About Us > Staff & Advisors

Staff

The CRC's Advisory Board

Jeffrey Bilezikian lives near the Charles in Watertown. He is passionate about the river and volunteering. His professional expertise is in retail – overseeing the Christmas Tree Shops which he sold a few years ago. Many of his athletic endeavors happen along the river.

Dennis Carlone lives and works in Cambridge. As an architect and city planner, he created the master plan for the Lechmere area. He has worked on many other architectural and planning projects along urban rivers.

John Casagrande is a resident of Boston and helps organizations with strategic planning, management, and government relations. His 20 years of legal and real estate experience have benefited numerous civic institutions. He also loves the skatepark project.

Philip Crutchfield lives in Cambridge and spends much of his time sailing on the Charles River as the Vice President of Community Boating. He is a retired business executive and continues to teach and consult on diversity issues.

John DeVillars lives and works in Boston. As former Administrator of the New England Region EPA, he initiated the “Swimmable Fishable Charles 2005” campaign. He is currently Managing Partner of BlueWave Strategies, an environmental advisory firm and enjoys the parklands on a daily basis.

Dr. David Ellis served for 12 years as President of the Museum of Science. Prior to coming to Boston, he served as President of Lafayette College in Easton, PA. Davis is currently a Senior Fellow with the Boston Foundation. He appreciates the view of the Charles River from his home and enjoys walking along its banks.

Lawrence Evans of Cambridge is the founder and senior advisor of Aspen Technology, Inc. Aspen Technology, which is located right on the river’s edge in the Lechmere area, has made it possible for employees to volunteer in the parklands.

Paul Fremont-Smith of Boston has retired from his agricultural business and is now involved with the US Ski Team Foundation and other sports oriented charities. While in Boston, Paul enjoys the parklands; however, he spends most of the winter skiing out west. He is eager to see a world-class skatepark built in Boston.

Nicholas Godfrey lives in Charlestown and has his own marketing firm which mainly serves consumer goods clients. Previous, he worked at Lingo Motors, a software company, and at Harpoon in the branding and communication strategies department.

Saundra Graham lives and works in Cambridge. She represented her Cambridgeport community on the Cambridge City Council for 20 years and also served as a State Representative from 1977-1988. Recently, she has focused her work on public health concerns of the Riverside community.

Debra Iles of Newton worked as a public health consultant and an executive with Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare. Currently she works at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Debra is particularly interested in the connection between active recreation and the parklands.

John Isaacson lives in Cambridge and works in Boston. His firm, Isaacson and Miller, is a national head hunting firm which specializes in executive positions for civic institutions. John enjoys spending time in the Charles River parklands on both the Cambridge and Boston sides.

Steven Kropper of Lexington worked in an office with a view of the Charles River for many years. He founded and recently sold Domania to LendingTree. Currently he works in the US and India at Equinox, which provides technology to help lenders retain their customers. He works from his barn with a view of Wilson Farm.

Frans Lawaetz lives on Beacon Hill in Boston and works as a systems analyst. He spends as much time as possible windsurfing on the river. Frans also volunteers at Community Boating and co-founded the Charles River Swimming Club.

Samuel Chi-Yuen Lowe of Lexington writes and teaches about social justice in his Cambridge office. He has served as Acting Executive Director for the Chinese Progressive Association and would like to see a stronger connection between the Asian population and the parklands.

Harry Mattison lives in Allston and is a member of the City of Boston’s Harvard Allston Task Force. He is the founder of the AllstonBrighton2006 email forum and maintains a blog (allston02134.blogspot.com). Harry manages architecture and engineering software testing at Autodesk. He enjoys the Charles River with his family for sailing, canoeing, bicycling, or walking his dog.

John Moot of Cambridge is a retired CEO of National Fiber. His community activism includes the “Battle of the Sycamores” in the 70s and continues through his positions as President of Friends of Riverbend Park and President of the Association of Cambridge Neighborhoods.

Mary Newmann of Cambridge is former head of the Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols School, which has its upper school campus on the banks of the Charles River. She is currently head of the Cambridge Friends School and has a strong interest in environmental education and service learning.

Barbara Norfleet of Cambridge is a sociologist and photographer with many books and exhibits of her artistic work. She is a retired professor and curator of Harvard University’s Carpenter Center. Barbara is also an avid gardener.

Geraldine Pangaro of Beacon Hill retired in 2007 from the John Hancock Life Insurance Company where she was Vice President and for the last 12 years she headed the International Group Department. She is a regular walker on the banks of the Charles.

Patricia Pratt lives and works in Cambridge where she practices landscape design. She is an active birder, urban space activist and is currently writing a biography of an art collector. Formerly, she served as the chair of the Cambridge Community Foundation.

Candace Roosevelt lives in Beacon Hill in Boston. She is a public health expert and a professional fundraiser for the Joslin Diabetes Center in high net worth donor solicitation. She enjoys the Charles River Parklands on a regular basis.

Bruce Schwoegler is the Founder and Chairman of MySky Communications, Inc. He also serves as a consultant and ambassador to the Massachusetts Environmental Trust. Previously, Bruce was chief meteorologist and science reporter for WBZ-TV, Boston. In his free time, he enjoys biking along the Charles.

Amy Segal lives in Newton. She is Counsel to the law firm, WilmerHale and specializes in advising tax-exempt organizations. Before turning to law, Amy worked as a writer and editor in the US and Europe. She enjoys bicycling and walking with her family along the Charles River and surrounding areas.

Raul Solano of Cambridge came from Mexico 32 years ago to attend Boston University. He is a CPA and has an MA in Urban Planning. Raul currently works for the Boston Housing Authority. Most mornings – winter and summer – he runs along the river for some two hours.

Christopher Stevens works on the Charles River in Newton as Director of the Non-Profit Practice Group at Braver PC, an accounting and advisory firm. As a Boston area resident for many years, Chris has a deep understanding of the important role the Charles River plays in enriching Boston’s landscape and community.

Mary Tambiah works at Boston University where her office overlooks the Charles River. She has over 20 years of experience as a senior fundraiser and now specializes in planned giving. Mary was originally trained in city planning and previously worked in banking.

Paul Walker of Cambridge and Washington DC is Program Director for Global Green USA. He has been actively involved in Cambridge politics for over 20 years and is the co-founder and longtime board member of the Lakes Region Conservation Trust.

Linda Whitlock is President and ECO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, which includes clubs in Charlestown, Chelsea, Blue Hill, Roxbury, and South Boston. Her previous career experiences in planning and education now benefits a large inner-city population.

John T. Williams (Ike) of Cambridge is a principal of the law firm, Fish and Richardson, which represents authors. In addition he lectures on intellectual property and entertainment law. John has served on the Cambridge Arts Council Board and sees the Charles River Parklands as a civic space with great potential.

Jane Zirpoli lives in Boston’s Back Bay. While living in San Francisco as a litigation lawyer, Jane learned to treasure waterfronts and public access. She is the author of a youth novel and continues to write. In addition, Jane volunteers at the Milton Academy.