Leadership
Richard Fried
Treasurer
Richard and Pam live adjacent to Marblehead’s Ware Pond with two of their grandsons. Recently, they made a land donation to the Town for expanding the Ware Pond Conservation Area. For many years, Richard has been active in Marblehead Scouting, serving as a Committee member and Treasurer of Cub Scout Pack 11, Cub Scout Pack 79, Boy Scout Troop 11, and Friends of Troop 11 & Pack 11. Richard and Pam are long-term supporters and members of the Marblehead Conservancy, the Maine Island Trail Association, and the Vinalhaven Land Trust. They enjoy their two sailboats, sailing in Marblehead and out of Camden, Maine.
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Rob Howie
Board Member
Rob is an entrepreneurial executive and management consultant with global experience across a range of industries. He has advocated for ocean sustainability since serving as Commodore of the Corinthian Yacht Club, which became a model for sustainable practices. Rob is also Sailors for the Sea Skipper for Marblehead where he leads their effort to promote Clean Clubs, Green Boating, and Clean Regattas. For his leadership, he received Sustainable Marblehead’s Conservation Award and the Marblehead Chamber of Commerce’s Harbor Award in 2019. He is a lifelong resident and community leader in his native Marblehead where he and his wife raised four children.
John Livermore
Co-Founder and
Board Member
John co-founded Sustainable Marblehead in 2017, served as the organization's first executive director, and spearheaded the adoption of two environment-related warrant articles at Town Meeting in 2018. He wrote the town’s first Climate Action Plan Framework and coordinated its first Greenhouse Gas Inventory. John is currently producing The Moviement, which combines a narrative feature film with a collective action movement to build an unstoppable wave of people-powered climate action! The movie takes place in a small seaside New England town in the near future and tells the story of a family living at the precipice of an irreversible climate tipping point. The plan is to film the movie in Marblehead in 2024.
Jenny Morton
Board Member
Jenny has been involved with Sustainable Marblehead for many years, most recently serving as Chair of our Conservation Working Group. Her background is in computer science and investment management and she has worked across the globe, living overseas for nearly twenty years. She is currently a senior member of the team at 1Sharpe Capital. Always passionate about nature and protecting ecosystems from a young age, beginning with vacations with her parents and the Girl Scouts, she was very happy to meet fellow nature lovers who are dedicated to preserving our earth by volunteering to help Sustainable Marblehead. Their dedication, time, and knowledge to assist Marblehead in becoming carbon neutral by 2040, reducing the use of harmful chemicals and plastics, promoting green boating practices, and planting trees and pollinator gardens, among many other projects, is inspiring and she values the community spirit.
Lynn Nadeau
Board Member
Lynn has used a clothesline and compost heap at the very same house in Marblehead for 50 years. A former mathematics teacher, she is a co-founder of HealthLink and spearheaded the creation of the Beach Bluff Park and its splendid Sun Circle partially funded by her popular and welcoming Haggadah. She currently serves on various local boards: the Clifton Improvement Association, Jewish Journal, HealthLink, Marblehead Democratic Town Committee. She is deeply committed to responsible public policy and admires her colleagues in Sustainable Marblehead. Her 5 grandchildren fascinate her with their ideas and thoughts. She jumps into the sea for a few swims each summer day and regularly attends Town Meeting.
Steve Wolf
Board Member
Drawing from a background in marine science and environmental engineering, Steve has dedicated his career to addressing environmental issues along New England’s coastal areas. He spent over two decades as an environmental consultant working with governmental and private sector clients followed by ten years at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England district. Steve recently joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Boston, where his focus is managing ocean dredged material disposal sites along the New England coastline. Steve has a long-term commitment to supporting STEM programs and environmental education. He and his wife Lisa recently completed construction of their net-zero home in Marblehead.
