MASSACHUSETTS 400 FORUM
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
KEN TAVARES, PRESIDENT, PLYMOUTH 400, INC
A U.S. Navy veteran, his civic mindedness traces back to his time as Plymouth
High school's class president. He attended Bentley College and his multi-faceted
career includes a strong financial acumen, bolstered by his role as an officer in
the banking industry. His early community involvement was highlighted by his
role as a member of the Advisory and Finance Committee at a time when the
town faced tough issues dealing with the new nuclear power plant, and the
ensuing surge in population, housing and industrial development. And, today he
proudly serves as Chairman of the Plymouth Board of Selectmen.
Ken’s community service has been extensive, including Town Meeting
Representative, a member of the Plymouth County Advisory Board and numerous town-appointed
committees. Additionally, he has served on the boards of directors for The Plymouth Public Library, The Old
Colony United Way, The Old Colony Boy Scout Council, The Plymouth Antiquarian Society, The Pilgrim Society,
the local chapter of the Red Cross, Jordan Hospital Advisory Board, and Plymouth 400 Inc.
SENATOR VIRIATO M. deMACEDO
Viriato Manuel Pereira de Macedo, also popularly known as Vinny deMacedo, is a
Cape Verdean American politician, and is the Massachusetts State Senator for
the Plymouth and Barnstable District in the Massachusetts Senate, which
comprises the communities of Bourne, Falmouth, Kingston, Pembroke, Plymouth,
and Sandwich. He is a Republican who was sworn into the Massachusetts Senate
on January 7, 2015.
deMacedo had no political experience prior to becoming a candidate for the
Massachusetts House of Representatives on November 3, 1998 for a term as a
Massachusetts State Representative, against the Democratic incumbent Joseph
Gallitano. Since then he was re-elected in every election.
In November 2014, he was elected to the Massachusetts Senate, succeeding
retiring Massachusetts Senate President Therese Murray as State Senator for the
Plymouth and Barnstable District. He now holds the position of Ranking Minority Member on the Senate
Committee on Ways and Means. His legislative priorities include solving the opiate epidemic facing
Massachusetts and ensuring the Commonwealth's fiscal responsibility.
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MASSACHUSETTS 400 FORUM
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
MICHELE PECORARO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PLYMOUTH 400 INC
Michele Pecoraro brings years of tourism, marketing, and leadership experience
to the helm of Plymouth 400, Inc., the organization formed to lead the planning
and execution of programs and events commemorating the 400th anniversary of
the 1620 Mayflower voyage and the founding of Plymouth Colony; events that
significantly shaped the building of America. Michele’s knowledge of the tourism
industry and her connections with industry leaders and legislators have helped
her increase awareness and engagement for Plymouth 400 at the local, national,
and international levels.
Michele joined the Plymouth 400, Inc. team in Spring 2014 and immediately
began developing and expanding the organization’s National and International
outreach efforts, government involvement, fundraising strategy, and overall
strategic plans for Signature Events and Programs of 2020. Her initiative to bring on a professional staff and
expand the scope of the Board of Directors staff has been key to growing the organization. Ms. Pecoraro came
to Plymouth from just over the Cape Cod Canal, where she worked for seven years as the Vice President of
Operations, International Markets & Special Projects at the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce/Convention and
Visitors Bureau. She also served as President of the Massachusetts Cultural Coast for ten years. Ms. Pecoraro
possesses a deep love of the region in which she has lived for most of her life, and as Executive Director of
Plymouth 400, Inc. she welcomes the challenge and opportunity to give back to this community through this
once-in-a-lifetime commemoration.
ED MALOUF, PRINCIPAL, CONTENT DESIGN COLLABORATIVE
To be successful in the field of cultural interpretation and museum exhibit design
requires a diverse skill set combined with a vision for transforming ideas through
innovative and compelling environments. Mr. Malouf, with a broad background
in exhibit, graphic, and communications design, combines his talent for creating
dynamic environments that are built on solid interpretation, with his technical
expertise and practical knowledge in exhibit implementation to develop exhibits
for clients that span a broad range of cultural, natural and social history. His skill
at quickly becoming immersed in content, and translating it into a compelling
exhibit program during the conceptual phase is matched only by his knowledge
of materials, lighting, and architecture, from which he draws during the implementation phase. An
experienced and practical project manager, he sees all projects through from initial design to final installation,
working in direct collaboration with his clients.
