Staff
Josh Arnold is a uniquely determined, entrepreneurial young man with a steadfast passion for sustainability. By the time he was a sophomore at Wheaton College in Norton, M.A. Josh had designed an independent major in “Global Sustainability.” His goal was to design a multi-disciplinary curriculum that explored what relationships between society, economy, and ecology bring forth sustainable outcomes and why. After learning the theories in the college, Josh came home to test those theories for himself, and so goes the story of Global Awareness Local Action (G.A.L.A.).Josh currently resides in Water Village, Ossipee, NH, living at the Ossipee Mt. Grange Hall. Josh purchased the Grange Hall in the summer of 2008 with the determination to revitalize the space based on three-floor plan – first floor as a local foods cooperative, second floor (the hall) as a venue for arts, education, and advocacy, and the third-floor as a green-job incubator. You can read the Ossipee Mt. Grange Hall Blog to learn more about the initiative and get a peek into life ‘home on the grange.’
Carol has been active in the Wolfeboro community and beyond for over 15 years working and volunteering with organizations such as the Wolfeboro Area Chamber of Commerce, New Hampshire Division of Travel & Tourism, First Night Wolfeboro, and Great Waters Music Festival.Her hobbies include hiking, stain glass, rug hooking, cooking, gardening and anything beach-related! Carol currently serves on G.A.L.A.’s Board of Directors.
Board of Directors
Paul is the Director of Business Development and Technology Solutions Group at the Amcomm Company where he heads up the company’s strategic plan, business operations, recruitment marketing and technology division for 140 employees in 30 stores in New England.
President of Cardenio Consulting, Paul works with non-profit and businesses across the country offering counsel in strategic planning, coaching, organizational team-building, philanthropy, marketing and social media. He has also presented nationally and internationally on marketing, philanthropy and sustainability.
He has spent more than twenty-five years in education as teacher, Head of School, Director of Institutional Advancement and External Affairs and Chair of the performing arts in independent and public education. Paul was a founding partner of the consulting firm Independent Thinking.
In addition, Paul has extensive experience as a professional stage actor and director, and was a founding member of the band, The Dharma Bums. He has served on many non-profit boards, most recently the Ojai Playwrights Festival.
His most recent endeavor is I-Ride Transport, partnering with Tom Bryant, to bring a socially conscious transportation service to the NH Lakes Region, headquartered in Wolfeboro.
Paul, his wife Donita and family are committed to creating a sustainable planet and are honored to be part of the G.A.L.A. mission.
As a successful entrepreneur for the last 20 years, Mary Beth Bryant is changing what it means to, “do business.” A walk through her store located in Wolfeboro, N.H., Made on Earth, is as much of an educational experience as it is retail. Mary Beth’s email signature quotes Roshi Bernie Glassman, “So for me, the question became, ‘what are the forms in business, social action, and peacemaking, that can help us see the oneness in society, the interdependence of life?’” This question guides her business as she searches for products to sell that are sustainable, environmentally safe, and certified fair trade. Mary Beth’s extensive education in accounting and bookkeeping allow her to effectively balance her steadfast convictions with sound business practice.Recently, Mary Beth’s love for gardening has allowed her and her family to embrace the ideas of sustainability by eating more local foods year-round. Even during this last Winter of 2008, Mary Beth was preparing salads made with fresh green from the cold-frame that was often buried under two feet of snow in her front yard. When she is not in the store, she is in the garden. Mary Beth plans to share her passion for gardening by volunteering in the Wolfeboro Community Garden project scheduled to begin this summer.
For the last twenty years Michael and his wife Karen have enjoyed gardening, raising chickens and composting with worms in an effort to lead a more self- sufficient way of life. Michael believes that a life of creative thrift can be both an exciting challenge and a way for communities to better provide for themselves.Although carpentry has been a consistent vocation, he has also worked for the Governor Wentworth school system as a classroom aid. He has worked with Boy Scouts and continues to share his interest in early American culture with upper elementary grades. Michael and Karen, and their son Brendon, became most active with G.A.L.A. during the recent Earth Week celebration. They are also currently enrolled in the study circle titled, “Menu for the Future”, where they participate in a weekly dialog about sustainable food systems.
Aislinn Johnson, Board Member
Aislinn is a New Hampshire native who obtained her dual degree in psychology and family studies at the University of New Hampshire. She has since been working in the social services sector, but has taken time out here and there to lead an adventurous lifestyle–having spent 8 months traveling throughout Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.
