The Staff at the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance
Working at the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance isn’t just a job for us, it’s our passion. Each team member feels a connection to the historic structures around our state and we work collaboratively, with individuals, organizations, municipal officials, and businesses, to preserve these historic landmarks for future generations. Feel free to reach out to us anytime - we love to hear from you!
Jennifer Goodman, Executive Director
The Preservation Alliance's services, impact, and constituent base has increased dramatically since Jennifer became the director two decades ago. The organization's work with historic agricultural properties, conservation organizations, incentives, and preservation easements have been recognized both statewide and across the country. She has presented and published widely on community-based preservation planning and advocacy techniques and is the co-editor of the prize-winning Restoring Women's History through Historic Preservation (Johns Hopkins University Press). She worked previously at the National Building Museum and for preservation organizations in Boston and Philadelphia and served as vice-chair of a national alliance of preservation organizations. She is an honorary member of AIA NH was named to the Union Leader's 40 under 40 and is a graduate of Leadership New Hampshire.
Beverly Thomas, Deputy Director
Beverly manages the Alliance's Old House and Barn program and oversees both of the Alliance's grant programs for barn assessments and for community landmarks assessment or re-use studies. She coordinates a range of educational programs and the biennial Old House & Barn Expo, and provides direct advice, referrals, and resources to old house and barn owners. She is also responsible for monitoring the Alliance's easement properties and provides support in developing new easements. She lives in Bedford, where she has been a member of the Historic District Commission and is co-president of the Beford Historical Society. Beverly is assisting the Stevens-Buswell School Restoration Project and chaired the successful town-wide effort to build the Bedford Village Common. She and her husband have renovated and cared for their own old house for more than 30 years.
Martha Cummings, Community Preservation Services Manager
Martha comes to the Alliance after many years in the museum field, that includes directing the Rufus Porter Museum in Maine and most recently the New Hampshire Boat Museum, where she led major renovations at both institutions. She has loved old buildings, gardens, and the stories they tell since she was a child growing up in Massachusetts. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Principia College and a master’s in historic preservation from Plymouth State University. At the Alliance she shares this passion by working with communities, offering practical advice in preservation, fundraising guidance, and assistance with finding the resources to save and reuse historic landmarks. When she’s not immersed in preservation, Martha and her husband enjoy trekking vacations abroad, and in 2024 she reached a personal goal of completing the 500-mile Camino de Santiago across Spain.
Andrew Cushing, Community Preservation Services Manager*
Andrew travels the state connecting communities to the resources they need to restore and reuse historic landmarks. He provides technical assistance, practical advice on preservation strategy, and fundraising guidance. He is a New Hampshire native who returned to his hometown of Grafton, where he is busy restoring two houses. (It sounds fancier than it is.) When not fixing windows or mowing, he serves as president of Mascoma Valley Preservation. Prior to returning to the Alliance in 2022, Andrew headed up the Bureau of Historic Sites for NH State Parks. Andrew is a graduate of Bowdoin College and the University of Pennsylvania, where he received an M.S. in Historic Preservation.
Meghan Gross, Events Coordinator
Meghan recently joined the staff team as Events Coordinator after working as a consultant for the Preservation Alliance for the past 6 years. She uses her organizational and interpersonal skills to coordinate and enhance the impact of the Alliance’s major events such as the biennial Statewide Preservation Conference, the Old House & Barn Expo, and the Preservation Achievement Awards and Seven to Save programs. Meghan’s focus on community building extends beyond work to her home in Kensington, where she serves as the President of the Kensington Historical Society and as a Grange Trustee. She holds a B.A. in Art History from the College of New Jersey and an M.S. in Historic Preservation from The University of Vermont. In her free time, she likes to folk dance, explore historic walking trails and graveyards, bake goodies for others, and browse Zillow for her perfect historic home in New Hampshire.
Rebecca Howland, Development and Communications Manager
As a history major in college, Rebecca has always been a fan of the subject, particularly how art and architecture can tell their own stories about people and places. In 2022, she was named as one of the Union Leader’s 40 Under 40. She has fond memories of growing up in an 1800’s farmhouse in Maine and exploring the depths of the old barn on the property. One day she would love to purchase a historic property with enough acreage to keep her horses and have a vegetable garden.
Maggie Stier, Advancement Projects Coordinator
Maggie returned to the Alliance in 2020 after serving as Field Service Representative from 2006 to 2016. She works to build the capacity of the Alliance, stewarding relationships, developing new initiatives, and enhancing communication and outreach. Maggie worked for many years in the museum field, including eight years as the founding director at The Fells in Newbury, and most recently as interim director at Canterbury Shaker Village. Maggie is passionate about understanding and preserving the historic environment. She holds degrees in American history from Vassar and Boston University and in education from Antioch New England. She lives in Wolfeboro where she is chair of the Heritage Commission. In her free time she’s usually outdoors—gardening, hiking or skiing; kayaking, swimming, or skating.
Patricia Meyers, Special Projects
Pat Meyers is a New Hampshire native with extensive nonprofit experience as director of several organizations. She is a former chair of the Preservation Alliance board and a board member of the Manchester Historic Association and Strawbery Banke Museum. She is a past board member of the Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden in Portsmouth and the New Hampshire Historical Society.
*on leave April 2025
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Questions? Give us a call at (603) 224-2281 or use the form below.