Leadership Team

Kate Yeomans, Executive Director & Co-founder
Lead Forest Kindergarten Teacher

Kate grew up along the Merrimack River messing about in family-owned boats among the Great Salt Marsh behind Plum Island and sailing the coast of Maine as far Downeast as Roque Island with her grandfather before heading to sea as a deckhand on the Newburyport Whale Watch boat Capt. Red at age 12, a seasonal job she held for more than ten years. During this time she attained and still holds a 100-ton U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license.

In May 2011, Kate earned a M.A. in Environmental Education at UNH. This pedagogy, along with nature connection and coyote mentoring, guided many of Merrohawke programs in the early years of the organization's founding. In early 2018, Kate completed training in Mentoring Girls. In summer 2019, Kate began teacher training in Waldorf Early Childhood education with Sophia's Hearth in Keene, NH, where in July 2022 she earned a Certificate in Waldorf Early Childhood Teaching (Birth to Seven).  She also studied Waldorf handwork teaching, and in Summer 2022 participated in Waldorf Collaborative Leadership training at Sunbridge. In April 2024, Kate completed a year-long Waldorf Leadership Development Program at the Center for Anthroposophy. Kate is Director qualified by the Mass. Department of Early Education and Care and certified in Wilderness First Aid & CPR. She serves on the Advisory Council of the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness and serves on the board of directors of Sophia's Hearth Family Center in Keene, NH.

Prior to co-founding Merrohawke, Kate spent 15 years working as an award-winning investigative journalist who wrote about the sea and the people who worked and played upon it. She is the former editor of Embassy Cruising Guides, a series of four bi-annual guides spanning the cruising waters from Canada to Alabama. She also holds a BA in Journalism (minor in marine biology) from UNH (1995) and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College (1999). Her award-winning work appeared in Boston Magazine, Boston Sunday Globe Magazine, Cruising World, Commercial Fisheries News, National Fisherman, Offshore, Professional Mariner, Robb Report, Voyaging, and others. She is the author of the nonfiction book Dead Men Tapping: The End of the Heather Lynne II, published by McGraw-Hill in 2003.

Kate met her husband, Capt. Rob, in first grade at Newbury’s Woodbridge School. They later become high-school sweethearts at Triton Regional High School, where they first studied marine biology and oceanography together. Kate and Rob were married in 1996 and are raising two college-aged sons, who inspired all of Merrohawke’s early program development. Rob and Kate have owned the F/V Erica Lee since April 2005. Contact Kate by email.

Rob Yeomans, Operations Director & Co-Founder
Lead Field School Teacher & Captain, F/V Erica Lee

Capt. Rob holds a 100-ton U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license and has decades of experience fishing for a variety of New England species in the Gulf of Maine.  In fall 2007, Rob and his wife, Kate, formed B.O.A.T. C.A.M.P., which grew to become Merrohawke Nature School, in order to further pursue their passion for marine education by expanding nature-based education opportunities for all ages, tots to teachers, in the greater Newburyport area. Rob has been the owner/operator of the F/V Erica Lee since 2005. He is certified in Wilderness First Aid & CPR.

Prior to joining Merrohawke full-time in September 2021, from 2016-2021, Rob served on the science faculty of High Mowing School, a private Waldorf high school in Wilton, NH. Prior to joining High Mowing, Rob taught Biology, AP Biology and Marine Biology from 2006-2015 at Newburyport High School, where he served as chair of the science department from 2011-2014. (While at Newburyport High School, two of Merrohawke's long-time  teachers, Sarah Sullivan & Trevor Updike, were among Rob's students!)  Rob also taught biology at Lynn Classical High School from 1996 to 2005.  Rob earned a BA Biology (1996) and a MA in Teaching Biology from Salem State (2000). During the summer of 2009, Rob also worked as a high school curriculum development consultant for a National Marine Fisheries education project on the Atlantic Sturgeon.

Rob was a 2009 recipient of the Swasey Grant for curriculum development at Newburyport High School. In November, he traveled to Monterey, California, to study humboldt squids. This trip included tagging the giant squids with Stanford University’s Dr. William Gilly and his staff from the Hopkins Marine Station. Rob returned with squid to be dissected with his high school marine biology students, as well as great connections and ideas to bridge the east and west coast ecosystems for his students at N.H.S. and at Merrohawke.

In late fall, 2010, Rob received a second action research Swasey Grant to fund an trip to Tahiti in early January 2011 with Sea Education Association of Woods Hole’s Colleagues SEA Semester for one week. While there, Rob sailed aboard the SSV Robert C. Seamans. During the 2011-2012 school year Rob was awarded his third Swasey Action Research grant to study wildlife tracking with White Pine Programs in Cape Neddick, Maine.

In April 2012, in recognition of his life-long passion for educating kids about the outdoors and the sea, both in the formal classroom and outdoors aboard the Erica Lee, Salem State University honored Rob with a Friend of the Earth Award. Contact Rob by email.