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MASSACHUSETTS 400 FORUM
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
LINDA COOMBS, DIRECTOR, AQUINNAH CULTURAL CENTER AND CHAIR OF
PLYMOUTH 400 WAMPANOAG ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Linda Coombs is program director of the Aquinnah Cultural Center. She is an
author and historian from the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).
Coombs began a museum career in 1974, interning at the Boston Children's
Museum as part of its Native American Program. She and her peers, including
Narragansett elder Paulla Dove Jennings, wrote children's books for the
museum, illustrating Native American culture from a Native American
perspective. Coombs later worked for nearly three decades with the
Wampanoag Indigenous Program at Plimoth Plantation, including 15 years as the
program's associate director. In that capacity, she wrote a number of essays
documenting colonial history from a Native American perspective, and often spoke publicly about the need for
more accurate representations of colonial events including the first Thanksgiving and Columbus Day.
GEORGE GARMANY, ASSISTANT GOVERNOR GENERAL, GSMD
Dr. George Garmany is a retired physician from Boulder, Colorado. He received
his training at the University of Virginia and the University of Colorado and spent
thirty-seven years in the practice of Neurology before retiring in 2014. He has
served a number of roles for the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.
Current positions with the GSMD include Assistant Governor General and
chairmanship of the 2020 Celebration Committee and the Cole’s Hill
Anthropological Project. He is also active in the Boulder Rotary Club of Rotary
International.
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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
MICHAEL ROUMEN, DIRECTOR OF LEIDEN FUNDS FOR THE ARTS
Michael Roumen is trained as an arts administrator and consultant, specializing
in public-private collaboration, entrepreneurial development and regional
cultural policy.
Michael has been director of the Leiden Fund for Arts & Culture (Cultuurfonds
Leiden) until 2016. This unique foundation invests in professionalizing the
cultural sector and actively initiates collaborations between cultural
organizations, business life and public institutions. Since the fund's particular
mission and strategy has been recognized as good practice in The Netherlands,
he regularly advises other cities on similar constructs. Michael learned the
'trade' of arts administration by founding the Leiden International Film Festival with some fellow students
back in 2006, of which he has been managing director until 2012. Meanwhile, he worked as a consultant and
policy advisor with Bureau Blaauwberg, specialized in regional economic development. The synergy between
arts & economics has fascinated him ever since. That's why he decided to get a certificate in Arts
Administration at New York University in 2014.
In January 2016, Michael decided to combine arts management & consultancy with artist representation. He
started his own interdisciplinary talent agency and represents artists from different disciplines and places: a
poet from Genua, a musician from Berlin and a visual artist from Leiden.
The city of Leiden asked him to find out whether Leiden should join the international Mayflower
400 commemoration in 2020. As a consultant to the city, Michael is currently identifying
international opportunities, as well as rallying local support for a Leiden 'Pilgrim year' in 2020.
FRIEKE HURKMANS, DIRECTOR, PIETERSKERK LEIDEN
Frieke Hurkmans (MSc) has been managing director of the Pieterskerk Leiden
Foundation since 2010. Frieke is fascinated by business processes and culture
in the broadest sense. Frieke has been working in (mainly) theaters and
concerthalls as an expert in business administration, where she combines
efficiency, effectiveness with a cultural heart.
The nearly 900 year old Pieterskerk lies in the heart of Leiden. The two keys of
Saint Peter are the symbol of the city of Leiden and symbolically unlock the
gates of heaven as well as the world. This symbolism is reflected in the presentday use of the Pieterskerk Leiden, as a multipurpose Dutch landmark and an
international landmark of American history.
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MAYOR KIMBERLY DRISCOLL, SALEM
Kimberley Driscoll has been Mayor of Salem since 2006 and is the City’s first
woman Mayor. She has led the City through several years of progress, growth,
balanced budgets, and improved service delivery.
Prior to being elected Mayor she served two terms on the Salem City Council and
as the Deputy City Manager and Chief Legal Counsel for the City of Chelsea,
Massachusetts.
Mayor Driscoll has an extensive background in planning and land use
development, having worked as a real estate and commercial development
attorney in private practice and as the Community Development Director for the
City of Beverly and an Assistant Planner for the City of Salem.
Mayor Driscoll has professionalized all aspects of local government in Salem. In her first year in office she
stabilized the City’s declining fiscal health, transforming a multi-million dollar deficit into a balanced budget.
Since then she has consistently created balanced, performance-focused budgets and been able to rebuild the
City’s reserve accounts in a robust fashion.
