Officers

Samuel A. Flax (Sam)
Chair

Chevy Chase, MD/Nantucket. Sam and his wife Meg began coming to Nantucket in the early 1990’s, when their children were very young, and became summer residents in 2010. Sam is a Professor from Practice at the Georgetown University Law Center where he teaches courses on corporate, securities and property law and finance. He joined Georgetown’s full-time faculty following a 35-year legal career. He was the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of American Capital, Ltd., a publicly-traded asset management and private equity firm based in Bethesda, Maryland. Previously, he was a senior partner in Arnold & Porter, a Washington, DC-based international law firm. Sam is a graduate of Georgia Tech, where he majored in Industrial Engineering, and from the Washington & Lee University School of Law. He was a fellow at Harvard University’s Advanced Leadership Initiative. Sam has been a member of GTAB, the Georgia Tech President’s advisory board, and the Washington & Lee Law Council, and is a past President of Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, MD, and of the organization that is now Washington’s Capital Jewish Museum. Sam and Meg have three children, all of whom are delighted to call Nantucket their second home.

Nathaniel Philbrick
Vice Chair

Nantucket. Nat was born in Boston, raised in Pittsburgh, and has degrees from Brown and Duke Universities. He and his wife Melissa moved to Nantucket with their two young children in 1986. Nat is the author of close to a dozen books, including Away Off Shore, Abram’s Eyes, In the Heart of the Sea, Mayflower, Why Read Moby-Dick?, and Travels with George. He has served on the boards of the Nantucket Atheneum (during the capital campaign to build the children’s library in the 1990s), the Maria Mitchell Association, and Nantucket Community Sailing. He is the founding director of the Egan Maritime Institute and a research fellow at the Nantucket Historical Association.

Deborah J. Manus
Treasurer

Boston, MA/Nantucket. Deb is Chair and past managing partner of the Boston-based law firm, Nutter, McClennen & Fish, LLP. She focuses her practice on providing legal advice to estates and trusts. Deb also serves as trustee of a significant number of private trusts. She is also a principal of Nutter Investment Advisors, LLC, which provides investment advisory services to trusts, individuals, and foundations. Deb is a past President of the Boston Bar Association and is a Trustee of the Boston Bar Foundation.  Deb and her husband Peter, a law school professor and published author of two murder mysteries, have one son, Ned, as well as two indulged pugs. Deb and Peter have been summer residents of Nantucket since 2003, but they have loved the island much longer than that.

Linda B. McGrath
Secretary

New York/Nantucket. Linda and her family started coming to Nantucket in 1993 and quickly fell in love with the history and beauty of the island and made it their summer escape from city life. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1981, Linda moved to Manhattan, where she met her husband, Ben, and raised two daughters, Mollie and Emma. Linda began her career in advertising at Ogilvy & Mather and, after working for several other smaller boutique agencies, went to work for Conde Nast as the promotion director for Allure magazine. After fifteen years, Linda retired from the advertising and publishing world and threw her energies into volunteer work at her daughters’ school, The Convent of the Sacred Heart, where she spent seven years on the Board of Trustees, including as the chair of the development committee; she also had the honor of serving on UVA’s Jefferson Scholars Selection Committee. Linda then ran a successful interior decorating business for fifteen years. She intends to spend the next fifteen years doing meaningful work for those organizations that she holds near and dear to her heart, including Nantucket Community Sailing where she has been deeply involved for the past ten years, the Board of Governors of the Nantucket Yacht Club. Linda is an avid sailor, golfer, bridge player, traveler and book club member. A prolific reader since day one, Linda has fond memories of weekly trips to the library and has enjoyed seeking out and spending time in libraries her entire life. She is delighted to serve on the board of the Atheneum.

