Membership Representatives
Members of the Natural Resources, Business, Cultural Resources, Real Estate, Recreation, Education, Science, and Hospitality communities serve on the Committee as do Representatives of the Borough of Highlands, the Borough of Sea Bright, Middletown Township, the Borough of Rumson, and the Monmouth County Freeholders.
Lillian G. Burry
First elected to the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 2005, Lillian G. Burry has served ever since, including as Director of the Board in 2008, 2010, and 2014. She has served as mayor, deputy mayor and committeewoman of Colts Neck, New Jersey, where she also served as historian and worked on historic preservation issues. Ms. Burry is also a member of the Fort Monmouth Redevelopment Board. Ms. Burry was the Inaugural honoree of the Count Basie Theater’s Van Guard Award for her lifelong devotion to the arts in NJ. She is also the first recipient of the M. Claire French Award for her leadership in historic preservation in Monmouth County. Ms. Burry is the owner and broker of Colts Neck Realty.
Linda Cohen
As the Founder and Director of Ocean Discoveries in 1994, Linda Cohen created and developed an individualized, hands-on Marine Science Program for school aged children in preschool through grade eight. Ocean Discoveries has educated thousands of New Jersey students about the fascinating, yet fragile, beaches and estuaries of Sandy Hook.
John Ekdahl
John Ekdahl currently serves as the Mayor, Borough of Rumson. Mr. Ekdahl served many years as a member of the Rumson Zoning and Planning Boards. Mr. Ekdahl is also a First Vice President of Investments with Merrill Lynch.
Mary Eileen Fouratt
Mary Eileen Fouratt is a Program Associate with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts with a mission to improve the quality of life in New Jersey by helping the arts to flourish. Previous to that she was the Executive Director of Monmouth Arts for 17 years. Ms. Fouratt has experience in community arts planning, grants administration and grant writing and strategic planning. She is a member of the Americans for the Arts Private Sector Network Council which fosters arts partnerships with businesses and on the steering committee for the New Jersey Cultural Alliance for Response
Gerard Glaser (co-chair)
Gerard Glaser has served as an Executive for The National Science Foundation (NSF), the federal agency with primary responsibility for funding the nation’s basic science and engineering research and education activities. The annual budget for NSF is approximately $7 billion dollars. A member of the agency since 1976, Mr. Glaser was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 1988.
Guy T. Hembling
As president of Charles B. Hembling & Sons, Inc., Mr. Hembling has overseen numerous historic restoration projects, including those at The Church of Seven Presidents in Long Branch, Old Brick Church in Marlboro, and the New Jersey Marine Science Consortium, located at Fort Hancock.
Timothy G. Hill
Retired from municipal government in May of 2016 after having served as the Director of Recreation for 32 years, Timothy G. Hill also served as the Borough Administrator since 2011. A 34-year member of the New Jersey Recreation and Park Association, Mr. Hill has served as both the President of the association and as a member of the public affairs, conference, strategic planning, awards and community recreation society committees.
Michael E. Holenstein
Michael E. Holenstein, MAI, CTA, SCGREA has practiced Real Estate Appraisal and performed Consulting Services as his sole occupation beginning in 1987 upon completion of his service to the USA in the Marine Corps. His professional and academic focus has been the valuation of partial interests, real property rights, tangible and intangible property interests, condemnation, tax appeals, and general fee work. Mr. Holenstein has also provided consulting services on topics ranging from acquisition and development, feasibility, financing, estate management, partnership interests, partial interests, evaluation for creation of trusts, to discounting of partial interests in connection with tax reporting. His work has satisfied a variety of functions including matrimonial, probate, tax appeal (State & Federal, income & property), condemnation, contamination, diverse ancillary legal proceedings, financing requirements, and general asset valuation. Mr. Holenstein is married to Penny Lynn Holenstein, CTA, and has three children; Michael Drew, a Rutgers Engineer, Bradley Scott, a Notre Dame Finance Graduate, and Amanda Margaret, a Notre Dame 5th Year Architecture Student. The Family hails from northwest NJ with maternal roots in Highlands, NJ.
James Krauss
A Certified Public Accountant with over 40 years’ experience, James Krauss brings several diverse interests and talents to the group. A resident of Atlantic Highlands, a nearby community not previously represented on the committee, Krauss chairs the Atlantic Highlands Environmental Commission and also serves as a member of the Monmouth County Environmental Council.
