Leadership
Our Board of Trustees
Zachary (Zach) Studenroth, President describes his life and career in three words: “Preservation, Restoration & Conservation.” With an M.S. in Historic Preservation from the School of Architecture and Planning at Columbia University, Zach has worked in the field with historical societies, museums and towns throughout Long Island and Connecticut. He was Southampton’s Town Historian for seven years and Executive Director of the Sag Harbor Whaling & Historical Museum for ten years. Currently, he is a principal and co-founder of the Burying Ground Preservation Group, Inc. and conducts walking tours of the Old Sag Harbor Burying Ground. Zach wrote Preserving Sag Harbor: The Historic District After 50 Years 1973-2023 for the Museum and is spearheading a new book in 2026: Sag Harbor in the Revolution. Zach joined the Board in 2021 and the Executive Committee in 2022.
Bryan Boyhan, Vice President, is the former editor and publisher of The Sag Harbor Express, which received over one hundred national, state and regional awards during his tenure. During that time, the paper received New York State’s highest award for journalism three times. Bryan served on the Board of Directors of the New York Press Association for six years, including a term as its president. As a journalist, he has received many awards for his reporting on the environment, government and education, as well as for publication design for both the weekly Sag Harbor Express and The Express Magazine. He was inducted into the Long Island Journalism Hall of Fame in 2022. In addition to serving on the board of the Sag Harbor Historical Museum, he also sits on the board of the Sag Harbor Food Pantry.
Christopher (Chris) Cobb, Treasurer, has run a private wealth management practice through Wells Fargo since 2006. His expertise in helping clients meet their retirement and other financial goals is a sound foundation for fulfilling the office of Treasurer for the Museum. Beyond his vocation, he is heavily involved with the USTA (U.S. Tennis Association) Foundation in helping underprivileged children to use tennis as a vehicle for making the most of their lives. Chris and his wife, Diana, have recently moved to Sag Harbor (2023) and are very happy to be part of the community and the Museum’s mission to preserve and promote it. Chris joined the Board and became Treasurer in 2023.
Deanna Lattanzio, Secretary, a trustee since 2011, presently serves as recording secretary for the Sag Harbor Historical Museum. As a lifelong resident of Sag Harbor, sharing and preserving Sag Harbor’s varied and amazing history has become a commitment. Since retiring from her career as an elementary school teacher at Sag Harbor Elementary School, she conducts walking history tours for grades 1 through 5. The children learn about different aspects of Sag Harbor at each grade level so that when they leave the elementary school, they will have a basic understanding of Sag Harbor’s history. Thanks to friend, former trustee and videographer Nancy Remkus, Deanna has made videos on The Cove Side Dairy (Cilli Farm), the Annie Cooper Boyd House, Oakland Cemetery (Fannie Tunison), and the Bulova Watchcase Factory.
Donnamarie Barnes has worked for over 30 years as a photographer and photo editor for publications such as People and Essence Magazines, and as editor at the Gamma Liaison photo agency. A life-long summer and now full-time resident of the SANS community in Sag Harbor, she curated a highly acclaimed historic tintype photography exhibition in 2015 for the Eastville Community Historical Society entitled, “Collective Identity.” Donnamarie began working at Sylvester Manor in 2014 as a volunteer and history docent and joined the staff as Curator & Archivist in 2016. Over the past three years, she has curated three exhibitions: “Women of the Manor,” “A Place in Pictures,” and “All That Has Been: Our Roots Revealed.” Her work uncovering the lives and identities of enslaved and indigenous people of Sylvester Manor is ongoing (“Plain Sight Project”). Donnamarie has been a SHHM board member since 2023.
Cathleen Civale was a member of the senior management teams of LeSportsac, Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Kenneth Cole where she drove revenue growth through design, planning, and international market expansion. Cathleen has considerable expertise in the hospitality industry and brings to the Board her extensive experience in planning, brand-building, and hospitality. She serves as Chair of the museum’s Events Committee. Cathleen joined the Board in 2023.
Angela Inzerillo is a Long Island native and graduate of Syracuse University School of Architecture and moved to Sag Harbor Village in 2000. Angela worked for architectural firms in New York City and Bridgehampton before establishing her own practice in Sag Harbor. Her breadth of architectural experience includes achievements such as the restoration of The Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in New York City and acting as Studio Director for design teams that have traveled and built prototype hotels in India. Locally, she designs and constructs East End residences. Angela joined the Board in 2023 and serves on the Museum’s Events Committee.
Mary Jane (MJ) Marcasiano brings over forty years of experience as a fashion and costume designer to the Museum’s exhibition and collections committee. In 2024, she oversaw the archiving of more than four hundred garments and co-curated the popular exhibition Sag Harbor Summers 1882–1907. Currently pursuing a master’s in Costume Studies at NYU, she contributes valuable expertise in conservation and clothing history. MJ also has two decades of experience with non-profit arts organizations and serves as a strategic advisor to Cinema Tropical and IMPACT Repertory Theater.
