WHALE Members elected several new Directors at WHALE’s 2013 Annual Meeting. New to the Board are Andrew P. Burnes, Mark Hess and Wendy Nicholas.
Andy Burnes is President of HallKeen Real Estate Management & Investment. Andy and his wife Amy have lived in Dartmouth for 32 years. Andy has redeveloped a number of historic properties in and around New Bedford, notably the Rodman Candleworks on North Water Street, the William Rotch Rodman House on County Street, and Union Lofts on Union Street. The conversion of the former spermaceti candleworks property into contemporary offices and restaurant is considered one of the earliest “adaptive reuse” projects in the country. Burnes served recently on WHALE’s Strategic Plan Committee and led the League’s search for a permanent executive director.
Mark Hess is Director of Acquisitions & Development at HallKeen Real Estate Management & Investment. A New Bedford resident with deep real estate finance and development experience, Mark also has hands-on preservation experience. He and his wife Stacie acquired an 1844 historic but dilapidated house near Clasky Common Park and are in the process of renovating it. Mark is active in New Bedford, co-chairing the Mayor’s Cultural District Steering Committee and a member of the South Coast Rail Task Force. He also served on WHALE’s Strategic Plan Committee and will chair its new Projects Committee.
Wendy Nicholas, WHALE’s Interim Executive Director since July 2012, is a Boston and Westport resident whose career has been in historic preservation and nonprofit management. She was previously the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Northeast Regional Director and directed the Providence Preservation Society prior to assuming the National Trust’s lead role in the region.
Officers elected for second terms were Michael J. Murray, Esq., President; Danielle Poyant, Treasurer; and Haven Roosevelt, Secretary & Clerk. William C. Burns was elected First Vice President, Joyce Lopes, Second Vice President, and Derek Santos, Third Vice President. Also continuing their service on the Board are Keri Cox, Lauren Doyle, Meredith Rousseau, and Kit Wise. Four Directors retired from the Board: Jay Avila, Peter DeWalt, Anne Fenton and Lyn Keith.