Anthony Mercantante
Anthony P. Mercantante, P.P. AICP, is a licensed Professional Planner in New Jersey and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. Mr. Mercantante has served as Township Administrator for the Township of Middletown since 2008. From 1989 to 2008, he served as Director of Planning and Community Development for Middletown. He has also been a consultant for many communities throughout New Jersey on a variety of Land Use, Zoning, and Affordable Housing issues.
Dr. Howard Parish
Dr. Parish serves as Vice-Chair of the New Jersey Marine Science Consortium, located in Barracks Building 22 at Sandy Hook, New Jersey. He is a Professor Emeritus of Geosciences at New Jersey City University, in addition to being a Member of the Board of Directors of the Jersey City Rotary, the Board Chair of the United Way of Hudson County, a Board Member of Palisades Nature Association, and a former Chair and Member of the Board of Directors of the Pocono Environmental Education Center located in Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania.
Lynda Rose
Lynda Rose is the president of the Eastern Monmouth Area Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than 500 business in the Monmouth and Ocean County Area. Ms. Rose is responsible for the planning, communication, program development, and all operational aspects of the organization. Ms. Rose has been a featured speaker on the tourism industry and assists businesses through a variety of events and seminars.
Daniel Saunders
Since 2008, Daniel Saunders served as the Administrator Historic Preservation Office, NJ Department of Environmental Protection. Prior to that, Mr. Saunders served as a Historic Preservation Specialist. Has worked on a number of projects with the NPS in the State of New Jersey including planning at Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park and the rehabilitation of the south side of Ellis Island. Saunders has also worked as a project reviewer for Historic Preservation Tax credits and serves on the following boards: Crossroads of the American Revolution; New Jersey Historical Commission; and the New Jersey Historic Trust. Mr. Saunders has recently retired.
Katherine Stevenson
Now retired after a 40-year career with the National Park Service, Katherine Stevenson has held two Associate Director Positions; Associate for Business Services and Associate for Cultural Resources, Partnerships and Recreation programs. Ms. Stevenson also served in two Regional NPS offices. Her combination of historic preservation expertise and familiarity with the processes and programs of the NPS will serve Fort Hancock well as it reawakens into a vital, vibrant community.
Jeffrey C. Tyler
As a Senior Director at Express Scripts (retired 2014), Jeffrey C. Tyler directed all real estate transactions for this Fortune 20 Company. He has extensive experience in real estate matters nationally and in the tri-state area, as well as experience with US Government leases and procedures. Mr. Tyler has served on the Hazlet Township Land Use Board (combined Planning and Zoning boards) for the past 10 years, mostly as chair. He led the creation of the award-winning Hazlet 2030 Vision Plan, and serves on the Hazlet Open Space Advisory Council. Mr. Tyler is a lay member of the New Jersey Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics.
Margot Walsh
Margot Walsh is the Executive Director of the Jersey Shore Partnership and President of its Foundation. Walsh also served as the Vice President of Administration and Development with the Foundation for New Jersey Public Broadcasting. She is currently a member of the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association, the Eastern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce, the Monmouth/Ocean Development Council, the MODC Environment and Energy Committee, and the Sea Grant Consortium Stakeholder Advisory Board. Ms. Walsh is currently on her second term as a member the Fort Hancock 21st Century Advisory Committee.
Michael Walsh
Michael Walsh manages a group of compliance and legal risk specialists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Mr. Walsh previously served as chief compliance officer and also as general council to a variety of financial institutions. In addition to his professional experience, Mr. Walsh, a 20 year resident of Fair Haven, has served as a member of the Zoning Board, served as a Councilman, and also served as Police Commissioner. Mr. Walsh helped in planning the development of a historic district in Fair Haven and in rewriting town zoning ordinances.
Shawn Welch (co-chair)
Shawn Welch recently retired after 30 years as an Engineer officer in the United States Army. His last assignment was Deputy Director for Infrastructure, Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management, The Pentagon, Washington, DC. With a strong background in facilities planning, lifecycle management and costing, he is uniquely positioned to support the committee’s efforts. He is a board member of the Army Ground Forces Association (AGFA), a Gateway Park Partner since 2003. AGFA continues its extensive rehabilitation and uniformed interpretation of Battery John Gunnison/New Freemont Peck and the Coast Artillery era at Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Proving Ground National Historic Landmark (entire Sandy Hook peninsula). AGFA has helped preserve and interpret fortifications at seven other harbor defense forts and supported living history events across the nation.
Karolyn Wray
Karolyn Wray serves as the Director, Relocation & Business Development/Broker, and Office Manager for GMS, Predential, Zack Shore Properties. Ms. Wray is responsible for developing relocation and referral business throughout Monmouth and Ocean Counties.