Silas Marder is a native of Eastern Long Island and his ancestors were among its first British-born settlers. After graduating from Bennington College, Silas joined the family business, Marders, a Bridgehampton-based landscaping, garden, and home goods business, now in its 46th year of operation. In addition to handling daily operations, Silas designs landscapes, garden furniture, and cutting-edge yard games, and curates an open-air community event space featuring art, film, music, and spoken word programming that is now entering its 17th year. Silas has a strong appreciation for the importance of historic preservation and land conservation. Silas has served on the Board since 2023.
Jo-Ann McLean received a Master of Arts from the Department of Anthropology, with a specialization in Archaeology from NYU in 1991 and has been an Archaeological Consultant for the past 32 years employed as principal investigator and site director for over 170 historic archaeological investigations. In 2006, Jo-Ann received an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Museums Studies, also from NYU. She has worked with Preservation Long Island, Quogue Historical Society, and Flanders Village Historical Society, among others. Jo-Ann became a Museum trustee in 2025.
Alexandra McNear, a full-time resident of Sag Harbor, has forty years experience working as a writer/editor and researcher in the fields of journalism, publishing, film, and television. McNear’s work experience includes: researching and associate producing over twenty television and independent film documentaries; providing content and developmental editing for numerous novels and memoirs; writing for several local papers including The East Hampton Star, The Southampton Press, and the East Hampton Press; and ghost co-writing six novels for a Harper Collins author. Alex joined the Board in 2024.
Jacqueline (Jackie) Peu-Duvallon holds a master’s degree in Historic Preservation from Columbia University and has worked in the preservation field since 2003. In 2009, she founded JDP Preservation Consulting, a NYC-based historic preservation consulting firm specializing in regulatory compliance. Jackie worked at the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) for nearly four years and now uses that agency experience to develop strategies that expedite the review process, at both the city and state levels. Her firm also assists municipalities and institutions seeking to identify and designate historic resources throughout the tri-state area. Jackie’s career can be summarized by her website’s masthead “Guiding Regulatory Compliance – Advising Conservation Solutions – Discovering Cultural Heritage.” Jackie joined the Museum Board in 2022.
Craig B. Rhodes is an architect focused on residential design and construction. After receiving his license to practice architecture in New York State in 1977, Craig worked for I.M. Pei and Partners for 16 years. A graduate of Pierson Middle/High School and the Pratt Institute, Craig is currently developing plans and specifications for an archives facility to be constructed on the Museum grounds behind the Annie Cooper Boyd house. He became a Museum trustee in 2022.
Renee V. H. Simons has a wealth of business experience leading billion-dollar brands and directing marketing and strategic efforts across several industries including beverages, paper products, technology, and finance. Ms. Simons’ experience includes Seven Up, Dixie Products, Philip Morris, Chase investment banking/corporate media, and heading global technology communications as a Managing Director (SVP) at JP Morgan Chase. She earned awards and honors including a CLIO Advertising Award, named Black Enterprise’s 21 Women of Power and Influence in Corporate America, and was awarded NY State’s Preservation Award for listing Sag Harbor’s SANS Historic District on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
Jerome Toy is a 50-year resident of Sag Harbor with an extensive background in construction. Jerome was a general contractor for about 30 years working on countless houses in Sag Harbor and across the East End. Currently, he is working as a property manager. In his own words, “I’m interested in keeping the historical integrity of the village (and beyond) intact, paying particular attention to the upkeep and treatment of existing homes that have been here for centuries. I would like to create a bridge between the Museum and local tradespeople, particularly those that will be working on historical structures.” Jerome joined the Museum Board in 2025.
Staff
Nancy French Achenbach, Director worked as director of THIS (The Hospitality and Information Service), formed by the Department of State in Washington D.C., to serve the diplomatic families arriving in the United States. She has served on the boards of the Alexandria, Virginia YWCA and the Campagna Center, one of Alexandria’s leading not-for-profit organizations. Nancy served on the board of the Athenaeum and later as its executive director for eight years. The Athenaeum, an affiliate of the Richmond Museum, is an historical landmark in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, built in 1851, is home to the Northern Virginian Fine Arts Association, an organization dedicated to the maintenance and preservation of the building and the celebration of regional arts. Nancy worked as a real estate agent in Sag Harbor for eight years and has family roots in Sag Harbor and North Haven going back five generations. She was an active Board member since 2004 and filled the position of president twice. The Board of Trustees appointed her as the Museum’s first director in 2024.
Claudia Ward, Office & Communications Manager, worked in banking and consulting on Wall Street for 30 years, created a photography business with her husband, and published a blog called “Open Window” for 10 years. She shares her financial, communications, and marketing experience with the Museum, as well as her penchant and expertise for all-things-internet.