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Jean Verbridge
Board Member
Jean is a founding principal of SV Design, a commercial and residential architectural and interior design firm based in Beverly and Chatham. Jean is a leader in the interior design industry and has served as President of the Massachusetts Interior Design Conference. In 2016 she was honored by the American Society for Interior Designers with the New England Design Excellence Award. Jean is a resident of Marblehead and as a lifelong seafarer and avid ocean rower, she is a member of Marblehead’s RocknRow club. Jean’s active involvement with the North Shore community includes serving as a Board member for ECCF, Marblehead Counseling Center and Goldthwaite Reservation.
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George Hooper
Board Member
George, a retired Airline Captain and former US Air Force C5 Aircraft Commander, brings a unique perspective to the board. His extensive travels over four decades have given him firsthand experience with climate change. A passionate advocate for environmental sustainability in Marblehead, George actively promotes Net Zero by 2040 goals. His commitment is further reflected in his ownership of electric vehicles and use of renewable energy solutions at home.
George and his wife Jane enjoy sailing and cruising along the New England coast especially “down” Maine. They also support The Trustees of Reservations and The Vinalhaven Land Trust.
Elaine Leahy
Executive Director
Elaine's background is in marketing, public relations and event planning in the corporate sector, including Cardinal Health, as well as nonprofits, including Habitat for Humanity. She holds a MA in Strategic Communication and writing is a passion. Elaine previously served as co-chair of both the Education and Conservation Working Groups in Sustainable Marblehead. She enjoys getting involved in the community and volunteers with many local organizations, including the Marblehead Conservancy, Our Lady Star of the Sea, and the Marblehead Little Theater. She previously served on the Board for the Marblehead Festival of Arts. Spending time in nature to hike, sail, and bike with her family are favorite pastimes, and she has a never-ending stack of books she loves to read.
Kurt James
Board Chair
Kurt is an attorney and founding partner of KJP Partners where he specializes in structuring complex multifamily housing, community health center, educational, and other community development projects utilizing tax exempt financing and tax credits. Kurt has served on a number of local boards and committees, including the Marblehead Planning Board, the Housing Authority, the Smart Growth Advisory Committee, the Fair Housing Committee, and the Affordable Housing Trust. He loves to row, sail, and ride electric vehicles.
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Eileen Haley Mathieu
Board Member, Vice Chair
Eileen, who was born and raised in Marblehead, is a retired physician who practiced emergency medicine on the North Shore for a number of years and then became an internist in Peabody. Her father, a long-time Marblehead physician and sailor, encouraged Eileen’s interest in nature which led to her deep appreciation of the beauty and fragility of our ecosystem. Today, she and her husband, Owen, are avid sailors, bikers, birders, and cross-country skiers. Eileen leads the Clean Energy and Public Policy Working Group, which she says gives her a platform to address the worsening state of our environment.
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Laura Berkowitz Kurzrok
Board Member, Vice Chair
Laura Kurzrok served as the Executive Director of the Eastern Bank Foundation, the charitable arm of Eastern Bank. In that role, she had the opportunity to engage with hundreds of nonprofit organizations and the communities they serve. Prior to her work in the non-profit world, Laura worked as a Buyer of women’s sportswear for Macy’s New York, Filene’s, and Talbot’s. Laura is currently on the Board of the North Shore Community College Foundation and has served as a meditator at Salem District Court, a mentor at Girls, Inc., Lynn, a community chef for Lasagna Love, and has been active in the Marblehead Public Schools. She and her husband, Steven, have lived in Marblehead for over 30 years, raising their two children here. In her spare time Laura enjoys riding her bike on the rail trail, spending time on the beach, and gazing at the harbor.
Louise Bullis Yarmoff
Board Member, Secretary, Former Executive Director
An educator and communicator, Louise has a long-held interest in sustainability. Most recently a teacher of English as a second language in Lynn, she has also served as project manager for an educational exchange program for French young professionals and worked as an editor in the financial services industry. She completed an executive MBA program in marketing and sustainable development in 2013. After growing up in Marblehead and graduating from Marblehead High School, Louise traveled the world and worked with local organizations to help companies grow abroad, living in Japan and France before returning to town in 2015. She and her husband, Jean-Jacques, are working to improve the energy efficiency of their historic home and enjoy sailing their sloop Daphne.
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