MAYOR THOMAS KOCH, QUINCY
In 2016, Mayor Thomas P. Koch was sworn into his fourth term as the 33rd
Mayor of the City of Quincy. Mayor Koch took office in 2008, just as the worst
recession of our generation was hitting, and he acted immediately to protect the
City with a series of financial reforms accomplished by bringing stakeholders to
the table and working together.
He tackled a series of tough issues head-on, his efforts addressing the drug
problem affecting every city in the Commonwealth earning recognition across
the state and even at the White House. He pushed successfully for an overhaul of the city’s financial systems
and zoning code, embarked on a major reform of the city’s Water and Sewer Department, and brokered an
agreement that is saving taxpayers and city employees millions of dollars on health insurance costs.
In just his first eight years in office, Mayor Koch spearheaded an unprecedented number of important public
projects to fruition, some of them discussed for decades. He opened the City’s first Senior Center, he
completed improvements to Merrymount Park that include a beautiful fountain, built the City’s first regulation
running track for our young people, and finished a new Quincy High School on time and on budget.
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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
KENNETH BRISSETTE, DIRECTOR OF TOURISM, CULTURE, AND SPORTS FOR
THE CITY OF BOSTON
Kenneth Brissette has served as the Director of the Mayor's Office of Tourism,
Sports & Entertainment since May 2014. In this role Mr. Brissette works to
bring major athletic and cultural events, conventions and conferences to
Boston, and aggressively markets the City nationally and internationally. The
newly-created position is reflective of Mayor Walsh’s campaign promise to
separate the City’s tourism strategy from its arts and culture, creating a more
robust Economic Development cabinet and attracting new energy and
investment.
Mr. Brissette brings more than a decade of municipal marketing and tourism experience to the job. From 2007
to 2014, Mr. Brissette served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism.
In this position he worked with the Massachusetts Sports Partnership and Greater Boston Convention &
Visitors Bureau to attract the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship, the Women’s Frozen Four, the National
Governor’s Conference, and the annual Gay & Lesbian Travel conference to Massachusetts, boosting the
state’s national and international visitor profile.
Mr. Brissette also has experience inside the tourism industry. From 1995-2001 he worked at several
companies focused on travel industry marketing, management and business development. In these positions
he developed tour programs, and directed tours throughout the South Pacific, Canada, and the United States.
JOE SHORTSLEEVE, SENIOR ADVISOR AT LIBERTY SQUARE GROUP
Joe Shortsleeve is an Emmy award winning journalist who draws upon over
thirty years of experience as an investigative reporter and television news
anchor. For the past decade, Shortsleeve has served as Chief Correspondent
and ITEAM reporter for WBZ-TV 4; the CBS owned and operated station, in
the sixth largest media market in the country. Mr. Shortsleeve has
interviewed some of the most influential leaders in our region and has an
extensive network of contacts.
Throughout his nearly 25 years at WBZ, Mr. Shortsleeve covered some of the
biggest news stories in the region from the Marathon Bombing to the search
for John F. Kennedy Junior's plane when it crashed off Martha's Vineyard.
While Joe was at WBZ, the station won several major journalistic awards
including an Edward R Morrow Award and more recently a Peabody Award.
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MASSACHUSETTS 400 FORUM
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DAVID LANDON, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ANDREW FISKE MEMORIAL CENTER AT
UMASS BOSTON
David Landon is the Associate Director of the Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for
Archaeological Research at University of Massachusetts Boston. He received his
Ph.D. in 1991 from Boston University. Prior to UMass Boston he was an Associate
Professor at Michigan Technological University and Research Fellow at the
Smithsonian Institution. Landon’s current project in Plymouth is supported by
the National Endowment for the Humanities.
BRETT PHANEUF, PRESIDENT, SUBMERGENCE GROUP LLC
A native son of Massachusetts, with family routes in the colony dating to the early 1620s, and graduate of
UMASS Amherst, Mr. Phaneuf is the president of Submergence Group LLC (CT) and Managing Director of M
Subs Ltd (UK), a small R&D oriented company that focuses on development of manned and unmanned
underwater vehicle systems. Brett has extensive experience in deep-sea exploration and seafloor imaging, as
well as marine archaeology in the United States and throughout Europe in the Mediterranean and Middle
East. Mr. Phaneuf is also leading the Mayflower Autonomous Research Ship program.
