BHSM Board of Directors
Our board of directors are a dedicated group of individuals committed to the preservation and celebration of Belfast's rich history. Comprising members with various backgrounds and expertise, the board works collaboratively to guide the society's mission and initiatives. With a shared commitment to fostering a deep appreciation for Belfast's heritage, the board of directors plays a pivotal role in ensuring the society's continued success in connecting the past with the present.
Megan S. Pinette - President
Megan, who is originally from New York City, is a graduate of the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford, graduating with a B. F. A. in 1975. She moved with her husband, Dennis, to Belfast in 1983. Here they established a custom picture framing business and were both involved with the burgeoning art gallery scene in both Belfast and Rockland through the 1980s and 90s. She is currently President of the Belfast Historical Society and Museum and serves as curator of the Belfast Museum. She has been active with the historical society for the past twenty years and worked on such projects as “The Museum in the Streets” - the thirty interpretive panels set along the waterfront, downtown and residential streets, the two architectural and history walking tours, creation of exhibits at the museum, and coordinator of historical society programs held at the Belfast Free Library.
David A. Ruberti – Vice President
A native of the City of Belfast, David grew up and attended schools in the community. He is a graduate of the Maine Maritime Academy (1969) and the School of Industrial Management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1992). His military career was with the U.S. Naval Reserves where he attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Extensive experience in the maritime industry included shipboard engineer, various engineering positions in pump manufacturing and finally in the seaweed processing industry. Early on David developed a lifelong interest in carpentry working as a carpenter in residential construction. Recently he has been involved in the Belfast Chamber of Commerce, the Maine Celtic Celebration (as a board member) gaining experience in grant writing and the Senior College program on their board of directors; currently he volunteers at the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport as a photo archivist. Of course, David volunteers at the Museum and contributes extensively of his time and talent.
Philip G. Carthage – Finance Officer
Phil is a long-time resident of Belfast having found the city a wonderful place in which to settle in 1986 after a long military career from which he retired that year. His experience as an officer included flying with two years combat experience, command time and served in the field of personnel management. He then became involved with the Harley-Davidson Motor company and again retired from a management position where he supervised field technical representatives for the eastern half of the US. This led to his own successful business as a consultant for Harley-Davidson Canada for another 11 years. Phil is an active member and past president of the Belfast Rotary Club, very active in his church, a member of the Maine Health Community Advisory Council, supports the VFW, American Legion, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, the Belfast Museum, and the Society of the 1st Division. He is also active in the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors and an avid photography buff.
Mary Gilman – Member
Mary (Staples) Gilman is a Belfast, Maine native and still loves her hometown. After graduating from the University of Southern Maine, Gorham in 1969, she taught science in Belfast for two years. An active member of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an organization of key women educators, she has held numerous leadership positions both local and statewide and is a member of the local chapter of the Maine Educational Association - Retired.
While on hiatus from teaching as her family grew, she was active in local organizations including leading the local Extension club. After her second child was born, Mary started Pixie’s Place Nursery School providing play and learning experiences for many children over the next fifteen years. Re-entering the public-school sphere in 1984, she was a kindergarten teacher and librarian at Frankfort Elementary School for seven years, then for sixteen years as a kindergarten and first grade teacher at Drinkwater School in Northport, Maine where she was the head teacher and for three years, the teaching principal. At that time, she sat on the board for Waldo County Preschool and Family Services (later known as Broadreach). Retiring from teaching in 2013, Mary has continued to be active at the Drinkwater school as a long-term substitute teacher, a volunteer and for the last three years, as a part time librarian and volunteer coordinator.
For many years, Mary was an Emergency Medical Technician with Belfast Fire and Ambulance and worked during the summers in the emergency room at Waldo County General Hospital. Mary enjoys learning about the history of her hometown and is a supporter and board member of the Belfast Historical Society Museum.
