Robert Sarkisian
Chair
Robert is known to many as the General Manager of a favorite Nantucket restaurant, 21. He has made Nantucket his home since 1993 after working in the restaurant business in the Boston area. In addition to his restaurant work, and thanks to his love of the island’s beaches, Robert launched his own business with his engineer father, The Nantucket Beach Chair Company. He believes that the key to being happy and living on Nantucket year round is keeping busy and staying active in the community. Robert is also a broker for Island Properties Real Estate and a Diaconate member of The First Congregational Church. Robert joined the NLS Board in 2008, having learned about Lighthouse School through his friends’ children.

Linda D. Hale
Vice-Chair
Linda, her husband Joe, and her family first came to Nantucket over 30 years ago. She now lives on Nantucket for half the year, dividing her time between the island and Naples, Florida.  Linda’s career involved working and volunteering in schools attended by her children.  Linda has served on the boards of the Cincinnati Horticultural Society, the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, and LADD (Living Arrangements for Developmentally Disabled).  Linda is “delighted that long-time friends and colleagues, Charlie and Gail Clark are on Nantucket and at Lighthouse School, and to work with a board and staff dedicated to child-centered education.” Linda is a member of the Lighthouse School Development, Finance and Executive Committees.

Molly Anderson
Clerk
Molly is the Executive Director of the Nantucket Atheneum, the island’s public library, since 2005.  She was previously the Assistant Head of Flint Hill School in Oakton, VA.  As part of the founding administrative team, she began her tenure at Flint Hill in 1990 as Head Librarian.  Molly earned a BA in History from Wellesley College and her Masters in Library Science from Columbia University.  She raised two sons in the Washington, DC area.  Molly is the head of the Lighthouse School Governance Committee, and sits on the Executive and Finance Committees. 

Joan Alison Stockman
Treasurer
Joan has lived on Nantucket for 15 years. She is currently the Financial Administrator for Maria Mitchell Association and previously worked as the Grant Administrator for Harborlife. Joan is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and has taught pre-natal yoga classes on island. She is married to Jacques Zimicki. Son Zephyr attended Lighthouse for six years and daughter Aurora is in the Lighthouse Middle School. “When researching school options, I was impressed that the curriculum is based on the developmental needs of young children. Quiet, focused activities are alternated with more active ones. Field trips and outside exploration are an integral part of the day. It was the perfect choice for our very active son and a great fit for our daughter as well. As a parent I have seen how the Lighthouse School’s integrated approach to learning has served my children. I cannot imagine a more worthwhile endeavor than to assist the school in giving the best possible education to Nantucket’s children." Joan heads the Finance Committee and sits on the Executive and Education Committees.

Alicia Keller
Faculty Representative
Alicia developed and taught the Children's Art Program at the Creative Arts Center in Chatham, MA. An accomplished weaver, cook, and avid boater, Alicia raised and home-schooled her two sons Carl and Noah here on Nantucket with her husband Carl Keller. Alicia has taught art programs at at NISDA, the Maria Mitchell Museum, and the Nantucket Atheneum. She has taught art and served as a Teaching Assistant a NES. Alicia joined the Lighthouse faculty as a Small School teacher in 2004 and continues to develop the SS program after taking a year leave for a sailing adventure in the Caribbean.  Alicia sits on the Education Committee and Middle School Task Force.

Trustees:

Caleb Cressman
Caleb grew up on Nantucket and returned after high school and college years spent at off island schools. He is a musician and can be found playing his fiddle at various venues and with the band that has become an island favorite, Four Easy Payments. Caleb and his wife Lindsey, creator of Spoon Home Textiles, live on an old farm near the cranberry bogs where they continue the tradition of the property by gardening and raising chickens, sheep and other critters. He has traveled many times to India, Israel, Europe, and Australia. Caleb learned about Lighthouse through friends who have children at the school and thinks that it is a marvelous place to grow and learn. “It uses a non-institutional and individualized curriculum that recognizes personal responsibility and develops conceptual understanding of all subjects before memorization and repetitive tasks are employed to practice and hone academic skills. This way of learning allows for a deeper knowledge of, and interest in, all subjects.”  Caleb chairs the Lighthouse School FAME Committee and sits on the Development Committee.

