About The Board
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The Brewster Ponds Coalition Board is a dedicated group of individuals passionate about its pond preservation mission. The Board plans and manages the organization as well as executes all BPC programs. Eight individuals currently serve on the Board, though BPC bylaws permit a maximum of 15 members.
Interested in an enjoyable and rewarding experience as a BPC board member? Email [email protected] with the subject title “Board Member,” and a current board member will reach out to you. Board members (left to right): Kevin Kearns, Bruce Semple, Karyn Frey, David Jacobs, Marcia Kielb, Ron Essig, John Keith, and Susan Bridges. |
John Keith, President and Special Projects Leader, is a founding member of the BPC and a semi-retired environmental engineer. Until the COVID pandemic, he worked for 12 years at a non-profit organization, assessing and designing cleanups of toxic contamination sites in developing countries in Asia, Africa, and South America. Prior to that, his career included positions leading the air and water pollution programs of the New Jersey DEP and the environment, health, and safety programs for a major pharmaceutical company. John has a strong interest in helping Brewster develop a plan that addresses long-term water quality concerns, particularly controlling nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen that promote toxic algae blooms, and preventing or controlling the growth of invasive species in our ponds.
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Kevin Kearns, Vice President and Membership Team Leader, has been coming to the Cape for 25 years. He recently retired as Professor
Emeritus from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh where, for more than 35 years, he taught
courses in nonprofit management and leadership. Kevin joined the board of the Brewster Ponds Coalition in the summer of 2022. He is now
serving as Vice President and will be extensively involved in BPC’s efforts to serve the needs and interest of our members as well as assist in
resource development. Kevin is deeply involved in other volunteer activities and has lectured on nonprofit management in the Czech Republic,
Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Macedonia, Slovakia, and Brazil and has delivered more than 100 seminars to executives and leaders in government,
industry, and the nonprofit sector. Kevin is married with two adult children. He enjoys cycling, sailing, and enjoying Brewster’s beautiful ponds.
Email: [email protected]
Emeritus from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh where, for more than 35 years, he taught
courses in nonprofit management and leadership. Kevin joined the board of the Brewster Ponds Coalition in the summer of 2022. He is now
serving as Vice President and will be extensively involved in BPC’s efforts to serve the needs and interest of our members as well as assist in
resource development. Kevin is deeply involved in other volunteer activities and has lectured on nonprofit management in the Czech Republic,
Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Macedonia, Slovakia, and Brazil and has delivered more than 100 seminars to executives and leaders in government,
industry, and the nonprofit sector. Kevin is married with two adult children. He enjoys cycling, sailing, and enjoying Brewster’s beautiful ponds.
Email: [email protected]
Susan Bridges, Treasurer, Membership and Events Teams Member, has been coming to the Cape since the early 1970s and retired to Brewster in 2016 after a 30+ year career with MetLife. Susan graduated from American University in Washington DC with a degree in fine arts. She joined The Brewster Ponds Coalition in 2018 and has been actively involved in many aspects of the organization. She is currently a member of the Creative Arts Center of Chatham, the Guild of Chatham Painters, and the Provincetown Art Association and Museum. She volunteers for Nauset Neighbors and was on its Board of Directors for four years. Past volunteer activities in New Jersey include PTO President, Board of Education member, Family Promise Homeless shelter, and Literacy for America. Susan was also on the Advisory Council for the Great Swamp Watershed Association where she was involved in water quality testing and fundraising.
Email: [email protected].
Email: [email protected].
Karyn Frey, Secretary, Events Team Leader and Citizen Science Team Member, has a degree in cellular biology, with a minor in business and a specialization in technical/medical writing. She spent every summer on the Cape as a child and moved here in 2017. She has been a volunteer on the Communications Team since 2021 and also is a Citizen Science Team volunteer. Email: [email protected].
Ron Essig, Citizen Science Team Leader, retired in 2018 as a Fish Biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Hadley, MA after 27 years where he administered marine fisheries research and survey grants to Northeast state fisheries agencies. During the previous 11 years, Ron worked for the National Marine Fisheries Service in Washington, DC and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in Brunswick, GA. He is a Past President of the American Fisheries Society and several of its subunits. He has a Masters in Fisheries Biology from the University of Massachusetts and is a Certified Fisheries Professional. Ron grew up in New Jersey spending two week vacations each summer in a tent trailer at Nickerson State Park and bought a second home on Long Pond in 2012. Ron joined the Board in 2021 and serves as the BPC representative to the Brewster Natural Resources Advisory Commission. Email: [email protected]
J. David Jacobs, Water Resources Task Force Representative, is a retired attorney who provided general counsel services to start-up, venture capital, and private equity-backed life science companies around the world. His focus now is on ceramic sculpture - abstract and representational. Dive along Gulls Way and you will see several of his pieces. David began coming to the Cape in 1967 when his family built a summer house on Sheep Pond. He and his wife continued the tradition with their own children, first renting and then buying their home on Sheep Pond in 2015. His love of Sheep Pond sparked his interest in giving back to the community by getting involved in the Brewster Ponds Coalition. Email: [email protected]
Marcia Kielb, Pond Education Team Leader, moved to Brewster from the Westfield, MA area. She has been on the BPC Board for over four years. She enjoys being connected to water, both fresh and salt, in many ways including swimming and kayaking. Cape Cod has been an integral part of her life. She and her husband, John, have been property owners in Brewster for over 12 years and have spent many beautiful days at all of Brewster beaches. Marcia has been involved in many non-profit organizations over the years. Most recently, her participation on the BPC Board and leadership positions keep her involved as an advocate for the ponds. She is dedicated to helping BPC continue its mission and protecting our kettle ponds in Brewster. She is often donning the "Shelly the Turtle" mascot costume, when available! Email: marcia.kielb@brewsterponds.org
Bruce Semple, Pond Outreach Team Leader, studied electrical engineering during the dawn of the microprocessor and went on to have a 44-year career at IBM, retiring as a Senior Systems Architect in 2020. He is currently the president of the Rosemary Tracy Community Association at Seymour Pond, and he recently finished a term on Brewster’s Energy & Climate Action Committee. In his free time, he builds houses with Habitat for Humanity, rides his electric bicycle from one end of the Cape to the other, walks on the Brewster Flats during low tides, and is an active radio amateur operator. Bruce and his wife were drawn to Brewster by its beauty, serenity, and sheer number of kettle ponds, becoming full-time residents in December 2020. Recognizing that Brewster’s ponds are an essential part of the Brewster experience, he is committed to preserving them for future generations. Email: [email protected]