It was Aislinn’s travels throughout the States that heightened her appreciation for environmentalism. She took the journey in a van that she converted a van to run off waste vegetable oil and toured it to California and back again with some pals–thanks to the help of an organic clothing company called Mission Playground and an incredible mechanic named Jack Howard. Aislinn and her friend Sara spent a great deal of this trip educating the public about alternative fuels and showing off their van whenever they could–at schools, to the media, or to the locals of the communities they visited on their 30-day route. It was this project–termed the Canola Strollas–that lead to her increased awareness of our limited resources, excessive waste, and the opportunities we have to live as sustainably as possible in a technologically advanced society.
Aislinn’s most recent expedition to New Zealand brought her face to face with homes and entire communities that are almost entirely self-sufficient–complete with organic farms, solar power, compost toilets, wood heating, rainwater collection systems, earth ovens and even a unique local currency. She was able to witness the building of a clay “earth-dome” and there were more than enough people eager to teach her about permaculture. She hopes to use some of those lessons learned here in the States to become ever more sustainable herself.
Aislinn is now greatly looking forward to working with the G.A.L.A. Board to continue to expand her knowledge and to contribute to its wonderful philosophy and mission.
Scott is a physical therapist working at Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth. Taking the usual career path to physical therapy, Scott spent 4+ years in the Air Force learning avionics. He was stationed in California (Travis Air Force Base…of course!) and England. After completing his tour with the Air Force, Scott worked as an electronics technician for a multi-national company and spent the next few years traveling around the world. Discovering that he enjoyed working on complex systems he decided it was time to work on complex systems that can talk back and so, went to college in Nashville, TN for his physical therapy degree. Scott spent 10 years at Huggins Hospital working both outpatient at Back Bay Rehab and inpatient at the hospital. In the Spring of 2011, he accepted the position at Speare Memorial where he also works both inpatient and outpatient and it gave him a beautiful ride in the country twice a day on his motorcycle – as long as there’s no ice on the roads. When he’s not working as a physical therapist, Scott is a rider coach with Harley-Davidson teaching people how to ride a motorcycle. And yes, he even has his wife riding her own motorcycle! Scott is also a home brewer of beer and an overall tasty beer enthusiast! Scott enjoys cooking and enjoys using organic ingredients, local produce and meat, and herbs from his kitchen garden. When he’s not working, riding, brewing or cooking, he is usually building, refinishing, or designing something. Scott is pleased to be able to share his skills with GALA and believes in the mission of expanding sustainability and making it accessible to everyone and having fun doing it! Scott lives in Wolfeboro with his wife, Mariann. Their boys Ben and Dylan are in their early 20’s and off exploring life.
Jessamy is excited to work with G.A.L.A. in making her hometown a more sustainable place to live. She is especially excited to bring her passion and experience with preservation to G.A.L.A.’s Ossipee Mt. Grange Revitalization Project. Similarly, Jessamy’s current profession in nutrition contributes significantly to G.A.L.A.’s efforts by making sure people pay attention to their “personal sustainability.”
Board of Advisors
Monique Coppola
Monique is originally from Massachusetts where she obtained a degree in Theatre from a small liberal arts college in Franklin. She has worked in various capacities in film, television and theatre in Boston, Los Angeles and New York and has leant her voice to hundreds of national and regional commercials and projects for radio, Education Companies, TV and the internet.Monique has lived in Wolfeboro since 2003 and has received awards from The New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters for her work as a reporter, newscaster and talk show host. She has covered a wide range of topics in New Hampshire and interviewed a myriad of notables such as Doris Kearns Goodwin, Robert Kennedy Jr., and President Bill Clinton. Monique currently works as a broadcast journalist for Public News Service and covers a variety of progressive issues for New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine.
Tom began his public accounting career in 1979. Tom joined Leone, McDonnell & Roberts, Professional Association in 1987 and currently works in the firm’s Wolfeboro and North Conway offices. In his role as President and Managing Partner, he guides the firm’s strategy and day-to-day operations, working toward the overall growth and sustainability of the firm. Tom specializes in providing reliable consulting and tax planning services for private, family-owned businesses. He is also heavily involved with the firm’s nonprofit organization practice.Born and raised in Chicago, Tom currently resides “off the grid” in Wolfeboro with his wife, Rita, and their two children. Outside the office, Tom’s hobbies include coaching youth sports, skiing, hiking and fishing.
Two experiences move me more than anything else: one is being in a natural place with others that have a sense of curiosity and wonder. The other is being part of collective efforts to fight for economic and social justice. G.A.L.A. ties these two passions together.Volunteers
Olivia’s web design portfolio can be found at www.oliviawoods.com.
