Contact any of our staff members by clicking the button next to their bio down below. Find a list of our committees here. Our annual reports were printed in the spring issues of our biannual newsletter until 2023 and are now stand-alone documents. You can find our annual report and newsletter archive here.
Staff
Alex Moot, Executive Director
Prior to joining CLC as its first Executive Director in 2022, Alex served for eight years as the Board President of CLC. He previously served on the boards of CLC’s two predecessor organizations for twelve years. Alex has been a member of the Chocorua Lake community for over 50 years. He spent twenty years working as a venture capital and private equity investor, most recently investing in small companies located in rural areas of New England. Alex previously served on the Board of Directors of the Loon Preservation Committee and the Board of Advisors of WGBH, a public radio station in Boston. His interests include photography, downhill and cross-country skiing, ice hockey, and tennis. Alex and his wife Nancy have two adult children and a large dog.
Debra Marnich, Stewardship Director
Debra brings to CLC over 30 years of land conservation planning, project management, outreach, and environmental education expertise. Before joining CLC in 2022, Debra enjoyed a 20-year career with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as a Conservation Planner in Carroll County, NH helping private landowners and nonprofit organizations navigate and implement Federal conservation programs and assisting them with conservation planning. Through this work she has deep connections in the Chocorua Lake area, where she has worked with CLC and other landowners in the Basin area on NRCS conservation projects. Debra holds a B.S degree in Zoology and a MS Degree in Forestry with a concentration on education and recreation. Her interests include hiking, skiing, canoeing, birding, fishing, foraging, gardening, photography and cooking. Debra and her husband, Eric and their rescue pup, Maggie live in Center Conway, NH.
Juno Lamb, Communications director & Programs
Juno is a writer, editor, teaching artist, community facilitator, and grateful parent. Her connection to this region extends back many generations, and her interests include relearning reciprocity with the other-than-human world, growing and supporting diverse human communities through creative, expressive, and interactive activities, native and abundant plant medicine, and art-making with repurposed textiles and other low-impact materials. Email Juno.
Galen Kilbride, Seasonal Land Steward
Born and raised in Deering, New Hampshire, Galen Kilbride has always been close to nature. By exploring the woods, small ponds and streams in his backyard, he formed a strong sense of connection with plants and animals early in life. It is in these wild places where he feels truly at home. Currently living in Antrim, NH where he built a timber-frame house from trees harvested on his property, he continues to appreciate the outdoors. Galen discovered an affinity for conservation easement monitoring in 2023 after working for the Harris Center in Hancock, NH. As a Seasonal Land Steward with CLC, he plans to continue exploring and enjoying the outdoors and expanding his knowledge of conservation work.
Troy Emerson, Lake Patrol
Troy has served as the CLC’s Lake Patrol Officer since 2013. Troy and his wife, Melissa, and children are life-long residents of Tamworth. Troy attended the Brett School in Tamworth and graduated from Kennett High School in North Conway. From Memorial Day weekend through mid-October, seven days a week and twice a day, Troy patrols the lakefront public access areas. Troy is responsible for trash pickup, ensuring that rules for these sites are followed by all, and answering questions. Troy reports that his most common question from members of the public is: “Will you take a photo of us?”
Sherry Birth, Bookkeeper
Sherry lives in Chocorua with her husband, Scott and their chocolate lab, Bailey. Sherry is the bookkeeper at Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough., and has worked as an accountant at nonprofits for 30 years here in New Hampshire and in Arizona. Sherry graduated from Kennett High School in Conway and lived for many years over the hill in neighboring Silver Lake. After spending 11 years in Surprise, Arizona, Sherry returned in 2014, as New Hampshire will always be home. Loving the outdoors, she is a gardener and has been called a “plantaholic” by family members. Baking, reading and quilting are some of the other things she enjoys. Together, Sherry and Scott have three grown children and two grandchildren.
Board of Directors
David Kunhardt, President
David has been coming to Chocorua since 1962, when his family purchased land and built a house on Chocorua Lake Road. David served on the CLA board from 1987 to 1991 and the CLCF board from 1990 to 1996, and facilitated the Chocorua Mountain Club-CLC merger talks in 2023. David retired from his solar business in 2020. After moving from California to Scarborough, ME, he and his wife Susan now spend almost half the year in Chocorua. David made contributions to building sustainable communities for over 30 years, primarily as a finance professional. He is active with Citizens Climate Lobby in Maine, and is on the Board of the Piper Shores Lifecare Retirement Community. David is also a Member of the Tamworth Energy Committee. David has a B.A. from Middlebury College and attended the Master of Urban & Regional Planning program at George Washington University.
William Zehring, VICE PRESIDENT
Will and his wife Kristi retired and moved in 2020 from Pennsylvania to a home in Silver Lake, New Hampshire, in search of snow. Will has participated in many CLC events and has been a key Winter Fest volunteer and wood chip spreader. He is a member of CLC’s Events and Outreach Committee. He received his BA from the University of Kansas, his PhD from the University of Chicago, and has also trained at Brandeis and at Duke. Will is an Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry from the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. While at Brandeis he contributed to research that led to the Nobel Prize in Medicine to three U.S. researchers for their decades-long work on the circadian clock. Will's interests, apart from hiking and skiing, include old movies, books, music, and rusty sports cars.