Trustees

Judith G. Belash

Nantucket. Retired with her husband John to Nantucket in 2002. She is a graduate of Newton High School, Wellesley College and Boston University School of Law. Beginning in 1965 she worked as a lawyer for the SEC, the NYSE and for the remaining 32 years in New York served as Associate General Counsel for Litigation and Regulatory Affairs at Goldman, Sachs & Co. During that time, she was a member of several regulatory and self-regulatory committees of the SEC, NYSE, CBOE and the NASD where she served on the NASD Board of Governors. In 2001 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Securities Industry Association for her contributions in the areas of compliance and litigation. From 1979 to 1989 she was a member of the Board of the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York. Since 2002 she had been a participant in numerous aspects of the Nantucket community serving eight years on the Board of Maria Mitchell, nine years on the Board of A Safe Place, two years on the Board of the Nantucket Community Music Center and twelve years on the Board of the Nantucket Cottage Hospital where she was elected Clerk and Chair of the Board Compliance Committee. She and her husband were history Interpreters for the Nantucket Historical Association for many years, were participants in the Elementary School “Grandparents” program from 2004 through 2015 and VIP volunteers for the Nantucket Police Department from 2014 through 2019. She volunteered at The Hospital Thrift Shop from 2014 through 2019. She sang in the Community Chorus and the Women’s Chorus and read for and acted in Armchair Theater. She gardens, writes poetry, and her newest creative endeavor is attempting pottery. She and her husband consider their move to Nantucket to have been blest.

Christopher M. Berger (Chris)

New York City. Chris is a Vice President at BlackRock and a member of the firm’s Corporate Affairs team. In this capacity, Chris is responsible for the firm’s reputation management and communications strategy with respect to its business in China. Formerly, Chris was a member of BlackRock’s Financial Markets Advisory (FMA) Group. The FMA team provides a wide range of advisory, valuation, and innovative portfolio management solutions for its clients, which include banks, insurance companies, official institutions, and other financial intermediaries. Prior to joining BlackRock in 2015, Chris was a senior analyst within the Markets group of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY), where he led the coverage of corporate credit markets, providing senior policy makers with macroeconomic analysis on developments in high yield and leveraged finance markets. Prior to working at the FRBNY, Chris was an associate at Orion Consultants, a fixed income consulting firm. Chris earned a BA degree, cum laude, in history from Princeton University in 2006 and a Masters degree in international affairs from the Fletcher School at Tufts University in 2011. Chris is also a member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of Books for Kids, a non-profit organization that promotes literacy among preschool-aged children in under-resourced communities.

Bianca Bosker

New York/Nantucket.  Bianca is an award-winning journalist and author who has a deep love of libraries. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling books Get the Picture and Cork Dork. In addition to serving as a contributing writer at The Atlantic, Bosker has written for publications including The New Yorker, The New York Times,and Wall Street Journal and her work has been anthologized in the Best American Travel Writing. She grew up in Portland, Oregon, graduated from Princeton University, and lives in New York.

Anne Buckman Calder

Houston, TX/Nantucket. Anne has been a summer resident of Nantucket since she was a child. She frequented the Atheneum when she was a kid and enjoys sharing time there now with her three children. Anne is a graduate of Boston College’s School of Arts & Sciences and Fordham University School of Law. After practicing corporate law in New York City for several years, Anne now resides in Houston, Texas, where she focuses on raising her children and is involved in several local charities, Anne was recently elected to Advisory Board of the Hermann Park Conservancy.

Jack Carter

New York City/Siasconset. Jack spent the past 30 years coming to Nantucket with his four siblings to devour summer reading, perform odd jobs, and most recently, relax. In what he views as a natural progression, Jack has graduated from bussing tables at the mercurial ACK restaurant to leading healthcare corporate strategy. After several years at a large healthcare venture capital fund, Jack now leads strategy at an NYC-based company that builds and supports networks of healthcare and social service providers. He believes firmly in the ability of coordinated community engagement to transform lives. Jack is a graduate of the University of Virginia and is fascinated by art, architecture, and anything his aunt Paula recommends to read.

