Staff

Board of Directors

	President: Jerry Shinn, Weare Jerry graduated from Oberlin College with a BS in Biology and later earned an MS in Accounting from New Hampshire College. A native of Rhode Island, he moved to New Hampshire in 1974 to work on a dairy farm in Charlestown. He then moved to Weare in 1981 when he purchased Country 3 Corners, a hardware and lumber business where he continues as an owner. He has over 25 years experience in sales and management, as a CPA and in various high technology companies. He has served as Chairman of the Weare School Board, President of the Board of the Concord Community Music School, and has been on numerous other municipal and non-profit boards. He and his wife Carolynne live in a restored 1823 farmhouse that sits on a bend of the North Branch of the Piscataquog River.
	Vice-President: Sherry Hieber, Goffstown Sherry Hieber lives in Goffstown and is lucky enough to be able to walk her dog Eamonn in the woods behind her house on Gorham Pond Road, where she appreciates daily the diverse plants and animals that make their homes there. Her love of nature was nurtured by 25 years of living with a spider biologist, her husband Craig, who passed away in 2002. She spends most of her mental energy helping her two wonderful kids, Eddie and Jana, survive adolescence. She works as an attorney at the Law Office of Rodney L. Stark, PA in Manchester. She is a former board member of the Goffstown Main Street Program.
	Treasurer: Gail Parker, New Boston Born in Boston, Gail Parker met her engineer husband Randy at Cornell University. In 1963 they renovated and moved into an old grist mill located on the Piscataquog in New Boston center. Gail's early career as an editor with Sky & Telescope magazine shifted into motherhood, property manager and volunteer work including many years on the School Board. She helped form the PLC in order to save the vital B&M railroad right-of-way along the river. In the mid-1980's, the Parkers moved to Ohio where Gail earned her CPA and worked with various businesses. They "retired" to the Mill in 1999. Family is Gail's priority and outdoors is a favorite place to be, so exploring the PLC trails with the grandchildren is an ideal combination.
	Secretary: Mica Stark, New Boston Mica is a ninth-generation New Hampshire native and lives in New Boston with his family. Mica's professional experience is in political and civic engagement. He currently serves as the Outreach & Engagement Director for The Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire. For the past several years, he led numerous civic initiatives at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. Mica was also the founding Board Chair for City Year New Hampshire. He earned his M.A. in political theory from Michigan State University and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of New Hampshire. Mica serves on the Town of New Boston's Open Space Committee. He is an avid golfer and can often be found on the course at Crotched Mountain Golf Club.
	Len Allen, Francestown Len received his BS from Yale and MS from Stevens Institute. After three years service in the Navy he started a 45 year career in manufacturing. As job opportunities moved away from NJ, he stayed, finding other companies close to home from General Dynamics to Revlon! His interest in conservation began early as he and his wife Meredeth restored their first house, built in 1688. After retiring, they found the perfect old house in New Hampshire to 'bring up to their standards'. He was on the board of the Old Meeting House of Francestown for 4 years, 2 years as President, helping in its restoration. His interest in land conservation started with the PLC, where he served first as a member of the Development Committee, then as a member of the Board as well as the Finance and Open Space Committees. Len and Meredeth have placed a conservation easement on 12 of their 15 acres, and love to garden on the three acres remaining. Two married daughters and four grandkids are frequent visitors.
	Paul Doscher, Weare Paul Doscher serves as Vice President for Land Conservation at the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, where his responsibilities include leadership of the land protection program and the easement stewardship program. Mr. Doscher serves as trustee for Trout Unlimited, is a member of the State Parks Advisory Council and the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters Citizens Advisory Council (both appointed by the Governor), and is a past member of the Weare Planning Board, Weare Conservation Commission, and the John Stark Regional School Board. A former professor of Environmental Science at New England College, Mr. Doscher and his wife Deb own Windcrest Farm in Weare, which they protected with a PLC conservation easement in 2004.
	Barbara Griffin, Goffstown Barbara has served on several town committees since 1989 including 6 years on the Budget committee and 12 years as a Selectman, during which time she served on the Planning Board, Capital Improvement Program Committee, Economic Development Council, and Conservation Commission, which was instrumental in securing the funding and agreement to purchase the railroad bed in Goffstown where trail construction has just begun. She represents Goffstown on the Southern NH Planning Commission and serves on their Executive Committee as Treasurer. Barbara owns and manages a law firm in Manchester.
	Carol Hess, New Boston Carol Hess has lived in New Boston since 1979. She has been active in the PLC since that time, and previously served on the board in the early 1980's. Carol is a lawyer by training and currently works as a mediator, arbitrator and consultant. Her passion for protecting the watershed stems from her strong belief that it is a privilege to live in such a beautiful place and that we have an obligation to care for it. Carol has raised two daughters in the watershed, Holen and Julie Katz and is married to Jed Callen, a former PLC president.
	David J. Preece, Manchester David has serves as Executive Director and CEO of the Southern NH Planning Commission. Mr. Preece works with the regions many planning and zoning boards as well as working with conservation commissions and open space committees and is a strong advocate for smart growth planning principles. For the past 35 years, David has worked as an urban and environmental planner in the public and private sector in several U.S. cities. He has received two Outstanding Planner awards from the American Planning Association (APA) and was awarded the NH Governor’s Citation of Excellence in 2007.
	Dwight Sowerby, Dwight, who lives in Lyndeborough, is an Associate Attorney with Drescher & Dokmo PA in Milford, spends much of his time reviewing documents related to open space development, conservation easements, and subdivisions, along with work in elder law, municipal law, and estate planning. Dwight has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including the Pine Hill Waldorf School in Wilton, Home Healthcare, Hospice and Community Services in Keene, and St. Joseph's Home Health Care and Hospice.
	Bob Stamps, Henniker Bob lives in Henniker and has worked for Westinghouse Electric Corporation on the AWACS defense system, Smith Seckman Reid Consulting Engineers out of Nashville, and most recently Hewlett Packard, in support engineering, product marketing, and research and development. He currently serves his home town, serving on the Conservation Commission, the Zoning Board of Adjustment, and the Open Space Committee. Mr. Stamps is a past board member of the Henniker Historical Society, where he also served as the Society’s Museum Curator.
	Bill Tucker, Goffstown Bill is a NH native and long time Goffstown resident who lives with his wife Sue on the side of Mt. Uncanoonuc, on property which abuts the recently protected Welch Farm and other conservation land. Mr. Tucker is an attorney in Manchester whose experience includes work with planning and zoning boards as well as town conservation commissions.