Sara Hayes – Treasurer
Sara is a Belfast resident by default, after marrying Arthur Hayes who grew up in The First Church Parsonage. In 2005 they retired to the house next door built by W.T. Colburn in 1846 (owner of the oldest shoe store in America). She has a BA degree in English from Bates College and was employed most notably in the corporate sales office of The Torrington Company and the dean’s office of the University of Connecticut School of Social Work. In the final years before retirement, she and Arthur operated a small sign company in Connecticut, where she handled all of the accounting work. Over the years she was actively involved with her church, the American Association of University Women, PEO (a philanthropic educational organization for women), as past president and currently recording secretary for the Belfast chapter, and now, of course, the Belfast Historical Society and Museum.
Edward Lennon – Member at Large
Ed was born in Concord, Massachusetts and raised in Natick. He served four years in the United States Navy, then went on to a 42-year career in commercial aviation both as a Federal Aviation Authority air traffic controller and 36 years in the airline industry with Northeast and American Airlines finally as a flight controller for Delta Airlines from which position he retired.
He was an active hockey player from childhood into his 70s in amateur hockey leagues wherever he lived. Ed retired to Belfast in 1999 after raising a family that now includes three married daughters and seven grandchildren.
A lifetime learner and avid reader, he has been associated with a number of local organizations including the Belfast Senior College and as an active member of the Waldo County YMCA for over 20 years. Other interests include traveling the world, collecting art and music for over 50 years.
Richard Koralek – Member
Richard has been a Belfast resident since 2007 but was connected to Belfast well before that. His wife’s sister has lived in Belfast for many decades making a connection beginning in the 1970’s leading to regular visits and great familiarity with the area. Richard grew up in New Jersey, spent 4 years getting a bachelor’s degree at MIT, then headed west to Stanford where he got a master’s and Ph.D., all in Electrical Engineering. After more than 40 years in Palo Alto, California, they moved to Belfast cementing their close connections and enjoying the lifestyle.
Richard has been a key technical contributor at a number of aerospace, communications, and storage companies including Ford Aerospace/Lockheed and Adaptec. Having 19 patents to his credit and time as a professor at San Jose State University along with extensive experience assisting with a number of Silicon Valley startups, Richard had the background necessary to start his own very successful consulting company. He is regularly an expert witness on highly technical patent cases for companies that are involved in patent litigation.
Because of his long-time Belfast connections, Richard has become involved in a number of community activities that include: the Belfast Rotary Club, where as President he guided the club through the COVID pandemic, and as a member of the Quality Committee for the Coastal Healthcare Alliance Board of Directors operating two very highly regarded local hospitals. Two more groups have profited from his assistance and interest: as a member of Board of Trustees of Belfast Senior College, a pace setting organization in Maine, and in the same position on the Belfast Historical Society and Museum Board for several years enabling him to fulfill his deep interest in the history of a town that has changed significantly over the past few decades. Living in a house built around 1875 by one of two brothers from Ireland, he and his wife enjoy a home that overlooks beautiful Penobscot Bay: an area full of history going back to the settling of the United States.
Amanda Cunningham – Member
As a Belfast native who was raised during a time when many downtown storefronts were closed and business prospects were slim, Amanda left for college in pursuit of opportunities not available here at that time. After graduating from the University of Maine at Farmington, she traveled, worked, and acquired experience in Boston, Austin, Portland, and Minneapolis, then returned to settle in Portland, got married and began a family. Due to changing family commitments, when the time came there was no hesitation in making the decision to return to Belfast. In addition, it was important to Amanda to raise her child in a safe, inviting community that raised her, with the caring people that make up this wonderful city. Having experienced the vitality of other cities, Amanda was thrilled when she returned to Belfast to find it was experiencing an exciting, unique vibrancy that was refreshing and welcoming.
Most recently as the Marketing Director and Community Coordinator at the “Y”, Amanda became involved with community organizations and events both professionally and as a volunteer. In those capacities, she became familiar with the mission, values, and vision of Our Town Belfast. OTB believes in supporting and promoting local businesses, unique shops, restaurants, outdoor spaces, and events, while honoring our heritage through historic preservation, bringing the community together, in order to make downtown Belfast a more interactive place to live, work and play.
