Gianne P. Conard

President

Gianne P. Conard FAIA is an architect, retired from the Federal Government. Prior to her work with the Public Buildings Service, Gianne was a partner with a firm in Philadelphia and a professor of architecture at Drexel, Lehigh, and Cornell universities. A Fellow in the American Institute of Architects and former board member and volunteer with numerous professional and non-profit organizations, Gianne is currently President of the Waterfall Arts Board of Directors in Belfast ME. A resident of Belfast, she is a member of the In Town Design Review Board and can be seen around town with her golden retriever, Mr. Digby Wallace (who recently passed away).

Jeff Davis

Vice President

An active stewardship volunteer with the Land Trust for the last seven years, Jeff and his wife Theresa retired to Camden full time after more than 20 years of enjoying summers in the Midcoast. Jeff spent his career in marketing and advertising, serving as a partner and director at Sandelman & Associates for 25 years and President for 10 years. His hobbies include kayaking, hiking, fishing, mountain biking, gardening and being a member of Uke’s Rock, a ukulele group based in Rockland. He appreciates the efforts of the Land Trust and the impact projects like the Round the Mountain Trail can have on the community.

Judy Wallingford

Treasurer

Judy was the president of Maine Water Company for 24 years, retiring in early 2017. Much of that career was spent at the company’s facilities on the shore of Mirror Lake in Rockport, the primary public water resource for the midcoast area. Born and raised in Maine, her family ties date back to the mid 1700’s. Judy graduated from Bowdoin College with majors in geology and mathematics. She loved raising her two children locally, sharing her passion for environmental stewardship with them. She feels privileged to be part of the Land Trust; helping ensure protection of and public access to the natural beauty of the area.

Kitty Jones

Secretary

Kitty Jones of Rockport is an educator and enjoys exploring the open spaces and protected preserves in Maine. Kitty moved to the Mid-coast 20 years ago with her husband and 3 daughters. She has always been passionate about and appreciative of the many opportunities we have to enjoy the Maine landscape in our area. Whether it’s along the coast or on our community preserves she enjoys exploring the open spaces, thanks to the hard work and dedication of land trusts. She is excited and honored to help advance the important work of Coastal Mountains Land Trust.

Harper Coburn

Harper Coburn is a junior at Camden Hills Regional High School. Harper plays on the high school soccer team, is active in the school’s Windplanners environmental club, and participates in various community service projects. Harper is very excited to be on the Board as a student and help use her voice to advocate for her classmates and peers.

Landis Gabel

For 35 years Landis Gabel taught economics at an institute in Fontainebleau, France. Beautiful though rural France is, for most of those summers he sought the particular beauty of the mountains and sea of the Maine coast. After retiring, he moved permanently to Maine. He has been active with the Land Trust for many years and hopes to contribute to the Trust’s mission for many years more.

Elizabeth Gilmore

Growing up in the Ohio River valley – which Biz loved in its own right – always made Rockport’s summer forests, shorelines, and lakes seem like a Paradise on Earth. The greenery and “blue-ery”, lush farms and a working harbor were mesmerizing. Biz discovered the joys of hiking with her aunt, who was a great naturalist and tremendous Land Trust supporter. Being outdoors is something she joyfully shares with her grandchildren along with growing vegetables and flowers and minor carpentry challenges. Biz comes from a background of 35 years working in nonprofits that serve humanitarian efforts, elder services, mental health as well as environmental education in underserved urban communities. With grateful thanks, she is thrilled to be joining the board to support the vital work of the organization and its ever-growing volunteers and membership.

Steve Kahn

Steve had a 45-year career year in business, primarily working in private equity and venture capital. He concluded his career as CEO of NewLeaf Symbiotics, an agricultural biotech firm he founded in 2012. Though retired now, he continues to serve as NewLeaf’s chairman of the board.

Steve’s grandparents built a camp on Megunticook Lake in the early 1950s and were instrumental in preserving Fernalds Neck. Steve has spent time on the lake every summer of his life. With strong family ties and a love for the area, he and his wife Jan Pendleton built a home on the lake in 2000 and became full-time residents in 2022. They have two married sons and three grandchildren. Steve’s primary outdoor activities include skiing, hiking, biking, and kayaking. His interest in land conservation echoes his grandparents’ and he finds Coastal Mountains Land Trust a perfect vehicle for expressing his love of the region, commitment to the outdoors, passion for preservation, and historical ties to Midcoast Maine.

Robert S. Lawrence

Bob is a retired physician and professor emeritus of Environmental Health & Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He and his wife Cynthia have been coming to Maine since the 1970’s and moved to Rockport fulltime in 2017. Introduced to the Wednesday trail crew by Phil Gaudet and the late Malcolm White in 2014, he continues to enjoy helping maintain the beautiful network of trails created by Coastal Mountains Land Trust and supporting efforts to preserve open space in this beautiful part of the world.

Keelia Liptak-Jay

Keelia Liptak-Jay is a transplant from Vermont, where she grew up in the woods and was instilled with a love for the outdoors. She moved to Boston after graduating from Saint Michael’s College with a BA in Technical Theater, and spent almost 10 years working backstage in the Boston theater scene. Eventually, the outdoors called again, and she started working at a large garden center in Massachusetts, where she attended the UMass Amherst Green School program and earned her horticulturist certificate. In 2019 she and her husband moved to Midcoast Maine with their 2 dogs. Keelia now works as a Project Coordinator for Community Health at Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County General Hospital and was a founding member of the Happy Wanderers program, where Community Health and Coastal Mountains Land Trust collaborate to get people outdoors and moving again during and after the pandemic. She is also an active member of the Rock Coast Roller Derby team as a player and as the Community Development Chair for the team; volunteers at the Night Kitchen in St. George and at The Landing Place in Rockland; and is a volunteer firefighter in St. George.

Gerald Quirk

Gerald has been a lawyer in the biotechnology industry for 30 years but is much happier in hiking boots than in wingtips. He became a Beech Hill docent in 2021 shortly after his arrival in Maine and can frequently be found hiking the Land Trust’s preserves with his wife and their lab. Gerald feels privileged to help the Land Trust champion innovative initiatives to protect and steward the beautiful landscape that we are privileged to call home.

Elisabeth Wolfe

Elisabeth is a Reflexologist who lives in Belfast. Prior to joining the board, Elisabeth and her husband Michael facilitated the conservation of two important additions to the Ducktrap River Preserve in Lincolnville and the McLellan-Poor Preserve in Northport. She is an active hiker and was one of the first people to complete the Land Trust’s Hike-the-Guide Challenge. In her spare time, Elisabeth has also been the creator and coordinator of the Belfast Daffodil project. She says ” I am excited about the idea of contributing to land preservation in the midcoast area of Maine by participating in a more extensive way with Coastal Mountains Land Trust. I bring my knowledge, enthusiasm, long time living experience in Belfast area (since 1981) and a deep love of the Great outdoors.”