BOARD OF TRUSTEES

John Perkins

John Perkins currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of Upward Farms, an indoor vertical farming company based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In addition to his current role, John brings over 25 years of real estate investment banking experience, having served as co-Head of the US Real Estate Investment Banking Group at RBC Capital Markets in New York and as Senior Managing Director and co-Head of Real Estate Investment Banking in the Americas for CBRE Capital Advisors. John was also a Managing Director in Real Estate Investment Banking at J.P. Morgan. Prior to his banking career, John was an architect with Pei Cobb Freed & Partners in New York and Paris. He has a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from The Pennsylvania State University, a Master of Architecture from Yale University and a Master of Science in Real Estate Finance from MIT.

John Coston

Bart Jones

Bart Jones is actively involved in conservation in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut as board member and President of Cornwall Conservation Trust, Inc., board member and Secretary of the Housatonic Valley Association, Inc. and Town of Cornwall alternate on the Housatonic River Commission. He retired from a 40 year practice of corporate and finance law in New York City most recently as Chief Legal Officer of the Church Pension Fund. He has served on a number of other boards in the past including the Cornwall Foundation, the Cornwall Free Library, Grace Church School in New York and the Williams Club of New York. He earned a BA in Economics at Williams College and a JD at Vanderbilt University School of Law.

Dalton Dwyer

Dalton Dwyer is founder and managing director of Industry Corporate Finance Ltd, a London-based mergers advisory firm. Previously he worked in banking at Bankers Trust Company and Deutsche Bank in Chicago, New York and London. Dalton is a Trustee of The University of Illinois Foundation, UK. He has an MBA from DePaul University in Chicago, and a BS in Finance from The University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.

Susan Caughman

Susan Caughman held a number of senior consumer marketing and editorial roles during her publishing and media career. As the owner of New Hope Media LLC (2000-present) Caughman founded and now serves as advisor to Adoptive Families and Additude; magazines and websites serving two niche communities with information through multiple channels-print, newsletters, webinars, podcasts, eBooks, and more. Before launching her company in 2000, Caughman served as a Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing for Time Inc Magazines responsible for marketing services, fulfillment, consumer research, newsstand sales. Caughman also served in other Time Inc positions, such as general manager of Life magazine, marketing manager of Time magazine, and marketing manager at Newsweek International. Earlier in her career, Caughman lived and worked in West Africa for nine years serving first as a Peace Corps volunteer (Togo) and subsequently launching income-generating businesses for rural women in Mali and Senegal for the American Friends Service Committee and the Ford Foundation. Caughman serves on the board of the Medicare Rights Committee and is an active member of the Refugee Employment Partnership. She holds a BA in history with High Honors from Middlebury College and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Anne C. Childs – Founding Member

Anne Childs, a graduate of Colorado College and Rhode Island School of Design, lives with her husband, Chip Collins, in Massachusetts. Anne has served on the boards of The Student Conservation Association, The Farm School, and High Spirit Community Farm, all organizations working to connect individuals to the land. Anne is the youngest child of Edward and Elisabeth Childs, and a founding member of the Great Mountain Forest board.

Edward Calder Childs – Founding Member

Starling W. Childs II – Founding Member

Starling Childs II graduated from Yale College with a BS in geology and from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where he received a Master’s in Forest Science. He is a consulting forester and co-founder of EECOS (Ecological and Environmental Consulting Services). In addition to his consulting forestry work, Star is also teaching an advanced level course in environmental science at the Salisbury School. He currently serves on the boards of Connecticut Forest and Parks Association, Berkshire-Litchfield Environmental Council, and Northern Woodlands Magazine. Through his work he has sought to strike a balance between sustainable management of natural resources and preserving the natural environment.

Eileen Fielding

Elisabeth Childs Gill – Founding Member

Elisabeth Childs Gill is the eldest child of Ted and Elisabeth Childs. She has served on the boards of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Indian Mountain School, and is currently a board member of the Norfolk Library and the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research. She resides in Norfolk, CT and she is a founding member of the Great Mountain Forest Board of Trustees.

Jeremy Koch

Jeremy Koch spent most of his professional career at Time Incorporated, where he held senior management positions at Fortune and People magazines and was President of the company’s corporate consumer marketing division. Jeremy was for many years a trustee of Learning Leaders, a NYC based education nonprofit, serving five terms as the organization’s Chairman. He is currently on the board of The Clemente Course in the Humanities. Now retired, Jeremy works part-time as a volunteer financial coach with recovering addicts and is an avid musician and woodworker. Jeremy has a BA from Bennington College and an MBA from Columbia University.

Jeffrey Ward

Jeffrey S. Ward, Ph.D., received his BS (forest biology) and MS (silviculture) at The Ohio State University, and after service in the Peace Corps (Guatemala), his PhD (forest ecology) at Purdue University. He has been in the Department of Forestry & Horticulture at The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station since 1987 and is currently the Chief Scientist. His research has focused on long-term population dynamics in unmanaged forests, alternative forest management practices, control and impact of invasive species, the impact of deer damage, forest health indicators, and composition of the urban forest. He is Secretary of National SAF Silviculture Working Group, Past-Chair of Yankee Division, Society of American Foresters (SAF), secretary of the CT Tree Protection Examination Board, appointed member of the CT Invasive Plant Council, and a science advisor for Audubon CT. He has served as Chair and Forest Science Coordinator for New England SAF, and as president of the CT Tree Protective Association. He has served on the Governor’s Council for Agricultural Development, CT Urban Forest Council, CT State Vegetation Management Task Force and the CT Endangered Species Committee.

Carol Goodstein

Carol Goodstein has had an extensive career in nonprofit conservation and sustainability communications. For many years, she served as Director of Communications and Marketing for the Rainforest Alliance, a global sustainable development organization. There she led campaigns that engaged leading brands, raised public awareness and drove behavior change. She continues to consult for businesses, academic institutions and nonprofits, guiding brand narratives, audience engagement strategies and crafting content. Since moving to Norfolk in 2021, she has joined the boards of The Norfolk Foundation and the Norfolk Land Trust. Carol earned a BA from Bard College in fine art and an MA from Boston University in communications and journalism.