Board of Directors

THE BANNERMAN CASTLE TRUST

The Trust is dedicated to preserving Bannerman Castle as an educational, cultural, historical, and recreational facility that promotes heritage tourism in the Hudson Valley. We coordinate resources and funding to stabilize the structures on Pollepel Island so that the island is a safe and lasting destination for public tours and special events. We also arrange public tours of the island each year, as well as maintain docks, trails, and gardens. We conduct other special projects such as preparation of Historic Structures Reports to document the history of the Castle, under the purview of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation (NYSOPRHP).

Executive Director & Founder

Neil J. Caplan, Realtor and co-owner of the Swann Inn, Beacon, NY.

Board of Directors:

Len Warner, President
Senior Vice President, Environmental Engineering at WSP, an environmental consulting firm

John Atherton, Secretary
Chief Clerk, Dutchess County (NY) Supreme Court (Retired)

Robert Schiera, Treasurer
Senior Project Manager, Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company

Susan Andersen
Susan has worked in New York City as a CPA since 1982, serving individuals, small companies, and non-profits. Her love of hiking and the outdoors brought her to the Cold Spring–Beacon area in the 1970s where she developed a long-standing love for the Hudson River Valley that has been enriched by volunteering with the Bannerman Castle Trust

Virginia Palen Donovan
Former co-owner of Riverwinds Gallery in Beacon, NY. Virginia is retired from IBM where she worked for over 35 years in programming, education, marketing, and management

Barbara Gottlock
Retired educator who has co-authored six books on Hudson Valley history, including Bannerman Castle

John Lanc
Partner at Lanc & Tully Engineering and Surveying

Michael TJ McCormack, AIA
Partner of the architecture firm Liscum McCormack VanVoorhis LLP

Bob Slater
Member at Large

Dr. John Wolbeck
Professor of Physics and Engineering, and Chair of the Science, Engineering & Architecture Department at SUNY-Orange.

Advisory Board:

Mark Adams
Chereese Jervis-Hill
Thom Johnson
Emily Murnane
Frederick Osborn, III
David Rocco

Staff:

Kelly Ellenwood, Deputy Executive Director
Laurie Clark, BCT Administrator, Bannerman Island Gallery Director
Mary Babcock, Island Staff Coordinator
Wes Gottlock, Senior Tour Guide Coordinator
Donna Blakemore, Garden Coordinator
Barbara Gottlock, Co-Garden Coordinator
Chi Chen, Volunteer Coordinator
John Antinori, Head Captain of the Estuary Steward
Barbara Atkins, Bookkeeper
Mary Ann Glass, Gallery Staff
Johan Ayoob, Gallery Staff/Graphic Design/Production Assistant
Paul Kluckman, Island Steward