SECRETARY JAY ASH, DEPT. OF HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Jay Ash serves as the Secretary of Housing and Economic Development for the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Secretary Ash is responsible for directing and
executing Governor Charlie Baker’s agenda on housing and community
development, job creation, business development, consumer affairs, and
business regulation. He previously served as the city manager in his native
Chelsea, a position he held from 2000 to 2014. In Chelsea, Secretary Ash’s
leadership produced both economic expansion and fiscal stability. He grew the
city’s housing stock by over ten percent, expanded its commercial base with two dozen major projects, led all
Gateway Cities with a 15% increase in new employment, developed 10 new parks, secured five credit rating
increases, and won two All-America City designations for Chelsea. Secretary Ash has led statewide initiatives
on health insurance, youth violence, transportation infrastructure and expanded gaming in Massachusetts. He
previously served as co-founder and vice-chair of the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition, as past president of the
Metropolitan Area Planning Council, as a board member of the public policy think tank MassINC, the staff
director to the Massachusetts House Majority Leader, and as an elected trustee of his alma mater, Clark
University.
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JESSICA CASEY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, PLYMOUTH MA
Casey, who lives in Plymouth, has worked at Harvard's Kennedy School, and was
previously the director of policy development and implementation at the
Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. She also
has experience as a research associate at the Dukakis Center for Urban and
Regional Policy at Northeastern University and was the senior policy analyst at
the Ministry of Community and Social Services in Ontario. Jessica’s role in
Plymouth is as an advocate for Plymouth for economic development
opportunities to live, work and play in town. Workforce development will be
woven into that conversation. The work we do at the Foundation will also be to
partner with towns to understand how Plymouth can grow over the next few years.
DAVID PANAGORE, TOWN MANAGER, PROVINCETOWN MA
David Panagore recently accepted the position of Town Manager for the Town
of Provincetown after serving as the New Haven Parking Authority executive
director. He has 20 years of experience managing major municipalities and city
development organizations.
Mr. Panagore was previously Chief Administrative Officer for the City of
Hartford where he managed more than 2200 staff and the city’s $554 million
budget. He led the city through a significant mayoral transition period. Upon his
leaving the city, the Hartford Courant called him “an urbanist with vision.” He
also served as Chief Development Officer where he led the city through a community-driven comprehensive
planning process called “One City, One Plan”. Mr. Panagore was also instrumental in launching the iQuilt artsbased place-making strategy. His efforts at art-based economic development in Hartford were recognized by
the National Community Development Association with the Audrey Nelson Community Development Award.
During his tenure, he structured 3 major public private partnership transactions involving several major
Hartford landmark properties.
Prior to Hartford, Mr. Panagore was Chief Development Officer for the city of Springfield, MA where he
spearheaded a number of development projects and corridor initiatives for the city. He arrived in Springfield
as the Deputy Executive Director serving as the state’s overseer as part of Springfield’s state receivership.
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MASSACHUSETTS 400 FORUM
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
DR. GARY MAESTAS, SUPERINTENDENT, PLYMOUTH PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Dr. Maestas embarked on his career in education after graduating from New
Mexico Highlands University and teaching in the Longmeadow public school
systems. During that time, he also worked as Program Coordinator at Mount
Holyoke College. After earning a Master’s Degree in Education from Springfield
College, Dr. Maestas soon began his administrative career as assistant principal at
North Brookfield Junior/Senior High School in North Brookfield, Massachusetts.
Dr. Maestas’ tenure in the Plymouth school district began after a three-year stint
as principal in the Old Rochester Regional school system. Serving as Plymouth’s
Coordinator of Media and Technology Services, he worked with all K-12 schools in implementing hardware,
software and technology standards into the District curriculum. It was during this period Dr. Maestas served as
an adjunct professor at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts and Framingham State College, and as a
senior visiting lecturer at Bridgewater State College.
Following a brief tenure as principal of Plymouth South Middle School, Dr. Maestas was promoted to Assistant
Superintendent in 2003. During that time, he received a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study from Regent
University (he earned his Doctor of Education degree from Regent in 2010). Dr. Maestas succeeded Mr. Barry
Haskell as Plymouth Schools Superintendent in 2008.
During his eight years at the helm, Dr. Maestas has worked extensively with school committee and local
boards to develop innovative programs to benefit the youth of the community. Dr. Maestas has also been a
facilitator in the construction of a new, $84 million Plymouth North High School, and $107 million Plymouth
South High School project slated to open in September of 2017.
