Board Members
Susan Hanley, President
Susan Hanley volunteered as a docent at the Fifth Maine Museum for many years before joining the board. She is a passionate student of Peaks Island history and the experiences of the 5th Maine regiment. The Fifth Maine Museum building holds a special place in her heart, having been married there over 30 years ago.
Curtis Mildner, Secretary
Curtis is a retired business man and an amateur civil war historian. He was formerly Vice President Marketing and Sales for Central Maine Power and Vice President Marketing at Hussey Seating Company. He remains the primary owner of Market Decisions Research, a Portland business he led for 20 years.
His interest in the Civil War was spurred by his youngest son’s fascination with the movie Gettysburg. During this time, he purchased the cartridge box of a Fifth Maine soldier, George Berry of company D, Fifth Maine. Research into George and the battle he was killed in spurred a hobby – the stories of the Fifth Soldiers.
Curtis is also President of “Mainely Character” a nonprofit that awards scholarships to high school seniors of exceptional character and a Trustee of Kennebunk Light and Power. He holds a BS from Rutgers University and an MBA from the University of Virginia. He lives in Kennebunk with his wife, Loralie and black lab, Captain.
Ian Stevenson, Governance
Ian Stevenson is a historian and architectural historian with a Ph.D. in American & New England Studies from Boston University. He is finishing a book, The Summer Homes of the Survivors: Buildings and Landscapes of the Civil War Vacation, 1878-1918, about vacation cottages and campgrounds constructed by Civil War veterans like the 5th Maine! Ian lives year-round on Peaks with his wife, son, and chocolate lab and is also active in the Lions Club. He joined the board to bring his skills to support all three aspects of the 5th ME’s mission: telling the story of the veterans, of Peaks Island history, and fostering the island community.
Jane Banquer
Jane Banquer is a New England native with a BA from Smith College in Art History, Studio Art and French Language and Letters, and an MS in Organization and Management from Antioch New England. She has professional working experience as a fine artist, publication designer, and educator; in nonprofit program management, marketing and fundraising; freelance writing and occasional translation. She brings decades of community volunteer service in these areas as well.
Kathryn Moxhay
Kathryn has a degree in History and Russian Studies from Brown University and has lived on Peaks Island for the last 30 years. She has served as Chair of the Peaks Island Fund and President of the Friends of the Peaks Island Library, worked and volunteered at the island school (which her three children attended and where she served as PTO president) and was a councilor on the first Peaks Island Council. She has also co-founded and co-directed a free-standing birth center in Portland, served on the board of Community Doulas and advises a fund held at Maine Community Foundation.
Gail Trefethern-Kelley, Vice President
Gail Trefethern-Kelley, a year-round islander, discovered the 5th Maine and her familial link to the island at about the same time. Valuing the community connectedness that the Fifth Maine building and organization supports, Gail has been involved for over a decade. While the island history was the original draw to the museum, she continues to learn and be in awe of the 5th Maine Regiment and their journey and stories. Whether wielding a rake or a spreadsheet, she has been hands-on with the Fifth Maine in a variety of support roles.
Margaret Burke
Margaret is a partner at PwC, one of the largest international professional services firms in the world – offering Audit, Tax and Advisory services to clients in all industries. Margaret has been with PwC for over 25 years and most recently serves as the Chief Human Resource Officer for the Consulting practice in the US. Joining The Fifth Maine board combines two of her passions, learning about the history of Peaks Island and supporting the Veteran Community. Margaret has summered on Peaks Island since she was born and is both the daughter and wife of a Veteran. She has experience serving on several non-profit boards and is excited to bring her expertise in organizational strategy, management and excellence to The Fifth Maine.
Ellen Hurley Green
Ellen has been a summer resident of Peaks Island since 1969 when her parents drove a rental car from Queens, NY and settled with their 5 children in a little cottage on Hadlocks Cove. She and her husband purchased their own cottage 15 years ago where they host their four children, six grandchildren, and friends. She recently retired from her 30 year career as a School Counselor from Albany, NY where she also served as a committee member covering diverse initiatives that help to meet the needs of children within the public school educational system. Currently she volunteers at The Albany Veterans Hospital which is near and dear to her heart as her brother and father both served in the United States military.
Owen Sanderson
Owen is an impact-driven innovator who has lived, studied, and worked overseas — from Kenya to Kosovo — and now calls Peaks Island his year-round home with his wife, Kellie, and their young son Quinn. He is currently Director of Research & Design Strategy at IA Collaborative in Chicago, with earlier stints at IDEO, Unum, MaineHealth, and Deloitte Consulting. He holds a BA from Georgetown University and a MA from Tufts University. Owen also serves on the board of the Peaks Island Fund.
Beth Day, Treasurer
Beth Day and her husband bought their home on Peaks Island 24 years ago and have come to love the island and the Fifth Maine Museum. She has been in the ski business in New Hampshire for her entire career, doing all kinds of jobs, but the longest running job was as the accounting manager at Waterville Valley ski resort. Naturally, when she joined the board she become the Treasurer!
Jason Harding
Jason Harding (seasonal Peaks Island resident – planning on becoming year-round) has served on the 5th Maine Board in a variety of capacities over the years. He has taught History at The Pennington School of NJ for over 22 years and is also the Technical Production Manager for all dramatic productions at the school. Jason received his Master’s degree in American Studies with a concentration in Native American Studies from SUNY Buffalo. He worked for the National Museum of the American Indian-Smithsonian Institution as a Repatriation Research Specialist allowing him to gain experience in almost every museum field from Curatorial, to Collections Management, to Registration to Conservation. He has also worked for nonprofit foundations and the Buffalo Museum of Science. During the summer you can most likely find him working on the cottage that he and his wife bought in 2013 near the Peaks Island Elementary School.
Richard Bicknell
Rich is a relatively recent transplant from California (less than 10 years), where he spent his career as a Park Ranger for the City of Palo Alto. Besides the 5th, he spends his time volunteering as a Master Gardener, sits on the Falmouth Conservation Commission, and Falmouth Sustainability Committee, and is an avid election worker.
Rich is a frequently visiting non-islander docent, board member, and sometimes GSA at the 5th Maine. While taking the Portland Landmarks PHD program, he discovered a family connection to the 5th Maine Regiment (George W. Bicknell, the regiment's adjutant, was his 3rd cousin three times removed). The connection pulled him in and now he is a dedicated board member.
Mike Langella
Mike Langella has lived on Peaks since 1975. He is a retired educator; teacher, administrator, school board member. He also has been a past chair, the first, of the Peaks Island Council. During his retirement, Mike formed a construction company and has remodeled and built additions to Peaks homes. When he is not busy working on his projects, Mike loves travel, history, and volunteering. He and his wife, Sandy Aube-Langella, have two sons and two grandsons.