Leadership

LeadershipGreg Panos2025-01-10T16:24:50-05:00

Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees

Janet Coupland

President

Norris Clark

1st Vice President

Mary Farber McKenney

2nd Vice President

Tom Carroll

3rd Vice President

Robert Gorgone

Treasurer

Jake Cuomo

Secretary

Trustees

Barry Cohen

Trustee
Laurie S. Orem

Trustee
Rita Rothberg

Trustee
Jacob Pashelinksy

Trustee
Steve Steger

Trustee
Wendy Collins
Tina Angstadt

Trustee
Wanda Wise Evelyn

Trustee
Bernie Haas

Trustee

Staff Leadership

Jody Alessandrine

Director & CEO

Charles Kealy

Chief Financial Officer

Eliza Lotozo

Chief Outreach Officer

Mary Stewart

Chief Outreach Strategist

Barry Cohen

Trustee

Barry currently serves as president and chairman of Atlantic Capes Fisheries, a Cape May and New Bedford, MA-based vertically integrated harvest to table seafood company. He was a trial lawyer for 40 years and remains “of counsel” to the Petro Cohen Law Firm he co-founded in 1998. Barry has served as president or committee chair on various local, state and national boards including, Congregation Beth Judah, the Jewish Federation of Atlantic and Cape May counties, the New Jersey Association for Justice and the National Community Relations Advisory Council. Locally, with his wife Ronnie and Cape May MAC Trustee Norris Clark, co-founded Cape May Forum. Barry and Ronnie actively support Cape May Stage, the Harriett Tubman Museum, and Cape May MAC’s Annual Music Festival. Barry’s late mother began her support of Cape May MAC shortly after its founding and he hopes to build on her, and this institution’s, well-deserved legacies.

Laurie S. Orem

Trustee

Laurie recently retired from her second career as a development professional. She worked for the Norwalk Community College Foundation and the Community Fund of Darien, CT where she and her husband, John, currently reside. Prior to raising her family, Laurie worked in Strategic Planning Consulting for KPMG Peat Marwick. She holds an MBA from Columbia University and an Engineering degree from Carnegie Mellon. Laurie has extensive board experience, currently serving on the Board of the Darien Community Association and on the Advisory Board of the Darien Foundation. The Orems have owned a home in Cape May for over twenty years and are looking forward to getting more involved in the Cape May community. Laurie served as Chair of the February 2023 Ice Ball fundraiser for the Fund for Cape May. She and John are also supporters of Cape May Stage and have volunteered their Columbia Avenue home for a Cape May MAC Victorian Weekend house tour.

Rita Rothberg

Trustee

Rita M. Rothberg (formerly Fulginiti) has worked in the Cape May County Clerk’s Office since 1985; first elected County Clerk in 2005. She oversees the recording ofreal estate transactions, maintains an archive of vital land and civil records dating back to 1692, is an election official for the county, administers oaths and is a U.S. Passport agent. Additionally, she serves as County Adjuster, a human services role, overseeing court commitments of psychiatric patients and the burial of indigent citizens. In 2007 Rita was presented the PARIS (Public Archives and Records Infrastructure Support Program) Grants Award for Excellence by the NJ Secretary of State and the Archivist of the United States for her leadership implementing the County’s Records Recovery Center for Electronic Records. Rita is on the Woodbine Developmental Center board and chairs the Cape Women’s Resource Fund, Inc., which promotes the achievements of county women. She has an A.A. from Atlantic Cape Community College and has earned the NJ Department of Personnel Certified Public Manager designation. She lives in Dennis Township with her husband Michael Rothberg and her beloved pets.

Jacob Pashelinksy

Trustee

Jake Pashelinsky is a Managing Director in JPMorgan’s Global Energy & Environmental Derivatives Trading group, starting at the firm in New York after graduating from Stanford in 2008. He developed his appreciation for Victorian architecture as a draftsman in high school for his father who has spent half a century working as an architect on historic homes in San Francisco. Jake and his family are grateful for the opportunity to continue this passion locally, recently becoming caretakers for several historic homes in Cape May including the J. Stratton Ware House. On the non- profit side. Jake and his wife are active sponsors of educational development in rural Rwanda through the Children in the Wilderness program which focuses on inspiring the next generation of decision makers to build communities around environmental stewardship.

