Meet the BOARD

The Slim Baker Conservation Area is maintained by the dedicated efforts of 20 individual Board members who meet regularly to carry out the two main components of the foundations mission:

1. To provide programs of outdoor recreation, nature study, and practical conservation for residents of the Newfound Area and visitors.

2. To perpetuate the memory, ideals and ideas of Everett D. “Slim” Baker.

  • Executive Director

    Over the last twenty years Jenne Walker has been involved in some aspect of nature based education and exploration. She graduated from North Country Community College, SUNY, with an Associate of Science in Wilderness Recreation Leadership. After graduation, she started working for the USDA Forest Service on the White Mountain National Forest, first starting out as a Wilderness Ranger during the summer months and a Visitor Interpretive Services Ranger in the winter months before moving into the Youth Conservation Coordinator position, which spanned close to ten years of service. While working for the Forest Service, Jenne finished her Bachelors of Science degree in Environmental Studies and Conservation Education. Jenne eventually went on to work for the Squam Lakes Association as their Director of Education, creating a variety of educational programs for youth and adults spanning watershed, environmental and recreation based opportunities.

    With a love of all things nature based and a desire to keep and get children out into the natural world, Jenne worked with the Heart Centered Multi-Age Independent School to create a Nature Preschool for three-five year olds. She worked to create policies and procedures including emergency planning in the outdoors, conservation and nature based curriculum and outdoor education workshops for children and parents.

    Jenne lives in Alexandria, NH with her husband and two children. She enjoys hiking, skiing and traveling in her free time and exploring the United States in her converted Camper Van. As an avid outdoors person, she believes in the careful use of nature and passing on to her children and those around her, a desire to understand and live in harmony with the land.

  • Dick Tapply is President of New Foundations Consulting, LLC located in Gilford, NH.

    Through New Foundations Consulting, Dick has the flexibility to develop personal client relationships that generate lasting results. His strength is his intuitive ability to diagnose management issues and design strategies that lead to corporate cultural change.

    Prior to entering the performance improvement field, Dick managed ski resorts and municipal parks and recreation departments. He has 30 plus years of leadership experience and has focused his professional offering on leadership development, customer service, executive coaching, risk management, and business productivity. He has worked extensively throughout the United States and Mexico. Dick lives in Gilford, New Hampshire and has two children, and four grandchildren. His passions, beyond his love for family, include cycling, skiing, cabinet making and outdoor living.

  • Longtime Slim Baker Foundation Board Member Dorcas Gordon is the founder and owner of Newfound Law, PLLC, a private law practice in Bristol, New Hampshire. Growing up in Bristol and having spent her formative years at the Slim Baker Area through the youth group at the Bristol Federated Church, now known as BUCC, and through summer day camp at the Bristol Community Center, now known as TTCC, Dorcas grew to love the Slim Baker Area. That passion was reinforced when she helped forge the path for the nature preschool programming to take place at the Slim Baker Area in the 2010s, which allowed her own children to be immersed in the quiet magic of the Slim Baker Area. Now she seeks to preserve the Slim Baker Area as a place for future generations in the Newfound Community to enjoy and appreciate the natural world. In addition to her work on the Slim Baker Board, Dorcas is a Member of the Town of Bristol's Kelley Park Committee and Historic District Commission, and serves as a Director of the Franklin Savings Bank.

  • Shaun Lagueux, NH LPF is the President and the Newfound Lake district manager for New England Forestry Consultants, Inc. Shaun has nearly thirty years of experience as a consulting forester. Shaun is the immediate past President of NH Timberland Owners Association. He is a Tree Farm Inspector, past member of the Grafton County Cooperative Extension Advisory Council and Bristol, NH Conservation Commission. He is also a board member of NH Project Learning Tree and of the Slim Baker Foundation for Outdoor Education. He is a current Selectman for the Town of Bristol and is a past budget committee member. Shaun grew up in the seacoast area of NH but found a love of the woods and mountains and made them part of his career. Shaun enjoys time in his workshop, shooting and community involvement. Shaun lives in Bristol with his wife Patty and their daughter Emma. Shaun came to the Slim Baker organization through his professional work and quickly recognized the overlapping objectives of their respective work.

  • For decades, Jim has been a devoted member of the Slim Baker Foundation for Outdoor Education, Inc. His commitment to the Bristol, NH community and his vital role on the Building & Grounds Committee make him an invaluable asset to the organization.