Barbara Laverick was the first to receive G.A.L.A.’s “Volunteer of the Year” recognition – and yes, it was Barbara’s steadfast commitment to sustainable community building that prompted G.A.L.A. to create the award in the first place!Barbara has lived in NH for the last 30 years; last 15 being in Wolfeboro. She grew up in Washington DC, lived in Idaho for awhile while she served as a Vista Volunteer, and was Teacher in the coal country of Georgia, West Virginia, and Tennessee. Barbara has been nominated to serve on G.A.L.A.’s Board of Directors.
Noreen moved to Wolfeboro in 2002, after spending twelve years in the Yosemite area of California. Born and raised in New England, she returned home to be closer to her three sons and their families and now six grand children.
Jenny Tapper is a goat farmer, cheese maker and small farm advocate. Together with her husband Andy, she owns and operates Via Lactea Farm and Brookfield Dairy, a small mixed farm with a focus on dairy goats and cheese. The Tappers’ farm also produces poultry, eggs, firewood, timber, compost, and an annual bumper crop of goat kids. Jenny and Andy provide all of the love, labor and creativity that it takes to keep a farm viable and growing.Jenny strives to meet the challenges and opportunities of farming in the midst of changes in a food system that reflects the increasing demand for fresh, local, and healthy foods. To Jenny, G.A.L.A. embodies all of the complexity and diversity of a community that is working toward a future in which small farms will be valued and nurtured. Jenny is pleased to offer her hands and heart to that effort. Jenny served on G.A.L.A.’s Board of Directors between 2006-2009.
Willie Swaffield is Wolfeboro, NH native. He is a unique year-round resident who is able to find “enjoyment and employment” in every New England season. Willie enjoys anything that involves the outdoors, but his two real passions remain alpine skiing and water-skiing. During his high school experience at Burke Mtn. Academy, Willie went on a ski-trip to South America and Mt. Hood in Oregon. Willie also stays busy outdoors keeping up with his landscaping and plowing business throughout the year. Perhaps one of the reasons he has stuck around Wolfeboro because he deeply values family and the environment. He is also grateful for his circle of friends in the area. One of those friends happens to be Josh Arnold, G.A.L.A.’s founding director.Willie is also an entrepreneur. He is currently developing a business plan for his own juice company! And as Willie alwyas says, “Think Snow!”
Brittany Boles
Brittany’s involvement with Gala began in June of 2011 when she came to New Hampshire from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, on a path aimed at heightening consciousness. She believes that “consciousness” is not limited to spirituality; it is also social and environmental. G.A.L.A.’s aim of building strong, sustainable communities speaks to increasing the connectedness between people and the earth; it is that connection that intrigues and excites her.Brittany spent the last three years living on St. Croix, where she realized the true scope of people’s global impact on the environment as she witnessed the delicate coral reef ecosystem deteriorate due to pollution and warming Caribbean waters. Garbage in the streets and on the beaches inspired her to orchestrate garbage walks and participate in local sustainability projects.
She began her education about organic farming, water conservation, and truly “green,” sustainable living while working with ArtFarm LLC, a sustainable family farm. Admiring the comfort and connectedness with nature exhibited on a day-to-day basis on the farm, she renewed her dedication to enviro-activism.
A student of the world, Brittany studies yoga, meditation, fire dancing (as a performance art), natural medicine, communication, psychology, the Indian language of Hindi, economics, group process, business management, and many other subjects in a unique manner: rather than enroll in traditional classes, she experiences lessons by seeking mentors in each subject she wishes to learn and completing independent research projects. It is in this unusual way that she has come to partner with G.A.L.A..
Brittany wants to continue her education with G.A.L.A., focusing not only on sustainability but also on the workings of a nonprofit organization. She plans to found an organization of her own after she spends time living and learning in Southern India next fall.
Consciousness is an awakening, and Brittany hopes to participate as a catalyst in the universal awakening that is sustainability. Her partnership with G.A.L.A. equips her to do so.
Pat Jones – Study Circle Specialist
Pat Jones is a G.A.L.A. rock star. Pat started volunteering with G.A.L.A. in 2007 by helping setup G.A.L.A.’s documentary screenings at the Wolfeboro Public Library. Meanwhile, Pat was one of twelve participants in G.A.L.A.’s first study circle titled “Choices for Sustainable Living,” hosted at the Kingswood Youth Center that same year. But Pat wanted to do more than participate; she wanted to organize, and that’s exactly what she began to do, and continues to do, today. The last few study circles have been entirely organized and facilitated by Pat. In addition, Pat initiated and continues to manage G.A.L.A.’s annual Compost Bin & Rainwater Barrel Sale.
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