Staff and Board of Directors
The Kennebunk Land Trust Board of Directors are volunteers from the community who share expertise, commitment, and a mutual interest in preserving the natural beauty of our area. Each director is elected by the Board of Directors for a three-year term. A director can be re-elected for a consecutive additional three years.The Kennebunk Land Trust Board of Directors are volunteers from the community who share expertise, commitment, and a mutual interest in preserving the natural beauty of our area. Each director is elected by the Board of Directors for a three-year term. A director can be re-elected for a consecutive additional three years.
Staff
Sandy Gilbreath, Executive Director
Sandy Gilbreath holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Southern Maine, and a Master’s in Policy, Planning and Management with a focus on food systems planning, from the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service. Sandy has spent considerable time as an environmental educator – working in Maine farms, tide pools, and marshes; during winter in the Rocky Mountains, and in rivers in the Appalachian Mountains. Sandy continued her love of teaching and learning about food systems as an adjunct in the Food Studies Program at USM, and you can find her many weekends at a farmer’s market, in the garden, and cooking up some favorite foods at her new home in Arundel.
Prior to joining KLT, Sandy was at the Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission where she coordinating projects to benefit local communities on climate action, environmental sustainability, and long range planning and goal setting.
Sandy brings a strong environmental conservation ethic, creating engagement opportunities, and skills to bring people together around commonly held values to ensure all voices are heard. Sandy is thrilled to be with the KLT and sees land trusts as unique and important opportunities to increase access to the outdoors and learning about the surrounding environment.
Sandy is excited to work with the KLT board and community in support of the mission to preserve and protect significant natural spaces in the region, and the special natural identity of the area. Click here to email Sandy.
Nancy Trottier, Development & Administrative Manager
Nancy grew up in a bilingual household in the Biddeford-Saco area. She has diverse work experiences that she brings to KLT and has worked in a variety of sectors including education, non-profits and business organizations. Nancy has experience in fundraising, membership, communications, and events management. She likes diverse opportunities to challenge herself and see others succeed in the process and believes in community. Her outside interests include her family, gardening and bicycling. Click here to email Nancy.
Board of Directors
Carly Traub, Chair
Carly moved to Kennebunk in 2020 with her husband, a Kennebunk native, and her two children. She currently works as Associate Counsel for Camden National Bank. Throughout her life, Carly has been fortunate to spend a significant amount of time exploring nature and playing outdoor sports. 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 woods. On the weekends you can often find Carly and her family walking one of their favorite trails in Kennebunk, Hope Woods.
Jacalyn Gorczynski, Vice Chair
Jacalyn holds a Master of Science in Geology from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi and a Bachelor of Arts in Geology from Mount Holyoke College. She is a licensed professional geologist in Maine, New Hampshire, Florida, and Texas.
Growing up in New England, Jacalyn spent much of her time outdoors, from the coast to the mountains and everywhere in between. This early connection to the landscape naturally led her to pursue geology as a profession. After several years living and working in Texas, she returned to New England and now resides in Lyman.
Jacalyn became involved with KLT’s Stewardship Committee in early 2022 and quickly recognized how her professional experience and personal interests could support KLT’s mission. She is excited about the opportunity to serve on the KLT Board and to help protect local lands while promoting public access to these valuable natural resources.
Aaron Nalezny, Treasurer
Several years ago, Aaron moved to Maine sight unseen for a job with a local bank. Growing up, he always enjoyed being outdoors, be it on the water, in the woods, or simply in the backyard. The Maine perspective of conserving natural resources dovetailed nicely with his personal experiences, making him grateful to be a part of KLT – an organization supported by so many dedicated volunteers and the generous Kennebunk community.
Eileen Church Preston, Secretary
Eileen Church Preston has been a supporter of preserving our land and parks for many years. She moved to the coast of Maine 4 years ago after years of living at the New Jersey shore. Recently retired as COO from the Federal Reserve, Eileen is a business professor at a community college.
Eileen is delighted to participate in the mission of Kennebunk Land Trust in this wonderful location, a worthy investment of time and resources. Eileen is a dedicated hiker, golfer, and traveler whose greatest joy is sharing these interests with her family. She and her husband live in Arundel, and they can often be found walking the trails and beaches.
