LLCT Board of Directors

icon Andy Baxter
Andy joined the LLCT Board in 2005 and is our Treasurer. Andy and his wife Carley rented in the Lyme area for about 7 years before they bought their house on Joshuatown Rd. Lyme is Andy’s favorite place in the world and he expects to here forever. He looks forwards to trying to help preserve the beauty and natural setting of Lyme.

icon Templeton Brown
Temp Brown presently serves on the Land Trust board as Chairman of the Land Preservation Committee. Temp and His wife, Suzie moved to Lyme ten plus years ago. They were astonished to find a rural landscape so well preserved. They have made it their mission to do what they can do to maintain Lyme’s close relationship to the natural world.

icon Matt Elgart
Matt Elgart is a 3rd generation resident of the lower Connecticut River Valley. He grew up in Deep River and now lives in Hadlyme. Matt served as a trustee on the East Haddam Land Trust for ten years, before joining the board of the LLCT in 2005.

icon Jeb Embree
Jeb joined the Board in 2007. He grew up in Sherman, CT which he describes as very similar to Lyme. He started residing part-time in Lyme in 1981. This arrangement became full-time in 2001. He currently lives on Joshuatown Road near the Route 156 end. He has served on various committees at High Hopes, the Lyme Library (1 year as Treasurer), and the Connecticut River Museum (13 years, 1 year as Treasurer). He is a financial advisor at Essex Financial Services, and he has experience with various fund raising and annual giving campaigns.

Emily Fisher
Emily Fisher joined the Land Trust board in 2004. She and her husband Evan Griswold live in Old Lyme and own the fifty acres in Lyme across from the library. They are managing that property as a woodlot and hope one day to have a cabin there. She currently chairs the Stewardship Committee, and is also on the Nominating Committee and the Preservation Committee. She loves to kayak and hike in Lyme and the surrounding communities.

icon Ben Gahagan
Ben joined the Board in 2007. He grew up in Lyme and as a result he says that he feels very connected to the Lyme landscape and appreciates the variety of ecosystems in town. He is currently working toward a Fisheries Management graduate degree at UCONN and lives toward the north end of Route 156. He assists Linda Bireley with the Moulson Pond Fishway and helped install a video monitoring system there. He has worked for the Connecticut DEP and CRERPA and has numerous connections at UCONN. He has a background in the Environmental Sciences and Ecology. His studies have allowed him to do stream and pond environmental assessments and conduct independent scientific research experiments. He has also served as a tutor and academic advisor. Ben is interested in helping preserve Lyme's rural character and increasing local involvement in conservation.

icon Mary Guitar
Mary Guitar joined the LLCT board in 2005, and is the chair of the Education and Publicity Committee, and is on the Stewardship, and Membership Committees. Mary grew up in Old Lyme, and is delighted to have been able to recently return to the area. Her interests include landscape painting, hiking and bird watching, and she is especially interested in wetlands preservation and environmental education.

icon George Moore
George Moore is currently President of the Lyme Land Trust; he has been on the board since 2003. He and his wife have lived in Lyme for the past ten years. George feels it is a privilege to serve on the board with such dedicated and talented colleagues and appreciates the generosity of the people in Lyme who support the objectives of the Trust through their continued membership.

icon Elizabeth Morgan
Betsy currently serves as our secretary. She and her husband Jim moved to Lyme 20 years ago and have grown to appreciate how much the townspeople strive to preserve the rural character of Lyme. She is a strong advocate of environmental education, particularly recycling and land preservation. She is also an EMT with Lyme Ambulance.

icon Mike Richardson
Mike Richardson has been on the board since 2004. He serves on the Succession, Land Preservation and Photo Contest Committees. Mike sees participation in the Lyme Land Trust as a way to personally contribute to the preservation of Lyme’s rich cultural heritage and exceptional natural beauty. He and his wife are grateful to have been able to live here and in Old Lyme for over 23 years.

icon Tom Shoemaker
Tom joined the Board in June 2006 and is chairman of the Membership Committee, and is on the Education & Publicity Committees.

icon Penny Smyth
Penny joined the Board in 2007. She has lived in Lyme for about 20 years and was first introduced to town when she was 3 years old. She has served as the Assistant Treasurer for the Grassy Hill Church and is a founding member of both the Hadlyme Garden Club and Friends of Grassy Hill community conservation organization. She is currently the steward for the Grassy Hill Preserve. She home schools her 11 year old son, works as a realtor, and has been a trainer for a home health aid certification program. She lives near the Grassy Hill Preserve on Grassy Hill Road.

icon Tony Sullivan
Tony Sullivan, CPA, is a retired partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP. He has been a member of the Board since 2002, and is the chair of the Photo Contest Committee, and is on the Education and Publicity Committee. He and his wife, Jeri, have been residents of Lyme since 2000.