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Board members are responsible for governing Waterfall Arts and ensuring that it fulfills its mission: Creating community in harmony with nature through the transformative power of the arts.
John Steed currently works for a small DC-based government contractor building teams to leverage the power of location intelligence and GIS through the creation of quality data visualizations for their clients. He has previously worked in the areas of humanitarian aid and international development in West Africa and Latin America respectively. John grew up in California, working in construction, mechanical maintenance, manufacturing, woodworking, and welding. He has spent most of his life making a living working with his hands, and used these skills to pursue an education and alternative career path. John also spent a large portion of his early adult life working in the art community, building the tools and supplies for art glass, working as an assistant to a fine woodworker, and providing technical support to a close welding artist/colleague. He is very interested in the intersection of art, trades, and community, and is thrilled to bring his skills and experiences to the Board of Waterfall Arts.
Gianne P. Conard FAIA, is an architect, retired from the Federal Government, where she served as Chief Architect and Regional Recovery Executive of the New England Region and National Director of the Border Center. Prior to her work with the Public Buildings Service, Gianne was a partner with a firm in Philadelphia and a professor of architecture at Drexel , Lehigh, and Cornell universities. A Fellow in the American Institute of Architects and former board member and volunteer with numerous professional and non-profit organizations, Gianne is currently on the In Town Design Review Board in Belfast ME and on the Board of Directors of Coastal Mountains Land Trust in Camden. A resident of Belfast, she can be seen around town with her golden retriever, Mr. Digby Wallace.
David Cohn is a resident of Belfast, having moved to Maine in 2015 with his wife Lisa and daughter Sanni. Prior to moving to Maine, he worked 25 years at PepsiCo, Inc. in a variety of international finance positions before retiring in 2011. Post retirement, he started, and currently runs, a successful business analytics consulting firm offering financial and mathematical modeling services to industry. He holds undergraduate degrees in civil engineering and economics from Stanford University, an MBA in international business from the University of California (Berkeley), and an MS in Mathematics from Fairfield University.
Jody resides in Northport with her husband, Stew Henderson and enjoys spending time with her grown children who reside in Portland. The newest member of her family, Rosie, is a rescued dog and their first dog! Thank goodness for doggie school! Jody and Stew are newly retired and looking forward to traveling, outdoor adventures and experiencing new opportunities. Art has always been an important element in her life, learning much from her husband who is an artist and retired art preparator from Colby Museum. She is honored to be on the Waterfall Arts Board, Executive Board and Chairperson of the Development Committee. She is also an active member of the Waldo Retired Educators Association, helping to raise money for scholarships for future teachers.
Mike Bird and her husband, Geoff, retired to Belfast six years ago. Both native New Englanders, they spent their working years in Southern California and France. Mike was an admissions officer, an academic advisor and a dormitory head in a boarding school in Ojai, California, then spent over twenty years, in France and Studio City, California, serving as a college counselor.
Many years ago they built a timber frame house, nearly a decade long do-it-yourself project, on Vinalhaven where they spend much of the summer with their two daughters, sons-in-law and four grandchildren. She is involved in a political activism group, is a denizen of the Y and joined the Waterfall Arts board in 2020. She loves gardening, cooking, dabbling in art, books and travel.
Lisa has been a Landscape Architect in California and Connecticut for over 30 years. In 2016 she completed an MA in Art Therapy. Since 2014 she has been facilitating arts based therapeutic groups and workshops in person and online. She currently facilitates the Art Hive at Waterfall Arts, and co-facilitates two online groups, The A+ Art Club for young adults on the Autism spectrum, and SoulCollage®, a creative mindfulness practice. Lisa has been a lifelong community volunteer, artist, and maker, and loves to create in community with others.
Bio coming soon.
Eli Kao is a filmmaker, musician, and community media worker. Eli grew up in Belfast, has worked mentoring media-makers in the Boston area, and produced network shows for millions of viewers across the Asia-Pacific region. While based in Taiwan, he worked for one of Asia’s largest factual TV production companies producing award-winning science and engineering programs for Discovery Networks and the National Geographic Channel. He currently works independently and as a producer for Camden-based Compass Light Productions. Eli is particularly interested in the nexus of art, culture, and technology, and is dedicated to supporting inclusive creative infrastructure that fosters community.
Joanna Owen has spent her entire adult life as a practicing attorney in the Midwest licensed in Missouri and Illinois. Known for taking leaps into the unknown, Joanna and her family moved to the Midcoast after dropping a child off at school in Maine. She and her husband instantly bonded with the people, the culture and the environment of the Midcoast. After being admitted to the Maine bar in record time, Joanna set up a law practice in Belfast where she focuses on real estate, estate planning and developing and growing small and medium businesses. A deep-seated belief in the value of nonprofits to the community as well as her lifelong interest in the arts, led Joanna to Waterfall Arts in the first week of her family’s move to the Midcoast.
Following a 25 year career in fundraising and nonprofit management Nancy and husband, Stephen Underwood, relocated to Belfast from Alexandria, Virginia.In 1991 Nancy was named a Washingtonian of the year by Washingtonian Magazine for her leadership in establishing the largest homeless shelter in Virginia and received a proclamation from both the State of Virginia and the Alexandria City Council for her service to the state and city. Her service on area Boards and organizations included WETA Public Television, International Children’s Festival, Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts, as well as the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce and the American Red Cross. A strong believer in the power of special events in attracting new supporters she organized the first “Rhapsody in Red” for the American Red Cross and the George Washington Parkway Classic 15 mile race. A member of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Nancy is on the Board of Trustees and teaches at Senior College Belfast.
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Following CDC recommendations and guidelines, Waterfall Arts will no longer require masking, proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID test for patrons, students, or visitors to attend classes, openings or any events at the Waterfall Arts building.