William D. Cohan (Bill)

New York City / Nantucket. Bill was a former senior Wall Street M&A investment banker for 17 years at Lazard Frères & Co., Merrill Lynch and JPMorganChase, is the New York Times bestselling author of five non-fiction narratives: three about Wall Street:  Money and Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World; House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street; and, The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co., the winner of the 2007 FT/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award. His book, The Price of Silence, about the Duke lacrosse scandal was published in April 2014 and was also a New York Times bestseller. His 2022 book, Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon, about the rise and fall of GE, once the world’s most powerful, valuable and important company, was published in November 2022 by PenguinRandomHouse. It was long-listed for the 2022 FT Business Book of the Year Award. It was a New York Times bestseller and on the best book of the year lists published by The New Yorker, The Economist, The Financial Times and the Dealbook section of the New York Times. He is working on a new book about Leon Black and Apollo Global Management. He is also the author of Why Wall Street Matters, which was published by Random House in February 2017. His new book Four Friends, about what happened to four of his friends from Andover, his high school, was published by Flatiron Press, a division of Macmillan Publishers, in July 2019. Cohan is also a founding partner of Puck, a digital publication owned and operated by journalists, and a writer-at-large for Air Mail. For 13 years, he was a special correspondent at Vanity Fair. He also writes, or has written, for ProPublica, The Financial Times, The New York Times, Institutional Investor, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, The Atlantic, Fast Company, The Nation, Fortune, Politico, ArtNews, and Barron’s. He previously wrote a bi-weekly opinion column for The New York Times, an opinion column for BloombergView, as well as for the Dealbook section of the New York Times. He appears on CNN, on MSNBC and the BBC-TV. He has also appeared three times as a guest on the Daily Show, with Jon Stewart, The NewsHour, The Charlie Rose Show, The Tavis Smiley Show, and CBS This Morning as well as on numerous NPR, BBC and Bloomberg radio programs. He was formerly a contributing editor for Bloomberg TV and CNBC. He is a graduate of Phillips Academy (Andover), Duke University, Columbia University School of Journalism and the Columbia University Graduate School of Business. He grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts and now lives in New York City with his wife and, more occasionally these days, his two sons.

Nathan (Nate) Cressman

Greensboro, NC/Nantucket. Approaching 25 years with Magnussen Home, Nathan Cressman began his career in 1997 as Product Development Manager. Since then, he has served in various leadership positions at the company, including Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Product Development in 2009 before becoming President in 2012 and then President & CEO in 2017. Nathan and his wife Lisa now own Magnussen Home. Magnussen home is one of the largest suppliers of case goods in North America. Nathan serves on the AHFA Board and is the City of Hope 2021 Nominee for the furniture industry. Born and raised in Canada, Cressman attended Bowling Green State University, where he played hockey. He and his wife Lisa have two children, Georgia and Ty. Both attend Auburn University, where Ty was member of the men’s basketball team. During his free time, Cressman enjoys golfing, traveling, attending Carolina Hurricanes hockey games, and caring for Louis and Honey, the long-haired dachshunds he and his wife share at their Greensboro, North Carolina home.

Tom Forman

Laguna Beach, CA/Nantucket. Tom has created and produced more than 100 television series, receiving the Peabody and Murrow Awards for his documentary work, multiple Emmy and People’s Choice Awards for his entertainment programing, along with NATPE’s Innovator Award for his groundbreaking formats. His previous venture, Critical Content, was one of the world’s largest producers of unscripted content. While running that company, Forman created and produced series like Get Organized and Instant Dream Home on Netflix, Catfish on MTV, The Great Food Truck Race on Food, Cheap Old Houses on HGTV, and Celebrity Game Face with Kevin Hart on E!. Prior to Critical, Forman worked with international television producer Endemol, where he created and ran the hit ABC show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Earlier in his career, Forman oversaw series for CBS News, including a five-year stint on the long-running news magazine 48 Hours. In 2001 Forman wrote and produced the documentary 9/11, also for CBS News, for which he won Emmy, Peabody, Edward R. Murrow, and WGA Awards.