Geoffrey Gill, Treasurer
Geoff has spent time in Chocorua since the 1960s when his parents bought a house on Chocorua Lake Road. Geoff served a three-year term on the CLC board from August 2015 to August 2018, and has served on CLC’s Finance Committee since 2015. Geoff is the founder and currently serves as CEO of Verisense Health, a digital health company. He previously served as a CFO for ten years at two other companies. Geoff and his wife Karen live in Newton, Massachusetts. He has an A.B. from Harvard University and an M.S. from MIT. Geoff is an avid tennis player and has organized the Chocorua Labor Day Tennis Tournament for the past several years.
Ruth Weld, Secretary
Ruth spent summers in Chocorua her whole life and volunteered with the CLC during much of that time. She served as chair of the Education & Outreach Committee for five years and is now on the Development Committee. Her father instilled in her a love of wooden boats, re-reading books, and blueberry picking. Her mother instilled a love of architecture, travel, and art. Ruth graduated from Oberlin College, then worked at a family philanthropy fund, a women's shelter, and as a nanny. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Communication Disorders with the goal of becoming a Speech Language Pathologist. She lives with her husband Mike, their daughter, and two cats in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Kae Buchanan
Born and raised on the seacoast of New Hampshire, Kae was fascinated by natural wilderness at an early age and always enjoyed exploring the White Mountains. She headed west at age 18 to explore the Rocky Mountains and discovered colorful Colorado. While living in Denver, she earned a Master of Humanities degree in Communication and Anthropology from the University of Colorado and worked in higher education. After many adventures, including hiking on every continent except Antarctica, Kae returned to the Granite State in 2018 and found her home in the White Mountains. She has hiked all of the trails to the summit of Mount Chocorua and enjoys relaxing in her kayak on Chocorua Lake. Kae currently works at REI and spends winter on the slopes of Attitash working as a Mountain Safety Guide.
Richard “Rich” Comer
Rich’s connection to the Lakes Region began during his childhood summers at the family cabin near Providence Lake, inspiring a lifelong love for the area. Following a distinguished 25-year military career and subsequent decades in defense contracting, he and his wife fulfilled their dream of residing in the region full-time in 2020. Throughout the isolating years of 2020 and 2021, Rich found sanctuary in CLC’s hiking trails and natural landscapes, prompting him to contribute as a volunteer. His dedication led to a role on the Lakes and Property Management Committee, where he has served since 2022. Rich holds a BS in Workforce Education, Training, and Development from Southern Illinois University and is a graduate of the Navy Senior Enlisted Academy. He and his wife Annette live in Effingham with their two beloved dogs, Sam and Molly.
Anne Foley
Before purchasing her uncle’s house in Tamworth in 2005 with her oldest brother and mother, Anne spent most summers at the family home in Chocorua, not only with her siblings but also with her many cousins; together they swam and canoed at Chocorua Lake and hiked the Sandwich Range and beyond. In 2022, Anne moved from the D.C. area. For the past several years, Anne has enjoyed many CLC activities, both as a participant and a volunteer. She works remotely as a research attorney/legal editor in areas ranging from banking law to legal ethics, primarily as these laws and ethical rules implicate corporate attorneys and executives. When not working, Anne enjoys playing tennis and pickleball, doing crossword puzzles, and walking her dog on the many trails in the area. Anne has an A.B. from Mount Holyoke College, a J.D. from Tulane Law School, and an M.S.L.S. from the School of Library and Information Science at Catholic University.
John Kumm
John’s grandparents bought The Rafters on Philbrick Neighborhood Road in Chocorua in 1947, and John has been going there since 1955. After many years of seasonal visitation, John and his wife Ellen realized a long-time dream and moved their home to the Rafters in 2022, where they now reside full-time. John has been an active CLC participant and volunteer, most recently as a member of the Winter Fest planning team and the Finance Committee. John is also a member of the Tamworth Energy Committee. He works remotely as a senior environmental engineer for EA Engineering, which is based in Maryland. John has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. In his free time he is happiest maintaining the Rafters and spending time outdoors.
Bruce Larson
Bruce has served for several years on the LPMC and is now the chair of that committee. Bruce and his partner Kathy Bird have owned a tract of forest and stream in Albany for 40 years which contributes to the Chocorua Lake watershed. Upon retirement, they moved full time to the land and have been learning sustainable beekeeping, orcharding and timber practices. Bruce taught science and did enrichment activities for students K-12 in a career which allowed him to take students to the Amazon River and glaciers of Alaska. An avid traveler, hiker and photographer, Bruce has an M.S. in Environmental Science from Johns Hopkins University.
Michael Rich
Michael is a third generation Chocoruan, having first dipped his body into our sylvan waters in his first year of life. While The Admiral (grandpa) was off in the Pacific during WWII, his grandmother, Joan Watt, and his mother, Joan Watt Rich, bought Merrybrook Farm, home of the now (in)famous Orgasmic Organic Blueberries. Michael spent every summer of his young life on that farm, swimming in The Lake daily and climbing The Mountain every summer since he was 5. He and his siblings continue the PYO blueberry tradition started by his father. Michael, his wife Lydia, their sons, Jason and Ian, are now “hill people” on Page Hill (but swim only in The Lake). In his other life, Michael is a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, known as “The Mediatrician” for his research and clinical work on the effects of screen media use on the health and development of children and adolescents.
Banner: Chocorua on a perfect June day. Photo: Juno Lamb