Steve Steger

Trustee

Joining the Board in February 2017, Steve is a 4th-generation Islander and Vice President of Steger Beach Service Inc. and Business Manager of Cape May Contracting Inc. Steve also serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Cape May Chamber of Commerce and is Chairman of the Cape May City Beach Safety Committee. He also plays the role of Captain Kidd for the Annual Treasure Hunt, and the 4th of July Independence Day Parade. Steve currently serves on the Marketing Strategies and Museum Education teams.

Wendy Collins

Wendy is the Chief Operating Officer at Cape May Stage, and the co-owner of Curious Cape May bike tours and Ripple & Root gift shop. As the former owner of The Mission Inn, she opened her bed and breakfast for the Taste Your Way Inn and Christmas Candlelight House tours. In her new position with Cape May Stage she is working to build a stronger partnership between the theater and Cape May MAC. Wendy has served as a Cape May MAC Trustee since 2020 and is an active member of the Info Technology, Marketing Strategies, Museum Education, Video and Website teams.

Tina Angstadt

Trustee

Tina Angstadt is a retired educator and stage director. Her 20-year career included both owning and directing the Academy for Early Learning and directing the theatre program of Gov. Mifflin HS in Reading PA. While in Reading she served on the President’s Advisory Board of Penn State University, Berks Campus, was resident stage director for the Reading Fall Festival of the Arts, stage director for the Reading Symphony Orchestra’s award winning KinderKonzert series, and stage director for Brick House Theatre and The Reading Pops. Cape May homeowners since 1990, she and her husband Bill relocated here permanently 8 years ago. She is currently a very active MAC member volunteering at designer, kitchen, garden and Candlelight house tours, music concerts and festivals, as well as serving on the Volunteer Team. Tina currently serves on the Church Council of Cape May Lutheran Church and is a volunteer for Cape May Stage and the Cape May Regional Hospital Auxiliary.

Wanda Wise Evelyn

Trustee

Wanda Wise Evelyn’s ancestry in Cape May County extends to the late 1700s and to one of the original Black/Native American families of Lower Cape May County– the Turner Family. Edward Turner assisted Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad in New Jersey, shuttling fugitive slaves to Haddonfield and other stations farther north. The Wise side of the family (here since the late 1800s) owned Wise’s Cleaning Plant on Lafayette St. in the 1960s. Wise/Anderson Park is named in part for her father, Charles Wise, in honor of his dedication to teaching children tennis. Wanda is retired civilian trainer of recruits and a computer programmer and technical writer for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). She was also a teacher/ trainer for the Cape May County Technical School. Wanda is a former Center for Community Arts (CCA) board member, where she played role in the annual Black History Exhibit CCA produced at Cape May MAC’s Carroll Gallery. She is also a member of the Cape May County African American History Committee. Wanda is a member of Cape May MAC’s DEAI Team. Wanda and her husband Robert have a daughter and a son, both work for the Dept. of Homeland Security – Robert under Customs and Border Protection and Karin in the USCG.

Bernie Haas

Trustee

Bernie Haas is the owner of Cape Publishing (Cape May Magazine, capemay.com) who served on the Cape May MAC Board of Trustees from 2008 – 2016, 2019-24 (including a 3-year stint as 3^rd Vice President).