Melissa Brooks MacVicar

Nantucket. Melissa was born and raised on Nantucket. She and her husband Angus raised their two children, Eileen and Joel, on the island as well. Melissa retired from teaching in the Nantucket Public Schools after 20 years in 2023. She is the author of three young adult novels set on Nantucket, and she enjoys researching her various island ancestors. Melissa visits the Atheneum all year round to read and write. She also loves walking the island’s beaches and trails as well as searching for unique vintage items to add to her collections. She has volunteered with the LVA program at the library, as a sorter and cashier at the Hospital Thrift Shop and for Meals on Wheels.

Allan D. McKelvie, Esquire

Washington, D.C./Nantucket. Allan was a practicing attorney in Washington, until embarking on a career as a real estate consultant and developer. While he was involved in a number of different projects throughout DC in the 1990’s, in the early 2000’s he turned his attention to building an entire village in Ashburn, VA (Goose Creek Village). He is currently trying to retire from this endeavor, as the last remaining parcels are in the process of completion. McKelvie served as chairman of The Council of the Woodrow Wilson House from 1992-1997, a property owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation; as a board member of the Green Door from 2003-2016, a DC based non-profit which serves approximately 1,800 clients dealing with mental illness; and served on the Board of Trustees of Bullis School in 2008-2012. Bullis is a 3^rd – 12^th grade school in Potomac Maryland. Darina and Allan have two children, Margot and Roddy. The McKelvies purchased Isle Dew, on Nantucket, in 2012. While Allan enjoys serving on the Board of the Atheneum, biking, golf and sailing, Darina spends much of her time biking and painting.

Charity Grace Mofsen

Nantucket. Originally from North Carolina, Charity Grace first visited Nantucket in the summer of 2015 and became lovestruck — not just from the serene natural beauty — but more importantly, from the people who reside here. This kinship brought her to become a full-time resident within just a few months. With a love for deep listening and advocating for the island’s community, Charity Grace now serves as the Legislative Liaison to State Representative Dylan Fernandes. Inspired by the beauty of Nantucket and the island’s unique history, Charity Grace shares her gifts as a Photographer with brilliant fine art prints and creative storytelling through portrait sessions. Having a degree in Sustainable Residential Design and Development from Maharishi International University, Charity Grace is fascinated by the architecture, history, and buildings of Nantucket and holds her real estate license at Centre Street Realty. An advocate for the empowerment of youth, Charity Grace serves on the board at Nantucket Lighthouse School. Her experience in a consciousness-based learning environment allows her to bring a holistic approach to education that enlivens one’s creativity and encourages the development of full human potential. Charity Grace keeps her feet on the ground with a love for gardening and her head in the stars with a fascination for Astrophotography. Her dog Hershel brings her joy every day.

Alan Charles Raul

Washington DC/Nantucket. Alan is Senior Counsel and founder of Sidley Austin LLP’s global Privacy and Cybersecurity practice. Alan also serves as a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School, where he teaches classes on “Digital Governance: Privacy, Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology” and “Cybersecurity Risks, Rules and Responsibilities.” He is also Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown. Alan is Chair and President of the governing Board of Directors of the Future of Privacy Forum and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Alan is also Board Secretary of the Society for the Rule of Law, which he helped found in 2018 as “Checks and Balances.” In 1990, Alan co-founded the “Lawyers Have Heart” 10K run and walk, to benefit the American Heart Association. Alan previously served in government as Vice Chairman of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, General Counsel of the Office of Management and Budget, General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Associate Counsel to the President. Alan is a graduate of Yale Law School, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard College. On Nantucket, he lives in town with his wife Mary Tinsley Raul, golden retriever Harry, and children visiting from New York and London.