Pamela Johnson, Administrative Coordinator

Pam joined us this spring in support of all of the essential tasks to help our programs and organization run smoothly and provide the best possible experience for our families. She has extensive office experience working in a variety of settings across the north shore. Pam has two grown daughters and enjoys spending time outside gardening, hiking and bicycling along conservation trails in forests.

Teachers

Board of Directors

Nathan Gray, CPA, MBA, MSF

Nathan serves as Vice President, Corporate Controller at Macom Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc. He is a Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts and has over 20 years of accounting and finance experience. He has been the Corporate Controller at Macom Technology Solutions Holdings, a leading supplier of semiconductor products for data centers, telecommunications and industrial and defense applications, since September 2019. Prior to Macom, he was with Skyworks Solutions Inc. for nine years in various finance and accounting roles, most recently the Senior Finance Director and Business Unit Controller. Before joining Skyworks he was an Audit Senior Manager at Ernst & Young LLP. He has a Master’s In Business Administration and a Master’s of Science in Finance Degrees from Northeastern University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Stonehill College. He lives in Newburyport with his wife and daughter, who has attended Merrohawke programs for several summers. Nathan joined our board in 2019.

George Haseltine

George is the owner of Windward Shaw, a fine home construction and renovation company serving the North Shore. George joined our board in 2022.

Jane Healey, President

Jane is an urban environmental planner. She has a particular interest in ecological landscape conservation and climate resiliency. She brings fifteen years of experience in community planning and advocacy, working at the state, regional, and local government levels as well in the nonprofit and for profit sectors. Jane has a broad knowledge in coordinating multidisciplinary programs, project management, competitive grant funding, and strategic research and advocacy.

Jane’s past projects include consulting for the City of Newburyport on renewable energy options and providing environmental planning support for the city’s Master Plan revision. Other projects range from state and regional level climate change policy initiatives to assessing the environmental impacts of a proposed casino project on the Belle Isle Marsh in East Boston. Her past projects also include managing a $30 million dollar Commonwealth Transit-Oriented Development Bond Program, a smart growth program developed to encourage mixed-use development near transit. Jane has worked as a planner for the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, where she supported local communities with their smart growth transportation goals and actions. Prior to working as an urban planner, Jane was employed in the socially responsive investment field. Jane is currently pursuing her interest in ecological garden and landscape design.

Jane holds a Masters in City Planning (M.C.P.) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.A. in Economics from the University of New Hampshire. She currently serves as Vice-Chair of Newburyport’s Community Preservation Committee. She lives in Newburyport with her husband and son. Jane joined our board in 2019.

David Marroncelli, CPA, MBA, Treasurer

David is a partner at Johnson O’Connor. He has over 15 years of public accounting experience in a variety of disciplines including assurance, tax, and advisory services. His industry specialties include SAAS, professional services, healthcare, data technology, nonprofit organizations, and manufacturers. David is in charge of the Firm’s client accounting services practice which provides outsourced accounting and back-office services to clients. Additionally, David serves as a partner in the transactional services group, which provides buy and sell-side support and quality of earnings analysis. A member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants, David earned a BS in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. He lives with his wife, Kristen, and son, Austin, in Newburyport. David joined our board in 2017.

Jessica Moore, Secretary

Jessica (Jess) Moore, is a former Waldorf Early Childhood teacher, with a rich career spanning almost thirty years. Born in Massachusetts, raised in New Hampshire, and as graduate of New England College, her career has taken her from the world of advertising and marketing to Waldorf education. Early in her career, Jess worked as Manager of Corporate Marketing for a prominent Fortune 500 company based in Portsmouth, NH. However, her passion for education and a profound interest in Anthroposophy led her to make a significant career shift, choosing to become a certified Waldorf Early Childhood Educator from Sunbridge Institute.

Over the years, she honed her skills and expertise and became an esteemed figure in the Waldorf community. Her teaching experience includes working in Waldorf schools in Eliot and Freeport, Maine. Beyond the classroom, Jess has undertaken a broader role within the Waldorf community. Her commitment to excellence is evident in her travels throughout New England, where she provides mentoring and evaluation of Waldorf early childhood teachers. Her passion for Waldorf education extends to her service in accrediting Waldorf educational institutions through AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America), NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges), and WECAN (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America). Through various organizations, including the Center for Anthroposophy, she continues to share her knowledge of Anthroposophy and Waldorf Philosophy through adult educational programs.

Her dedication to Maine Coast Waldorf school is evident in her extensive involvement on various fronts. She served on their Board for more than six years, showcasing her commitment to the overall governance and strategic direction of the institution. Within the school's internal structure, she held pivotal roles such as Early Childhood Department Chair and Chair of the College of Teachers. Her contributions extended to the Marketing Committee, where she actively participated in promoting the school's values and mission.

