Eliza Sharp has served on the board since June 2013 and held several positions. With a career in marketing and design, her life has been steeped in the arts and nonprofits. In addition to work for the Lyman Allyn, she was recently named to the Fine Arts Committee of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the State Department in Washington D.C. Along with several past board positions, she is chair for the LaBoiteaux-Sharp Family Foundation Board of Trustees, is a board member of Pripet Riding Program in Islesboro, Maine, and board president of the Windermere Island Club in Eleuthera, Bahamas. When she and her husband, Matthew, relocated to Lyme, Connecticut from New York, she embarked upon a second career in interior design and has devoted her most recent years to her twin daughters, Helen and Constance, her design work, her nonprofit passions and her two Labradors, Molly and Scout.
Joseph D. (“Joe”) Alchermes has been a board member since July 2009 and has lived in southeastern Connecticut since 1996, when he joined the faculty of Connecticut College. He serves as chair of the Department of Art History and Architectural Studies and as director of the Architectural Studies Major Program. He earned a BA in Classics at Wesleyan University and the MA/PhD in the History of Art at the Institute of Fine Arts (NYU). His scholarly and teaching interests span ancient and medieval Mediterranean and European art and architecture, with an emphasis on field work. In addition to his extensive involvement with the Lyman Allyn, he is president of The Brearley Singers, a choral group based in New York City.
Gail Barley has served on the board since January 2018. Owner of Gail Barley Interior Design L.L.C., which she founded in 1996, she specializes in fine Residential and Hospitality Design. With a passion for fresh refined lines and lush textures, she brings an elegant sensibility to every project. Throughout her career, Gail has designed custom furniture, carpets, cabinetry, lighting, bedding and finishes to provide spaces that don’t have a cookie-cutter look. She is a proud supporter of the arts and arts education in Connecticut.
Jon Sproul joined the board in September 2019 and served as treasurer before becoming president in June 2021. A native of Mystic, Connecticut, Jon first visited the museum as a child and has been interested in art ever since. He is a passionate researcher and collector of early 20th century art from the eastern Connecticut area, particularly focusing on the early years of the Mystic art colony.
As project manager for an engineering innovation company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, providing advanced technological solutions, Jon and his wife divide their time between Mystic and Boston.
Lonnie Braxton joined the board in April 2022. He moved to New London from Greenville, Mississippi in 1968, having chosen Connecticut as a place of opportunity in both industry and education. Over a period of 15 years of part-time study while working at Electric Boat and pursuing business endeavors, he earned a BA from Connecticut College in 1986. Two years later, he earned a law degree from the University of Connecticut Law School. He retired in December 2021 after a law career spanning decades that ended with 10 years as senior assistant state’s attorney for juvenile matters in New London.
Arline Culp has served as a board member since September 2021 and a museum docent since September 2012, where she is lead docent, a liaison to the state, and is a member of regional docent groups. After retiring from a career in veterinary medicine in Pennsylvania, she and her family relocated to Quaker Hill, Connecticut in 1999. She also serves on the board of Wild Ones, Mountain Laurel chapter. In her free time, she enjoys walking, gardening, beekeeping, cooking, sketching, cross stitch, and yoga.
Kerry L. Davis joined the board in January 2022. He is the curator and owner of The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art, a private collection exhibited at the Lyman Allyn in 2021. A former sergeant of the US Air Force and a retired postman for the US Postal Service from Atlanta, Georgia, he and his wife Betty have amassed an extraordinary collection of African diaspora artwork. The couple have two adult children and two granddaughters, and he is an alumna of Georgia State University.
Patrick Derosier joined the board in November 2020. He is a practicing architect and interior designer specializing in residences at McAlpine and divides his time between Old Lyme, Connecticut, and New York. His interests include art, architecture, decorative arts, and landscape design. In his free time, he enjoys antiquing, visiting museums, gardening, and spending time with his husband, Michael Thomas Duffy, and his French bulldog, Loulou.
H. Richard Dietrich III joined as a trustee in June of 2025.
He is a director of the Dietrich American Foundation, located in Philadelphia. The Foundation is as collection of early American art and artifacts and is involved with numerous museums and historic sites, acting as somewhat of a lending library of objects.
Richard has spent his career working in non-profit management, having first started out in Washington, D.C. in government for the Democratic National Committee, then Senator Claiborne Pell. He worked for Conservation International and the Sierra Club. He worked with the Natural Lands Trust in Pennsylvania to conserve his family’s 1,500-acre farm, helping to establish a 600-acre park and preserve and conservation easements throughout the entire property.
Richard earned his BA at Wesleyan University and an MBA from Yale. He is also a member of the board of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Yale School of Management Alumni Advisory Board, and board emeritus at the Museum of the American Revolution, and the Shaw Institute in Blue Hill, Maine. He is a member of the American Antiquarian Society.
He lives with his wife and two daughters in Chevy Chase, MD.
Burgess Dole became a board trustee in June of 2022. She is a retired portrait painter and television producer in advertising for Ogilvy and Mather and Young and Rubicam in NYC. She has also served on the boards of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and the Lyme Art Association. She feels lucky to continue working in the arts as plans for the Museum’s new urban art park take shape.