Thomas S. Roeder

London/New York/Nantucket. Tom first came to Nantucket to visit his grandmother who spent the summer at the White Elephant when he was eleven. He has been coming to the Island ever since, first with his wife Susan and then with their children and now with grandchildren. After receiving an MBA from Wharton School of Commerce and Finance he spent nearly his entire professional career in the securities industry in Europe. Tom first worked in Paris and then was offered an opportunity in London. He and Susan decided to try life in London for one or maybe two years and forty-four years later decided to spend more time in the States. Tom was a member of the Executive Committee at Mabon Nugent & Co., a U.S. investment firm, and was responsible for the London and international effort. Today he and Susan spend their time in New York and London and the summers in Nantucket on Hinckley Lane. Tom has always felt that the Atheneum is a wonderful part of the Nantucket Community.

Margaret Ruttenberg

New York, NY/Princeton, NJ/Nantucket. Margaret holds board certification in anesthesiology and palliative medicine. She practiced the former for 15-20 years and is now on the faculty of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in palliative medicine. There her primary clinical role is to collaborate with emergency room staff in establishing the best course of action for their most critically ill patients. Margaret’s husband, John Ruttenberg, is a computer scientist at Qualcomm, Inc. They have been summer residents of Union Street since 1997. Margaret has served previously on other not-for-profit boards, including Planned Parenthood, Boston Ballet, and Historic New England, and she is presently on the board of American Repertory Ballet. Margaret grew up in a number of places in the United States. She is a graduate of Lewisburg Area High School in Lewisburg, PA; Princeton University (1976); Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (1983); and Harvard School of Public Health (1996). She did her internship and residency at Yale University (1983-86, although that’s really a blur). Margaret and John have three adult children dispersed from Cambridge, MA to Truckee, CA to Seattle, WA. They all spent summers on Nantucket counseling campers and selling things ranging from books to organic food. They have families of their own now, with whom they try to visit Nantucket as often as they can.

Bonnie J. Sacerdote

New York/Nantucket.  Bonnie first visited the island when she was 8 years old, and she later worked on the island in the summer of 1963 as a mother’s helper. She has been coming regularly to Nantucket every summer since 1969 with her late husband Peter and their three children. A Smith graduate with a degree in Art History, Bonnie has been active in several non-profits. Currently, she serves on the Board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she formerly was on the Executive Committee and Chair of the Education Committee, and for thirty-five years was a volunteer tour guide. Bonnie was a former teacher in the Learning To Look program in New York, conducted in inner city Catholic Schools. She is a former member of the Smith College Museum of Art Visiting Committee. And formerly served on the National Board of Review of Films. She loves theater and was a former board member of the Manhattan Theatre Club. On the island, Bonnie is a member of the Friends Committee of the NHA. She is a member of the Nantucket Yacht Club, Sankaty Head Golf Club, and Nantucket Golf Club. She enjoys spending time on the island with her three married children and five grandchildren.

Roberto J. Santamaria

Nantucket. Roberto serves as the Executive Director for Fairwinds, Nantucket’s Counseling Center. Previously, he was the Director of Health & Human Services for Nantucket where he led the town’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Southern New Hampshire University and, before coming to the Town of Nantucket, he served as the Interim Director of Public Health and Deputy Director of Public Health for the town (now city) of Framingham, Massachusetts; Director of Public Health for the City of Everett, Massachusetts where he also served as emergency preparedness coordinator; and a research assistant and hazardous waste assistant in the chemistry department at the University of Central Florida. He holds a B.S. in Molecular Biology and Microbiology from the University of Central Florida; a Masters in Public Health (MPH) from Boston University; a Master of Business Administration from Salve Regina University, and he is receiving his Doctor in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2024. He also has several certifications, including one in biochemistry from Harvard University; Six Sigma Green Belt from the Aveta Business Institute, and he is also a registered Environmental Health Specialist/ Registered Sanitarian from the National Environmental Association.