Ken Gordon — Member
Ken Gordon has strong family ties to Belfast going back many generations on his mother’s side. He grew up in Skowhegan graduating high school in 1968. He received AS and BS degrees in Engineering Technology from the University of Maine System. This led to a diverse career primarily associated with the pulp & paper industry in Washington county. Areas of experience included project engineering, project management, process safety management, purchasing, heavy maintenance, health & safety, legal liaison, continuous improvement processes, hydroelectrical system management, and steam plant & utilities management. After nearly 40 years, he retired in 2010 and shortly after that made plans with his wife Susan to move to Belfast. We are fortunate to have built our home off upper High St. on land inherited by my Uncle Roger Sprague. His cousins Syrena Gatewood and Marsha Donahue live on the same plot.
Since retiring, he has been active on the boards of the Belfast Curling Club and the Northport Golf Club with a focus on buildings and ground projects. This included extensive renovation of the curling club following a flooding event. That work included code modifications and the installation of a sprinkler system. At the golf course, a new maintenance facility was permitted and constructed.
Dorothy Havey – Member
Dorothy Havey is a Maine native who graduated from the University of Maine with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration with an accounting minor, graduating magna cum laude.
She is currently serving as the City of Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director. Dorothy has a long history working with nonprofit organizations, including the Owls Head Transportation Museum, the Farnsworth Art Museum, and the Institute for Global Ethics. Additionally, she is serving on several boards among which is the Belfast Historical Society & Museum and the National Association of Tax Professionals as their Vice President.
At the State of Maine senate, the President Michael Thibodeau, asked Dorothy to serve as his Director of Constituent Services for four years, a job she says provided her with a wonderful opportunity to help people in Waldo County. Dorothy also worked for MBNA (Maryland Bank NA) in the facilities development department and thoroughly enjoyed participating in many large-scale construction projects.
Dorothy resides in Belfast with her husband David, a retired respiratory therapist with over 50 years of service in the several medical facilities. She enjoys gardening, fishing, and reading when the time is available from an obviously very busy schedule.
Joyce Louise Fenner – Member
Joyce Fenner is a Maine native who grew up in Belfast graduating from Husson College with a degree in accounting where she was active in a sorority, acquiring letters in and enjoying time hiking Maine, in the glee club and on the bowling team. Her education has continued with courses in psychosocial rehabilitation, oral medication, and computer skills.
Her work history was varied encompassing a long career in the medical field teaching, in data processing, accounting, payroll and as an executive assistant to the CEO of Truitt Brothers. The education in the medical field led to time in Federal Service and with the American Red Cross in home nursing and as a Belfast Hospital aide and helping those with disabilities.
Most important has been Joyce’s engagement with the Belfast and area communities; there is a long list of volunteer and paid engagements that includes more than the following: accounting for the Belfast Free Library, board of directors for the Belfast Historical Society and Museum, in the Woman’s Entrepreneurs group, Landlords Association, on the Board of Waldo County TRIAD (a senior support organization), the First Church of Belfast, and as a trustee of the City of Belfast Grove Cemetery.
In these various pursuits, Joyce Fenner has made a significant contribution to the welfare, support, and progress of her beloved hometown.
CS Barnes – Member
Born in the UK, CS Barnes grew up in the Midwest, where her parents were professors at Indiana University. In early adulthood, she moved to Chicago eagerly seizing opportunities at the forefront of the digital revolution during the 90's. For 25+ years, CS has cultivated a strong reputation as a hybrid designer (print/web) and web developer, emerging as a sought-after contributor and consultant for Fortune 500 companies, including McDonald's, Sears, and Motorola.
In 2004, CS founded CSB Digital Design Inc, specializing in user experience enhancements and playing a pivotal role in guiding businesses and non-profits to elevate their brand's marketing presence. Her proficiency in the digital design arena has positioned CS as a trusted advisor highly sought after by C-suite executives for her innovative solutions and strategic insights. Besides her work in the private sector, she takes immense pride in contributing professional and high-quality digital media to non-profit organizations, including BHSM. Since 2007, CS has served as the web designer and consultant for the Museum, lending her expertise to enhance the museum's digital presence.
Beyond the design studio, CS, an avid outdoor enthusiast, combines her love for the environment (longtime Sierra Club member) and travel.