  • Heather is a Bristol native who spent every summer of her childhood romping through the woods at the Slim Baker Area as part of the then Bristol Community Center (now Tapply-Thompson Community Center) summer programs. It was in those woods and through the “day camp” program that she forged life-long friendships; learned how to care about and for others who had significant life struggles; and learned to enjoy, respect, and care for our natural world. Most of Heather’s hobbies involve being outside including hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, kayaking, boating, gardening, biking, and entertaining friends and family. She lives in Bridgewater with her husband Craig Cadieux who is her favorite outdoors companion. Heather and Craig don’t currently have a 4-legged family member but they will again soon, and in the meantime they borrow any eligible quadruped for a romp in the woods. Although now in her dream job as a social worker helping people with life struggles, she spent the majority of her adult life as a professional in finance, procurement, and contracting which are skills she brings to the Board; along with her commitment that the Slim Baker Area be a place where anyone can go to enjoy the peace, quiet, and healing of nature.

  • Betty was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She holds a BS in Education from Temple University in Philadelphia. Betty taught high school business in New York City for five years. Betty’s mother was raised in rural Connecticut; so, Betty spent a lot of time there and discovered she prefers small-town life over big-city living. Betty and her husband moved their machine shop to Bristol in 1973. After doing the bookkeeping for their local lumberyard, she worked for a CPA firm and was an owner of several construction companies. She obtained her CPA license in 1985. For many years Betty has been very active in Bristol United Church of Christ, the Town of Bristol, Lakes Region VNA (formerly NANA) and the Slim Baker Foundation. You might find her walking her latest black lab puppy, gardening, traveling, knitting or reading a good book.

  • Les has worked at the Tapply Thompson Community Center for 31 years, serving as the director 25 of those years. Les is a Newfound Area native; Growing up in Bridgewater, NH and now a current Bristol resident. Les has three grandchildren that are the light of her life, in addition to her Labrador Retrievers. In Leslie’s free time she enjoys kayaking, reading and hunting for sea glass at the ocean. Les also very much enjoys serving on the Program Committee at the Slim Baker Foundation for Outdoor Education, Inc.

  • Krystal Alpers graduated in 2004 from Roger Williams University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Management and a minor in Psychology. After graduation Krystal worked as a substitute teacher in the Newfound Area School District and started an After-School Program at the New Hampton Community School. She soon obtained a job with the Town of Bristol as the Executive Assistant to the Town Manager while also holding various positions gaining a wide understanding of Municipal Government. In November of 2008, Krystal was hired as the Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Franklin. Since then she has been a strong advocate to revitalize Parks and Recreation within the City. Through partnerships and committees, four city parks and Paul Smith School have been revitalized with new playgrounds and other amenities. Krystal was also an active member of two committees that successfully revitalized Bristol’s Kelley Park Playground and New Hampton Community School. Additionally, Krystal is on the Mill City Park Board who have recently built the first Whitewater Park in Franklin, the first one in New England. Overall improvements and added programs and activities have been achieved through fundraising, grants, community partners and amazing parks and recreation staff. Krystal was an intricate part in the transformation of the Bessie Rowell Elementary school to a thriving Community Center, and created a flourishing Before and After School program. The Summer Program has also almost doubled in size.

    She is active in multiple boards and committees which both promote nutrition, indoor and outdoor recreation, and overall well-being of children and families. During her career she has raised over 2 million dollars for the betterment of Parks and Recreation. She is a recipient of the Sandi Van Scoyoc Legacy Award, Volunteer of the Year Award - Event Extraordinaire from Mill City Park, the Woman of Achievement Award from the Franklin Business and Professional Women, and the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Governor’s Council for Physical Activity and Health. Krystal is married, has two children ages 11 and 13 and enjoys family time. Her family enjoys their beach days on Newfound lake in the summer, hiking and outdoor recreation in the spring and fall and skiing in the winter. She strongly supports a strong educational foundation, family engagement, and has a passion for outdoor recreational activities.

  • Co-Chair

    Jim was born and raised in the State of Maine. At the age of 13 he realized that he wanted to become a Game Warden in his adult life and Graduated from Unity College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Conservation Law Enforcement in 1992. In May of 1992 the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department hired Jim as a Conservation Officer and he started his career patrolling southern New Hampshire. In 1995 Jim transferred to the Newfound Lake area taking over for retired Conservation Officer William Phinney. As the local Conservation Officer covering the town of Bristol Jim joined the Slim Baker Board of Directors. Jim remained on the board after getting promoted to District Three Chief in 2011. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the New Hampshire Outdoor Council. Jim is an avid outdoorsman and likes to relax in his vegetable garden. Jim still serves as the District Three Chief for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department where he supervises a group of Conservation Officers covering 61 towns. Jim enjoys hiking with his wife Becky and both reside in Bridgewater, NH.