Lori Beath
After spending over 30 summers in Kennebunk, Lori and her family officially moved to Kennebunk in 2016. It was a big decision because she always wanted Kennebunk to be a “special” place not to be take for granted. She became interested in the Kennebunk Land Trust to make sure that this wonderful town does not become over developed and lose it’s wonderful charm. She values protecting open space in our community. She loves the outdoors having hiked the Grand Canyon, Glacier National Park, British Columbia, Victoria Island and the Great Smoky Mountains. While in Minnesota, she served on the board of the Jon Francis Foundation whose mission is dedicated to saving lives through wilderness safety education, empowering families who have suffered the loss of an adult loved one in the wilderness and advocating for legal protection for missing adults.
Kathleen Harrison
Originally from Massachusetts, Kathleen moved to Maine in 2018 after landing a job at L.L. Bean. She works as a Sr. Analyst on the Print Marketing team, managing the budget and performance reporting for the catalog program. Kathleen moved to Kennebunk from Portland in 2022 with her dog, Blue, and fiancé, Will, a Kennebunk native. She joined the KLT Development Committee at that time to lend her marketing expertise and to become more involved with the community. She is an avid runner, skier, and triathlete, and is a member of the Kennebunk Beach Tri Club. Walking with Blue on the KLT trails is one of Kathleen’s favorite things to do (Alewive Woods is their favorite), and she is passionate about preserving and expanding access to these outdoor spaces for future generations!
Jim Ostell
Jim has Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Zoology from UMass Amherst, and a Ph.D. in Cellular and Developmental Biology from Harvard University. After 32 years at the National Institutes of Health directing teams building computational tools and databases for molecular biology, genomics, and biomedicine, he retired and moved to Kennebunk.
Being close to nature has always been an important part of Jim’s life, from summers on Martha’s Vineyard in grandma’s cabin with no electricity and (then) empty beaches and lagoons, staying at Appalachian Mountain Club cabins with his parents, winter and summer camping and hiking in the White Mountains with the Boy Scouts, living by a beaver pond in a trailer in the Berkshires, to summers on Sebec Lake in his wife’s family camp with no running water. During his time in the suburbs of DC while working at NIH, he was grateful for the respite provided by those people and organizations with the foresight to leave natural areas and parks in the area protected for future generations as the urban density grew up around it. He is glad to make his own contribution as a part of KLT helping preserve the open spaces and natural beauty of Kennebunk for present and future generations.
Durward Parkinson
Durward is an attorney and partner at Bergen Parkinson, a local law firm. He has lived for many years in Kennebunk with his family and values conservation. In addition to role on the Board of Directors, Durward also serves as the Chair of KLT’s Acquisition Committee.
Beth Sandmire
Beth has lived in Kennebunk since 1994 and has been passionate about land conservation and the environment her whole life. Beth worked as a Speech/Language Pathologist and is currently a seasonal local history tour guide. She enjoys walking the local nature trails with her dog, spending time traveling with her husband and kids, and being outdoors whenever possible.
Ellen Therrien
Ellen has resided in Kennebunk since 2013 and considers living in Maine “the way life should be”. She holds degrees in Economics, Education and a Masters in Curriculum. Ellen was an elementary classroom teacher for many years in Connecticut before moving to Maine. In Maine, she worked in Community Relations at a local hospital and through that role she connected with many nonprofit organizations and those who supported them. Being inspired by those community members, Ellen is thrilled to have the opportunity to help Kennebunk Land Trust preserve, promote and educate about the environment we are so lucky to live in. Ellen lives in town with her husband and dog Georgie who all love walking the trails together.
Tony Liguori, Emeritus
Tony has been an outdoorsman all his life. He has broad career experience in aviation and both people and business management. He is a retired USAF Brigadier General. His passion for outdoor recreation and his strong desire to share knowledge and experience with others led him to become a registered Master Maine Guide and Maine Master Naturalist. He views his involvement with KLT as a great opportunity to give back to the community by helping to preserve and maintain parcels of land for future generations. Tony lives in Kennebunk. He serves as the chairman of the stewardship committee and now serves as a KLT Board Member Emeritus.