Douglas L. DuMond has served on the board since June 2021. He is a retired partner and managing director of Clarion Partners, formerly ING Clarion, a global real estate manager. In addition to his work with the Museum, he serves on the Public Policy Council for the Michael J. Fox Foundation and is on the Advisory Board for RealBlocks. He previously served on the boards for the Arthur Ashe Foundation, the National Defined Contribution Council (NDCC), and was treasurer for the Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN). He has a BS and MBA from the University of Connecticut, and he and his wife, Marcia, live in Darien, Connecticut.
Dr. Tracy Espy, who became a board member in January 2022, moved to Connecticut in 2020, when she was named president of Mitchell College, a liberal arts college in New London. Prior to this, she was provost and vice president of academic affairs at Pfeiffer University in North Carolina. She is currently engaged with the Governor’s Workforce Council and the Connecticut Higher Education Economic and Workforce Development Working Group. She was also appointed to serve on the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) Advisory Committee of the Council of Independent Colleges and Universities. Her research and expertise include systemic theory, ethnic identity and self-esteem, servant leadership, service-learning, and student engagement.
Nicholas K. Fortson joined the Lyman Allyn’s Board of Trustees in February 2024. Originally from Buffalo, NY, Nick is a graduate of Valparaiso University where he majored in accounting. In 2024, he retired from his position of President and Chief Executive Officer of CorePlus Federal Credit Union. Most of Nick’s career was spent in Michigan where he started in public accounting before shifting into finance and banking. The highlight of his career was in 1996 when he moved to South Africa with his family to open a Domino’s Pizza franchise.
Nick and his wife Peggy (deceased) have three children and a grandchild. He enjoys the arts and volunteering for a few non-profits in eastern Connecticut.
Dr. José B. González joined Lyman Allyn’s Board of Trustees in June 2023. He is Professor of English at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and is an award-winning poet who has been featured in Univision, NPR, and CBS News Radio. An excerpt of his poetry is part of the first ever Latino exhibit at the National Museum of American History in DC. A Fulbright Scholar, he is the founder and editor of LatinoStories.com. He has been recognized on state and national levels for his contributions to Latinx populations and the arts. He lives in Quaker Hill, CT, with his wife, Kristin and has four children.
Andrew Lynn joined the board in June 2022. His career has focused on land use law and urban planning in New York City and the surrounding area. He has served as executive director of the New York City Planning Department and director of planning at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He and his wife, Susan Schwartz, divide their time between Manhattan and New London, where she grew up. He is committed to exploring the forests, rivers, and seascapes of Connecticut by foot, bicycle, and kayak.
William Mitchell joined Lyman Allyn’s Board of Trustees in January 2025. He owned and operated a successful landscape firm in Southern Maryland for over 40 years before retiring in 2018. William is the editor of a detailed Ancestry.com family tree that traces the histories of Italian immigrants from Calabria and Sicily, who settled in Westerly, RI and Pawcatuck, CT. He and his wife, Paula, grew up in the Westerly/Pawcatuck area, spent five decades living in southern Maryland, and now reside in Westerly, RI. They have three children and three grandchildren and share a deep passion for collecting fine craft and artwork created by African American artists.
Mary Richardson became a trustee in July 2021. She is the owner of local landscape contracting, lawn care, and irrigation businesses. She also serves on the board of Musical Masterworks and is a past president of the Rotary Club of Norwich. A resident of Lord’s Point in Stonington, she is interested in art and architecture, travel, and especially birds and plants.
Paul Smirnoff joined Lyman Allyn’s Board of Trustees in September of 2023. He has recently retired as a News Systems Technologist, designing newsroom systems and software for broadcasters worldwide.
Paul was also an award-winning television news and documentary producer. He was the Senior Executive Producer for News for Fox Television’s flagship station, WNYW. At WNYW, he received the Emmy Award for Outstanding News Broadcast. He has seven other EMMY nominations for documentary and information programming.
Before joining Channel 5 in New York, Paul was Executive Producer for Public Affairs at WNET, Public Television in New York City. He produced and reported for a variety of national and local programs, including Bill Moyers’ Journal.
Paul is married to Susan Kerner, Professor Emeritus at Montclair State University. They moved to Waterford, CT in 2020. Between the two, they have five children and seven grandchildren.
Dr. Pierre Wicker joined the board in November 2019. A physician who moved to the United States from France to pursue a career in medical research, he initially had a career in academia before joining the pharmaceutical industry and retiring in 2017. His love of art was sparked at an early age by regular field trips to the Louvre in Paris. Later, when he traveled extensively for work, he enjoyed combining business with art and visiting local museums, where he developed an affinity for Pacific, Chinese, and Japanese art. Involved in charitable and nonprofit organizations for 20 years, he volunteered for Angel Flight, a charitable organization providing free air transportation to patients and their families, for 16 years. He also serves on a nonprofit organization providing services to people with intellectual disabilities and a startup developing new medications.