darien Land Trust. Kelly has a long-standing marketing career at Google.
Nina is a familiar face to many families at the Darien Nature Center, where she has worked and volunteered for over 25 years. She advocates for animals and the environment by getting involved with causes such as open space initiatives, clean water efforts and Darien’s Pollinator Pathway. To prove that even the smallest parcel of land is worth preserving, she spent a year outside in a tent in her backyard half a mile from town and took note of the many animals with whom she shares her space. Nina and her husband Dave are both Darien Natives. They raised their son Coleman here and are now very happy grandparents to two adorable kids.
Ron and his wife, Suzanne, have been residents of Darien since 2004 where they have raised their three children, all Darien High School graduates. Ron is a passionate conservationist, outdoorsman, sports enthusiast and community volunteer. Over 15 years, he coached multiple youth sports including football, baseball, softball and YMCA basketball. He and his family have been regular participants in the Feed My Starving Children program. He is a lifelong supporter of conservation activities to protect and preserve wildlife habitats. Ron is currently a software sales executive with a global technology company and has held prior leadership positions with American Express, Time Warner and WPP.
Berk and his wife, Susan, have been residents of Darien for 18+ years where they raised their three sons, all Darien High School graduates. Berk has nearly 30 years of experience managing the wealth of families and charitable organizations and is a Partner of Brown Advisory. He coached Darien youth league baseball and football teams for over a decade and was a member of the DJFL Board. Berk served on the Board of Boys Hope Girls Hope New York for ten years and is joining the Advisory Council for the Breast Cancer Alliance (Greenwich) in 2022. He enjoys camping and fishing and is a lifelong supporter of conservation organizations created to preserve and protect wildlife habitats and open space.
Michael recently retired from a successful career in banking technology. He and his wife Pascale are new additions to Darien from Westchester County NY, with a weekend home in Berkshire County, MA. They were drawn in part to be closer to their children and grandchildren and to the wealth of amenities and natural resources Darien enjoys. Michael has taken a number of classes in gardening and landscape design at the New York Botanical Garden, and recently completed an NYBG class, ‘Gardening with Natives’. He also commenced a ten-week online course on Pond Management, and assisted with a new native garden at the DCA Bird Sanctuary featuring roughly 230 perennials. Michael was also recently named to Darien’s Parks and Recreation Commission and serves as Co-Chair, Pear Tree Beach Building Committee.
Tim is a Director and Head of the Emerging Growth Team at Citi Global Markets, where he has spent 12 years on the Equity Research Sales desk. Tim grew up in Darien, and spent his childhood visiting DLT’s Olson and Selleck’s Woods properties. He currently lives near the Waterbury Field where he loves to take his young girls for “bird tours”. He graduated from Darien High School in 1999 and is a 2003 graduate of Gettysburg College with a BS in Business Management. Tim enjoys spending time with his wife Lauren and three girls, and loves food (especially grilling/smoking meats – their house is nicknamed the “Hollow Tree Smokehouse”), He is very active in the community, where he hosts an annual event to raise money for Person to Person’s Toys for Tots, and is a member of the Noroton Presbyterian Church.
Penny’s pursuits in journalism, education and social work span many years and include work in college counseling. She and her family relocated to Darien five years ago, where she served on the ABC Board and is an RTM member for District 2. Penny is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and currently works at Darien Holistic Psychotherapy.
Laney has lived in New Canaan for 25 years where she and her husband raised their triplets. She recently retired from a career in investment banking and asset management, having worked at JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank. With more time for her passion for photography, Laney has recently donated her talents to the Darien Land Trust and the New Canaan Land Trust, where she was the official photographer for the 2020 New Canaan Sculpture Trail. She is also the volunteer coordinator for Food Rescue US/Fairfield County.
Nicole has lived in Darien for six years and has also worked in town for eight. She is editor-in-chief; media/government relations director for Friends of Animals, an international animal advocacy group. She brings 18 years of journalism experience to FoA’s Action Line magazine and to the front lines—protesting and documenting atrocities against animals. Nicole also helps direct FoA’s legislative outreach. She enjoys horseback riding at New Canaan Mounted Troop, photography, wildlife watching and wild places, especially the properties protected by the Darien Land Trust. She has recently become a volunteer photographer for the DLT.