  • Andrew grew up in southeastern Massachusetts in “cranberry country,” where he spent weekends and summers hiking, biking, and exploring among the bogs, reservoirs, and woods. Summer mornings were spent fishing with friends before afternoons filled with pick up baseball games and hikes. His love of science and the outdoors led him to study biology and environmental science earning his B.S. in Biology from Stonehill College. A love of faith and science led Andrew to become a middle school science educator for fifteen years at a private Roman Catholic middle school. While at this school, Andrew helped develop and lead its after-school program for students whose families needed extended day programming. In 2002, Andrew moved to Bangor, Maine to attend seminary and pursue a life-long goal of becoming an ordained minister and pastor. As a seminary student, he pastored churches in Bangor and East Millinocket, Maine before graduating and moving to New Hampshire in 2008. In New Hampshire, Andrew has led churches in Hillsboro and, since 2012, the Bristol United Church of Christ. Both faith and science inform Andrew’s love and appreciation for the natural world. Andrew lives with his wife Karen in Bristol where they enjoy kayaking, walking along various shorelines or in the woods, cooking, travel, gardening, and their four (so far) grandchildren.

  • Elaina Shinn is a full-time real estate Associate Broker at Old Mill Properties in Bristol, NH. She is a Newfound Area native and Bridgewater, NH resident. As an area resident and real estate professional, Elaina spends most of her time working around Newfound Lake & throughout its neighboring towns. Elaina is a Newfound Regional High School graduate, and graduate of both Lakes Region Community College and the University of New Hampshire. As a lifelong Newfound Area resident, Elaina spent much of her childhood enjoying the Slim Baker area trails with friends, family and as a summer camper with the Tapply Thompson Community Center. In her adult life, Elaina now proudly serves as the Chair of the Communications & Marketing Committee at the Slim Baker Foundation for Outdoor Education, Inc. In her spare time, Elaina enjoys exploring New England and nearby hiking trails with her husband, Colby & their two dogs; Juno and Rosie. Elaina also enjoys fishing & working in her flower gardens.

  • Erik is a New Hampshire native who grew up wandering around the Lakes Region on foot, bike and kayak with his family before moving further North as a young adult to pursue mountain-based recreation like rock & ice climbing, hiking and backcountry skiing. He's lived in the Plymouth/ Newfound region since high school and explored the local waterways, woods and mountains through a variety of recreational pursuits. Through high school and college, Erik worked as a shop hand at Newfound Woodworks in Bristol building boats and milling boat parts for designs inspired by our local landscape and recreational opportunities. After college he worked as a mountain guide, guiding ice climbing and rock climbing trips locally as well as backcountry skiing and mountaineering trips on Mt Washington. Currently, Erik is the director of Outdoor Programs at the Holderness School, where he also oversees the climbing program and teaches ecology courses. Outside of work he loves to learn new ways of interacting with nature and wild places such as hunting, fishing and foraging. Erik has a long history of working with outdoor non-profits including over a decade serving on the boards of and as a rescuer for volunteer Search & Rescue Teams, serving on the board of the Rumney Climbers Association and being a volunteer for numerous land agencies and conservation organizations. Now, as he tries to raise his two young children to be passionate about the outdoors, he's excited to work with the Slim Baker Foundation and help envision and create a robust outdoor educational place and program for the community he calls home.  

  • Josiah Towne grew up in the Newfound area to stories of Slim Baker who was a family friend and co-worker with his grandfather. He is a Newfound Regional High School Graduate and attended Unity College before being hired by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department as a Conservation Officer in 2008. He joined the board in 2013 when he transferred to the “36” patrol encompassing the greater Newfound Area, the same patrol covered by Slim Baker himself. Josiah is the scoutmaster for Troop 50 in Bridgewater along with his wife, where their three sons are scouts. Josiah chairs the History Committee at the Slim Baker Foundation for Outdoor Education, Inc. Fish & Game History is one of Josiah’s hobbies along with hunting, antique automobiles and local history.

  • Co-Chair

    Brittany grew up in Maine and learned to love the outdoors at a young age. She spent her youth in the woods, along mountain paths, and camping alongside ponds with her family. Today, she brings her appreciation and care for natural spaces to her work on the Slim Baker Board and Buildings and Grounds Committee. Since moving to Bristol in 2015, the land maintained by the Slim Baker Foundation has become a special place for Brittany and her family. Her daughter, when just a toddler, made her first hike to a summit on Little Round Top. Since that time, they have enjoyed picnic lunches and awe-inspiring sunrises from Inspiration Point. Brittany has worked as a journalist and a librarian, including as Director of the Minot-Sleeper Library in Bristol from 2015-2021. In both professions, her motivation has always been to work toward building equity in our communities. Brittany sees connected communities and access to the outdoors as vital to our wellbeing, with the work of the Slim Baker Foundation being a great example of this.