Lizbet Carroll Fuller
Lizbet co-founded Lighthouse School with Elizabeth Sundell in 1999 and currently serves as the Director of Education. She has worked with young children for over 20 years in pre-school and elementary school classrooms. She moved to Nantucket in 1991 to teach at NES before leaving and creating her own pre-school program, which evolved into the current Lighthouse Small School. Lizbet's philosophy of education is inspired and informed by the work of Rudolf Steiner (founder of Waldorf Education), the Integrated Day approach of the Antioch New England Graduate School, the social curriculum and philosophy of the Mead School, and her practical experience in the classroom. Lizbet directs curriculum and program development, supervises the faculty, and works with Lighthouse children, staff and parents. She is married to Waterman Chris Fuller and son Eli happily attends Lighthouse School. "We set out to create a school that honored the magic of childhood while creatively introducing children to the ideas, information, and tools they will need to construct meaningful and rewarding lives. In turn, the school has generated a wonderful and caring community of teachers, staff members, families, and friends." Lizbet chairs the Education Committee and sits on the Middle School Task Force.

Suzanne Keller
Suzanne came to live on Nantucket 30 years ago and worked in the service industry while raising her two sons, River and Zeb, with her husband, carpenter Andrew Bennett. Currently, she can be found sharing her interest in literature with Bookworks customers. Suzanne joined as a member of the founding NLS Board when Zeb, who attended Lizbet’s Small School, joined the very first Lighthouse School class and ultimately became one of the school’s first graduates. After a brief leave, Suzanne rejoined the Board because she believes in what Lighthouse is all about.  "As e.e. cummings' once said, 'To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight.' Lighthouse School is the perfect school to help you to be who you are. That is why I believe it is of value."  Suzanne sits on the Governance, FAME and Education Committees. 

Dr. Eugene McDowell
Gene was born in Spartanburg, SC.  He and his wife Cathy, a Nurse- Practitioner, have a grown daughter, Laura McDowell-Townsend.  Laura (Becca) who is also a nurse. Gene is a graduate of Wofford College- BA (Spartanburg, SC), Yale Divinity School- MDiv, and Boston University- ThD. He has over 25 years of experience as a parish priest and prior to ordination in 1986 was Professor of Religion at Brevard College (Brevard, NC). Gene is a Richard Hooker scholar and continues to work on Richard Hooker curricula which he started through the Department of Ministry Development in New York.  In the 1980’s Gene co-founded a wilderness education school and still continues to lead backcountry and wilderness trips and programs.  Gene sits on the Finance Committee and Middle School Task Force of the Nantucket Lighthouse.

Susan O'Brien
Susan has been a seasonal resident of Nantucket for over 30 years, along with her husband Steve and their two children, Peter and Amanda. She has served as a Trustee on the boards of both Sustainable Nantucket and the Nantucket Community Association and as the co-chair of the Major Gifts Committee for Nantucket Ice. Off island, she has served on the boards of The Vincent Club and the Charles River Valley Garden Club, and is currently a member of the Board of Advisors for the New England Baptist Hospital. Susan employs her business experience and commitment to education on behalf of schools and undertook development roles at Tenacre Country Day School and the Dexter/Southfield School. She also worked writing business cases for the Simmons Graduate School of Management with support from a grant from the Ford Foundation. Susan joined the NLS Board in 2006. "I have had the pleasure of observing a number of classes at the Lighthouse School. The integrated curriculum is unique and the students are engaged in the learning process. In order for Nantucket to have a sustainable year round community, we need to provide an educational choice of quality for families. It is a privilege to support this institution." Susan heads the Development Committee and sits on the Governance Committee.

Laurie Scott
Laurie’s three children attended the Nantucket Lighthouse School before moving from Nantucket to Boston at the end of last year.  In addition to serving on the Lighthouse School board, Laurie serves on the Board of the Hobe Sound Community Chest, Board of Overseers of the Stewart Gardener Museum in Boston, and the Benjamin School Board of Trustees in North Palm Beach, FL. Laurie worked at Twain and Associates, a Boston consulting firm for strategic planning.  With an undergraduate degree in economics from Wellesley College and a graduate degree from Harvard Business School, Laurie sits on the Development and Governance Committees of the Board.

Advisory Council:

Emily Avery
Liz Chace
Cary Hazlegrove
Sandi Holland
Duffield Meyercord
John D. Miller
Stephen Saylor
Susan Storey
Elizabeth and John Sundell
Alan Worden