Janet Coupland

President

Janet spent the majority of her career in the Insurance Industry, retiring as Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Technology. Since retirement, Janet worked and volunteered at Cape May MAC as a Physick Estate Interpreter and Trolley Guide for 14 years, where she was also a member of MAC’s Tour Advisory Team. In 2021 she accepted the invitation to join the Cape May MAC Board of Trustees as Secretary, a position she held from 2021 through 2023. She was then elected First Vice President of the Board of Trustees in 2024. Janet has written several of MAC’s successful tours. She served as the Curator of MAC’s 50th Anniversary Exhibit, and is currently MAC’s Volunteer Archiving Manager. Janet serves as the Chair of the Membership Committee and is an active member of the Exhibit Planning Team, the DEAI Team, The Restoration and Collections Committee and the Tour Training Team. Janet also teaches a Victorian Architecture and Historic Preservation class to MAC staff. Janet was the recipient of the MAC Honor Award as well as several MAC Platinum Volunteer awards and the Outstanding Service Award. She won the State of New Jersey Governor’s Award for Volunteer Leadership. Janet is also actively involved in Cape May’s Historic Preservation.

Norris Clark

1st Vice President

Norris is the Managing Partner of Princeton Strategic Communications (PSC), part of the Princeton Public Affairs Group, a leading strategic communications and public affairs firm in New Jersey. Prior to PSC, Norris directed the state Board of Education’s Family and Community Relations Office. As the owner of Bayshore Communications, he directed marketing for Cape Resorts and the Morey Organization, winning the Governors Tourism Award, the Brass Ring Award from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, as well as the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International Award. Norris was elected to and served, a four-year term as Deputy Mayor of Lower Twp. and led in restoring the historic Fishing Creek School. Since 2013, he has organized the annual TEDxCapeMay, which has attracted over 3,000 attendees for presentations viewed online by over nine million people worldwide. Norris earned his master’s degree in American Intellectual History at the University of Pennsylvania and organized the Cape May Institute for Continuing Education. He first came to Cape May in 1963 as part of a volunteer cleanup of the Christian Admiral led by his maternal grandfather, Rev. Dr. Carl McIntire. Since re-joining the Board in 2021 as 3rd V. President Norris is a member of the Website Team.

Mary Farber McKenney

2nd Vice President

Mary is a retired corporate banking and technology executive who now owns and operates a vacation rental business with properties in the Florida Keys, Dubai, Dominican Republic and Mexico. Since joining the Board in 2010, she has served as Treasurer in 2011-13, President 2014-16, 2^nd Vice President in 2020, 1^st Vice President in 2021 and Treasurer 2022-2024. She currently serves on the Lessons of History and Investment teams.

Tom Carroll

3rd Vice President

Tom Carroll is a retired innkeeper (he and his wife Sue founded Cape May’s Bed and Breakfast community in 1971). A retired Captain in the Coast Guard, Tom also Chaired the NJ Historic Trust, the NJ Cultural Trust and the Cape May City Planning Board. He has served more than 37 years on the Board (off and on since 1971), including three 3-year stints as President (1985-87; 1998-2000 and 2019-2021 and 2024).Tom currently serves on the Development, Exhibit Planning, Festival, Grounds Crew and Lessons of History, Strategic Planning teams and Chair of the Investment Committee).

Robert Gorgone

Treasurer

A longtime homeowner and resident of Cape May, Bob is a state-certified member of the Cape May Planning Board and past member of the Cinnaminson, NJ Planning Board. Before his retirement, Bob was the Director of Business Operations/CFO of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, responsible for $3.5 billion in federal funds. He also served as the Director of Energy and Sustainability for the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation at The Navy Yard, running a private utility, including steam, water, storm water, sewer and electrical utilities as well as infrastructure. Bob also has extensive experience in strategic planning, economic development, and workforce development and training. In addition to municipal planning boards, Bob has over 30 years-experience in serving on various other boards, including nine years on the Haddonfield, NJ Board of Education. His degree is in engineering. Bob is a member of Cape May MAC’s Operation Team.

Jake Cuomo

Secretary

Joining the Board in January 2021, Jake Cuomo is the Director of New Jersey Operations/Corporate Director of Human Resources for Revolution Rail Company. He retired from the Coast Guard in 2020 and his last assignment was as the Personnel & Administrative officer for the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May. Jake also serves on the Cape May County Coast Guard Community Foundation Board of Directors. He currently serves on the ADA Access, Development, Volunteer and Investment teams, as well as the Membership Committee.

