ISHRA Board Member Bios

Laurence Bussey

‘Laury”, as he is usually known by, has been integrated with the Isles of Shoals for nearly seven decades.  From handling lines as a mate on the steamship Kiboko in the fifties, marrying Nancy in the chapel on the hill, and a ‘plank-owner’ of ISHRA when originally organized by Dr. Bob Tuttle, Laury is a past president of the organization, has authored two Shoals publications, lectures on Shoals history, is proud of children and grandchildren who have served as Pels, and continues to be a strong advocate for ‘all things Shoals’!

Jim Cerny
Jim is a retiree in New Castle spending much time on digital photography, town history, local journalism projects, and collecting slide rules. His working background was in IT support and, long-ago, he was a cartographer.

Kipp Freeman
Kipp is a recent ISHRA board member. Her affinity to the Isles of Shoals began in the spring of 1973 with a marine biology course she took at the Shoals Marine Lab while studying at Union College. She is a retired middle school math/science teacher but continues her love of teaching in the UNH Marine Docent Program as a volunteer educator. Kipp lives in Strafford, N.H., on beautiful Bow Lake with her husband Bruce.

Alice Gordan
Alice is a longtime ISHRA member, having one of the best attendance records at spring and fall conferences. She served ISHRA for many years as secretary, and recently returned to the board. Alice is a retired librarian and enjoys researching the history of the Isles of Shoals. Her findings often evolve into articles for the ISHRA newsletter, including her most recent work locating Miss Underhill's grave in Chester, N.H. Alice lives in Manchester, N.H. with her husband Victor.

Ellen Koenig
Ellen has been visiting the Isles of Shoals with her family for over 35 years and has been fascinated with its architecture, history and culture. She serves as an ISHRA docent and has chaired several of the ISHRA history conferences on Star Island. Ellen has worked in the New Hampshire nonprofit sector for her entire career and lives in Concord, N.H. with her family and rescue dog, Yuki, who rules the roost.

Mark Lechner
Mark has been visiting the Isles of Shoals and has been a member of ISHRA since moving to Kittery in 2010. He immediately fell in love with the magical islands and their history. He became involved with ISHRA as a history docent and has been coordinating the docent program for several years. In addition, he is a member of the ISHRA board, serving as treasurer and now president. Mark is a captain for American Airlines flying the Boeing 777 internationally, as well as being a captain for the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company.

Joel Plagenz
Joel is a nonprofit communications director who first visited the Shoals as a teenage lighthouse enthusiast. He returned years later to attend the first ISHRA June conference, which began just a few days after he moved to the Seacoast – and which just happened to be about lighthouses.

Amy Richards
Amy has been on the ISHRA board for several years, starting as secretary then vice president. She is currently the treasurer. She lives in Kittery Point and very much enjoys looking out at the islands while on a walk or run. She is also a UNH marine docent as well as an ISHRA history docent. She loves sharing her knowledge about the cultural, historical and natural history of this area.

Kathy Rockwood
Kathy fell in love with the Isles of Shoals when she moved to New Castle with her husband 10 years ago. She became a UNH marine docent and ISHRA history docent, which has enabled her to lead tours at Appledore and Star Island. Kathy has been on the ISHRA board for several years, serving recently as secretary. She volunteers as a deckhand for The Gundalow Company in Portsmouth and has worked with The Nature Conservancy in the oyster restoration program for 10 years. She is a co-founder and vice president of the Seacoast Village Project, a non-profit with a mission of supporting older adults in N.H. seacoast communities to age in place.

Jean Stefanik
Jean began visiting the Shoals in the 1980s on scuba diving trips and attending natural history conferences in the early 1990s. She is a longtime member of ISHRA and served on the board in its early years, as well as now. Jean has chaired and attended fall and spring ISHRA conferences, designed the grant program, and been involved with chair caning and kayak acquisitions on Star. A longtime Smuttynose steward, she has also volunteered for many years on Star Island, serving as a corporation member and on both the marine lab and property standards committees. She lives in Manchester, N.H. and loves nature and traveling.

Denise Wheeler
Denise is a local educator, writer and grassroots community advocate who has been bringing elementary school students to the Isles of Shoals for over a decade, teaching them about the folklore and legends there. She is a past member of the Lighthouse Kids board working to preserve The White Island Lighthouse Station. Denise has contributed writing to two local history books and lives in Greenland, N.H.