Currently residing in Freeport, Maine, with her husband and college senior daughter (who attended Waldorf School from age three through graduating high school and is currently a senior at Clark University,) Jess finds joy in outdoor activities with family such as hiking, canoeing, and skiing—embracing the elements and connecting with nature. Indoors, she indulges in creative pursuits like knitting, cooking and creating. Jess also holds trade master’s certificates in Herbal Medicine and Holistic Nutrition, from The American College of Health Sciences, and is passionate about supporting health and wellness through a synergistic relationship with nature.  

Jess' unwavering belief in the magic of nature, coupled with her commitment to Waldorf Education, fuels her enthusiasm to contribute her expertise to Merrohawke, inspiring a future where the wonders of the natural world are integral to the educational journey of every student.

Harmony Wilson, Vice President

Harmony Wilson has a strong background in project management. Her career is mostly rooted in educational publishing with some experience in marketing for a financial services company. Currently she manages events for an award winning catering company. She has held many volunteer roles over the years, including participating on the committee for her community’s annual Earth Day clean up event.   She serves as the Vice Chairperson on the Conservation Commission for the City of Haverhill. Most importantly she is a Merrohawke parent. Her daughter has fostered her curiosity and love of mud while attending two years of Forest Kindergarten. Harmony, her husband and daughter are fully immersed in the Merrohawke way of life. Harmony joined our board in 2018.

Nicole Zografos

Nicole is an educator, most recently working as a first-grade teacher for the Town of Brookline, MA for ten years. During her time there, Nicole was fortunate to work with a diverse student population, with a particular focus on supporting students with social/emotional and behavioral disabilities and those with ASD. Nicole holds a B.A. in Spanish and a Masters in the Art of Teaching (MAT) from Northeastern University. She is certified by the state of Massachusetts to teach students PreK-6 as well as English Learners. Nicole came to Merrohawke in 2021 as a Forest Kindergarten parent and has loved watching both her children thrive during the school year and summer programs. She lives in Boxford with her husband and two children. Nicole joined our board in 2023.

Volunteer Advisory Council

From time to time, we lean on key members of our community for sage advice as we navigate the growth of our youth-serving organization. We are especially grateful for the time and care shared by members of our new Advisory Council, founded in March 2023.

Alexis Katkevich Clinical Nutritionist Merrohawke parent, 2022 to present	David Ten Eyck CEO - Ocean Employee Benefits Merrohawke Board of Directors 2015 - 2018	Mary Williamson Executive Director at Anna Jacques Community Health Foundation Merrohawke alumni parent, 2008 - 2019
Ana Moura Cook Climate Risk & Resilience Analyst at Arup Merrohawke alumni student & crew, F/V Erica Lee, 2007 - 2016	Deb Hordon Leadership Coach at Cultivating Greatness Merrohawke parent, 2021 to present	Rachel Williamson Investment Analyst at International Finance Corporation Merrohawke alumni student and staff, 2007 - 2019
Anne Lines General Manager, Matter Communications Merrohawke parent, 2019 to present	Debra Murphy Homeschool teacher Merrohawke parent, 2018 to present	Rob Ciampitti Co-Founding Partner at Liberty Law; Faculty Instructor Harvard University Merrohawke alumni parent, 2014 - 2019 Merrohawke Board of Directors 2018 - 2022
Arthur Currier CEO - Currier & Associates; Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards	Devin West Lieutenant. Exeter NH Police Dept. Alumni student and crew, F/V Erica Lee Founding Merrohawke Board Member 2007 - 2009	Robin Rubin Homeschool teacher Merrohawke parent, 2014 to present
Dr. Christina Palmer Director of Student Well-Being, Phillips Exeter Academy Merrohawke alumni parent, 2014 - 2017	Elizabeth Marcus Community Volunteer Merrohawke Strong by Nature honoree - 2017	Ryan Wilkins Clinical Registered Nurse, Commonwealth of Mass. Alumni crew, F/V Erica Lee Merrohawke parent, 2020 to present
Dr. Christine Young Physician at Pentucket Medical Merrohawke parent, 2019 to present	J. Michael Williamson Director, Whalenet and Mingan Island Cetacean Study Merrohawke Board of Directors 2009-2010	Sarah Joor Attorney at Law; Special Education Advocate Merrohawke alumni parent, 2014 - 2019
Crystal Daugherty Vice President Development at Wellesley College Merrohawke Board of Directors 2014 - 2015	Jennifer Houlahan Homeschool teacher Merrohawke parent, 2018 to present	Scott Mercer Founder, New England Whale Watch; Researcher at Mendonoma Whale and Seal Study Merrohawke Board of Directors, 2008 - 2010
Dan Gardoqui Founder and Director at Lead with Nature	Kim Harty Director of Strategic Partnerships at The Granite YMCA Merrohawke Board of Directors, 2007 - 2008	Terry Rooney Community Volunteer
	Mark & Teresa Richey Mark Richey Woodworking Merrohawke Strong by Nature honorees - 2019	Olivia Achtmeyer Boger Runway for Recovery Merrohawke Board of Directors, 2019 - 2024