Blaise L. Sheppard

Nantucket. Blaise is VP of Finance for OneChronos Global. OneChronos is a Smart Market, a technology company which uses mathematical optimization to match buyers and sellers in industries across the world. After 15 years living in New York City, he is grateful to, once again, call Nantucket home. In his spare time, Blaise and his wife Kat are active water people and members of Nantucket Yacht Club. Blaise is on the Executive Committee of the Dreamland Foundation, Nantucket’s historic non-profit film and cultural center. He is also an avid blues guitar player and amateur guitar collector. Blaise received his B.S. from Providence College and has earned the right to use the CFA designation.

Allison Sievers (Ally)

San Francisco/Siasconset. Ally is a marketing professional and non-profit arts and education board member. A NYC native and graduate of Brandeis University, Ally started her career at global advertising agencies in both the US and Japan, managing packaged goods and corporate service accounts. An avid interest in the creative side of the industry led her to study graphic design and eventually to launch both a stationery design business and a consulting resource for small businesses seeking comprehensive marketing services. Ally has focused her philanthropic energies on arts and education organizations, most recently serving as a Trustee for both Marin Country Day School and The Branson School, where she led advancement, strategic, branding and diversity & belonging programs. She is currently a member of the Executive Board of the San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary, the Artists Association of Nantucket, and serves as a Deputy Marriage Commissioner for the City of San Francisco. Ally and her husband have two grown sons, are profoundly grateful for their Codfish Park cottage, and treasure every moment that they are able to spend on Nantucket.

Janet L. Steinmayer

Essex, CT/Cambridge, MA/Nantucket.  Janet is the President of Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and prior to that was the President of Mitchell College in New London, CT. She started her career as a corporate lawyer in New York, served as General Counsel for Trans World Airlines and later served as CEO of Centerplate, a large hospitality company serving major league sports and convention center clients throughout North America. Janet is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College, where she served on the Board of Trustees for 21 years, and the University of Chicago Law School. She is a Trustee Emerita of the Southport School and has enjoyed serving on community and educational boards wherever she lives. Her children have been coming to Nantucket to endure numerous old house renovations on the island since 1996 and are now happy to come – with her grandchildren – to the one she assures them is her last project on the island.

Ann Taylor

Keswick, VA/Nantucket. Ann and her husband Peter began spending time together on Nantucket in 1979, and their extended family made 98 Main Street their summer home in 1993. Ann is Chief Relationship Officer for the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, where she furthers relationships that accelerate the research and development of therapeutic focused ultrasound technology. Previously, Ann spent three decades as Executive Vice President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation (Monticello), and as Executive Director of the Darden School Foundation at the University of Virginia. Along the way, she co-founded an award-winning marketing company dedicated to helping the 50+ population meet their vision, hearing, and mobility needs. Ann served on the boards of the Darden Graduate Business School and the Alumni Association at UVA, her alma mater. She earned her MBA from Darden and was named a Shermet Scholar. Ann sits on the board of Expedition Trust Company, a trust company chartered in South Dakota. The Taylors have two grown sons and a daughter-in-law, who are delighted to spend time on Nantucket as often as possible.

Chrissy Braden Worth

San Francisco/Nantucket. Chrissy was introduced to Nantucket through her husband, a 13^th generation Nantucketer, and was accepted into his family after she survived her first Cold Turkey Plunge in 2012. She has since become a devoted summer and holiday resident of Nantucket, where she enjoys frequent trips to the Atheneum and the beach with her family. Chrissy works on artificial intelligence at Anthropic and has spent most of her career in healthtech, focusing on partnerships and products that improve health outcomes and reduce costs. Prior to her current role, she worked at Apple and Bain & Company. Chrissy graduated from Texas Christian University and earned her MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She is an active volunteer at the Wharton School and her daughters’ schools, and she believes strongly in the impact of community. Chrissy lives in San Francisco with her husband, Dana, and their two daughters, who are 14^th generation Nantucket lovers. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, watercolor painting, and a good laugh with friends and family.