Jody Alessandrine

Director & CEO

Joseph J. Alessandrine, Jr., MPA (“Jody”) became Cape May MAC’s Director & CEO in February 2020, succeeding Dr. B. Michael Zuckerman, who had held the post for 37 years. Jody previously held Executive Director positions for two Special Improvement Districts (State College, PA and Toms River, NJ) and was the inaugural Director of the former Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Center Foundation.

He is also a former municipal administrator and served as a thrice-elected city councilman in Ocean City, New Jersey (1998-2008). Jody also has experience in public education, as well as tourism and casino marketing.

Jody was appointed by two governors to serve on the Board of Trustees on the New Jersey Historic Trust and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Values Into Action New Jersey.

Jody earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a certificate in Public Finance from The Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania. He was also the recipient of the Dr. Stephen B. Sweeney Fellowship at Penn. His Bachelor’s Degree is in Communications from Villanova University. Ironically, Jody and Cape May MAC’s CFO Charles Kealy are both graduates of Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, PA.

Jody and his wife Cheryl were married in Cape May and had been Cape May MAC members for the better part of 25 years before he assumed the role of its CEO. They are residents of the Town Bank section of Lower Township. Jody calls serving as Cape May MAC’s CEO a highlight of his extensive professional career.

Charles Kealy

Chief Financial Officer

Charles Kealy is a product of the Philadelphia Parochial School system. St. Louis Elementary, Monsignor Bonner High School and, for good measure, a BS from Saint Joseph’s College in Accounting. Now, Charles is a Certified Public Accountant and the Chief Financial Officer at Cape May MAC.

Charles’ family started coming in the late fifties as summer visitors and bought a house on Hughes St. in the early Sixties. Charles spent every summer until the eighties then and settled in West Cape May after getting married in 1985. His wife, Margaret Oleksiak, was also a summer visitor whose family bought a second home in Cape May. Charles has a son Charlie, who lives in New York City working as a data analyst and about to get his MBA from Pace University in July, 2020.

Charles is a member and Treasurer for the Cape May Kiwanis. What he enjoys most about working for Cape May MAC is feeling like he is doing something to maintain the character of Victorian Cape May.

Eliza Lotozo

Chief Outreach Officer

Eliza Lotozo was born and raised in West Cape May, NJ and attended Lower Cape May Regional High School. After earning a B.S.B.A in Accounting from the University of South Carolina in 2012, she returned to Cape May, NJ to live and work in the community that she loves.

Eliza became acquainted with Cape May MAC leadership while working as an Associate Producer with the newly formed Exit Zero Jazz Festival in 2014. In the fall of 2014, she joined Cape May MAC staff as a part-time Marketing Coordinator. By 2016, Eliza had moved into a full-time position with Cape May MAC and now holds the position of Chief Outreach Officer.

Starting in 2018 Eliza, working with other staff & Board leadership, embarked on a re-branding initiative for Cape May MAC (then The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities). The initiative culminated in the spring of 2020 with the launch of a new name, new website, and new brand.

In May 2023, Eliza graduated with a MBA from Stockton University in Galloway, NJ.

Eliza serves on the Boards of both the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May as well as East Lynne Theater. She was a member of the first graduating class of the Cape May County Leadership program.

Mary Stewart

Chief Outreach Strategist

Mary Stewart began volunteering for Cape May MAC when she moved to Cape May in 1986 and joined the staff in 1987 as an assistant in the Communications Division. She had an undergraduate degree in art and a career in graphic arts which she put to work designing Cape May MAC’s publications (including their “This Week in Cape May” publication). From there, she moved to Special Events and eventually into grant-writing, marketing, Membership and development. She was a part of the team that launched the Music Festival in 1990 and arranged to bring visiting musicians into schools, which was the origin of Cape May MAC’s educational outreach program. In 2003, she earned a Master of Administrative Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Now that she semi-retired, she serves as the Chief Outreach Strategist and assists with outreach to a variety of audiences including Members, volunteers, the educational community and the business community. She’s served on the boards of the City and County Chambers of Commerce.