MERI JENKINS, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, MASS. CULTURAL COUNCIL
Manager of the Adams Arts Program for the Creative Economy and the
Massachusetts Cultural Districts Initiative, programs of the Massachusetts
Cultural Council, the state arts agency. The programs are designed to promote
the use of cultural assets in economic development efforts in communities
throughout the Commonwealth. Jenkins has worked at the Council since 2000,
and was the architect of the Massachusetts Cultural Districts Initiative. She has
cultivated numerous dialogues among diverse stakeholders on the topics of
creative place-making, sector capacity, and tourism; developed educational
programs, symposium, and conferences; and designed technical assistance
initiatives to support the development of the field. During her tenure at the
Council, she has had responsibility for the dispersal of more than $14 million in
grant awards to more than 140 projects involving 1200 organizations, many with a focus on creative
placemaking.
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Ken Ashby and Maris Segal; Prosody Creative Services, Inc.
Prosody Creative Services is an award winning marketing, public affairs, and event management agency based
in New York. Their leadership has been called upon by the public and private sectors for strategy and design
of large-scale social issues and cause-related grass-roots and advocacy campaigns, brand building programs,
and iconic cross cultural commemorations.
Prosody Creative Services principles, Ken Ashby and Maris Segal, bring over six decades of combined
experience to every client they serve. Ashby and Segal utilize creative collaborations and approaches
from arts and entertainment to sports and culinary to create memorable experiences that inform,
inspire and engage diverse populations of all ages.
Prosody served as the Executive Producer for America’s 400th Anniversary signature programs which
commemorated the founding of the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown in VA and
included an award winning international webcast for 1 million elementary and middle grade students, a
television special which aired on CBS, and Heads of State visits from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and
President George W. Bush with First Lady Laura Bush. In addition to America’s 400th Anniversary,
Prosody is the only agency in the US that also has served four 400th US Commemorations including NY’s
Henry Hudson 400th, Santa Fe 400th and the upcoming Plymouth 400th Anniversary.
Their expertise has taken them across the US and all over the world. Highlights include: Harvard
Kennedy School(HKS) International Public Service Celebration, Pope Benedict XVI’s NY visit, National
Child Health Day, World Expo in Aichi Japan, Waiting for Superman Social Action Campaign, The
Elizabeth Taylor Exhibition, Launching the first-ever “Day of the Girl” in Afghanistan Super Bowl Half
Times, World Youth Day with Pope John Paul II, the Olympic Torch Relay, Henry Hudson 400th, Up With
People International Youth Leadership program, World Cup Soccer, World Forum on the Future of
Democracy, Team Nutrition, HKSs Center for Public Leadership Gleitzman Social Change Film Forum,
and Presidential Inaugurals.
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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
ANITA WALKER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MASS. CULTURAL COUNCIL
Anita Walker has served as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural
Council (MCC) since April 2007. Walker is the Commonwealth's highest ranking
cultural official, overseeing a range of grant programs, services, and advocacy
for the arts, humanities, and sciences in communities across Massachusetts.
Walker has raised the visibility of the nonprofit creative sector as a driving force
for growth and prosperity in Massachusetts. She led advocacy for the Mass. Cultural Facilities Fund, which has
invested $70 million in arts and cultural building projects statewide over seven years. CFF grants are leveraging
more than $1.6 billion in spending on cultural building projects, providing more than 16,000 jobs, restoring
many important historic structures, and attracting more than 15 million cultural tourists to Massachusetts
annually.
Walker also launched MCC's Cultural Districts Initiative to help cities and towns attract new visitors and
commercial activity by focusing on arts and cultural activity. And she led the creation of a new Cultural
Investment Portfolio for more than 400 outstanding nonprofit arts, humanities, and science organizations that
simplified the state's support system for the nonprofit cultural sector. Coupled with the Mass. Cultural Data
Project, it is helping organizations better understand their finances and become better advocates for their
work and the sector as a whole.
Under Walker's leadership, MCC also has put new emphasis on the role that creativity and arts education play
in student achievement and youth development. She led the effort to include the arts as part of the
Massachusetts Board of Education's recommended core curriculum for high school students. She launched the
Creative Minds Afterschool initiative, through which MCC has expanded its reach to provide arts education to
more Massachusetts schoolchildren outside the traditional school day. She created the Big Yellow School Bus
program, which has helped schools send more than 150,000 students on field trips to Mass. cultural
destinations. And she led the National Summit on Creative Youth Development, which set an ambitious
agenda to put arts and culture at the center of afterschool opportunities for young people.
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