The Carpenter's Boat Shop | Our Team

Alicia C Witham

Executive Director

Alicia grew up on Munjoy Hill in Portland Maine and spent her youth exploring Portland’s waterfront and East End. In 1996 she started working for the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School and enjoyed an 18 year career there. She held nearly every position during her tenure at HIOBS from a cook in the galley on Hurricane Island to Associate Program Director of the Florida and Bahamas programs. Alicia returned after a decade of living in San Francisco and serving as the General Manager of the Olympic Circle Sailing Center, OCSC, in Berkeley California. Alicia has been teaching adult sailing, managing yachts, and coaching the Yarmouth sailing team since May 2019. Alicia is delighted to join the Carpenter’s Boat Shop. She will be bringing her extensive maritime experience and leadership background to help extend programming, vision, and relevancy .If you cannot find her at the boat shop, you can find her exploring Maine rivers in search of trout, on a beach with her dog Hobie, or sailing in warm waters.

Chelsea Fisher

Apprenticeship Program Director

Born in Texas and raised in rural Wisconsin, Chelsea did not discover sailing or wooden boats until 2007 when she happened upon a tall ship festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia. After taking her first voyage down the coast on the Sloop Providence, there was no turning back. In 2009, she began working on the Sloop Clearwater in the Hudson River Valley of New York as a winter maintenance apprentice and one year later, came to the Carpenter’s Boatshop as a boat building apprentice. She has continued to work for both organizations periodically over the years teaching sailing, fixing and maintaining engines, building and restoring large and small wooden boats, and teaching basic woodworking classes. In January of 2022 she acquired a USCG 100 ton Inland Masters license and put it to work driving the Madaket, an old wooden ferry boat built in 1910, around Humboldt Bay on the Northern California coast. After a year out west, she is pleased to be back east and at the Carpenter’s Boat Shop in a new role on the beautiful Pemaquid Peninsula!

LUKE SMALL

Wooden Boat Building Instructor

Luke grew up in Massachusetts and spent summers lobstering and fishing Cape Cod Bay with their family. Luke fell in love with sailing and the mid-coast during an Outward Bound trip in 2007 which led them to a decade of outdoor education leadership. They also helped start a nonprofit that facilitated backpacking trips for the LGBTQ community. Luke and Tucker, the dog, moved to Maine in 2020 to be closer to the ocean and sailing whenever possible. After attending an apprenticeship at the Carpenter’s Boat Shop, they have spent their time teaching traditional wooden boat building skills to local middle schoolers at Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, ME.

Dan Asher

Fleet and Facilities Manager

Born in Worcester, MA and raised in a Soviet Jewish immigrant family in New York City, Dan fell in love with the Northeast bioregion spending his adolescent summers at Camp Thoreau in Thetford, Vermont. The seeds of a passion for boats and being on the water were sown there over countless summer days white water kayaking on the Connecticut River. After graduating from Brooklyn Technical High School, Dan completed a degree in History at the University of Vermont before finding his way into working at various experiential education and wilderness guiding programs. Through these experiences and time spent traveling in Mexico and Central America, Dan became interested in individual and community self-sufficiency through traditional hand crafts, and sustainable ways of building and living. These interests led him to The Carpenter’s Boatshop, where he was an Apprentice and then Journeyperson Instructor from 2014-2016. Dan then completed a green woodworking internship at Country Workshops in Marshall, NC. For the next few years, Dan returned seasonally to NYC to work with high school students on a historic preservation carpentry crew for the National Parks Service of New York Harbor. This was followed by work as a restoration carpenter for the Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway in Vineyard Haven, MA. Preferring to travel and work seasonal jobs, Dan has spent the last few years driving his old Volvo 240 Wagon between his community in the northeast and the Longleaf pine forests of north Florida. He is excited to return to the Carpenter’s Boatshop with these new skills and experiences and take on the challenge and responsibilities of the Fleet and Facilities position.

Matthew Dirr

Matthew was born in Houston, Texas, but only lived there for 3 months as his family moved to various states in the East and eventually Madrid, Spain before he graduated from high school. After a couple of false starts in academic education, he attended The Apprenticeshop in Rockland, Maine. An initial interest in bending wood was transformed by boating on Penobscot Bay, and thus began a passion for wooden boatbuilding. The Apprenticeshop opened many doors, including an opportunity to travel to Ireland, where he spent 5 years working on the restoration of The AK Ilen. He also spent 2 years teaching boatbuilding at Albaola, a maritime museum in The Basque Country, Spain. In between were many jobs teaching, doing carpentry, and working on boats. Most recently, he worked for 2 years as a timberframer here in Maine before returning to boats and education at The Carpenter’s Boatshop. He is excited to find a community where he can share his experiences, and form new ones.

ABBY ROWE

President

Abby was an apprentice at the Carpenter’s Boat Shop in 2000 and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2014. Abby is a lifelong sailor, former Licensed USCG Captain, and perpetual believer in the positive impact and value of the Carpenter’s Boat Shop. Through her time as an instructor and course director at Hurricane Island Outward Bound, Abby spent hundreds of days and nights exploring the nooks and crannies of the Maine coast from sailboats and sea kayaks. Yet, Abby’s one year as an apprentice, engaged in the craft of building traditional wooden boats, is what really connected her to the coast’s culture and history. Abby believes that much like the writings of Ruth Moore, the Carpenter’s Boat Shop is instrumental in preserving the tangible and intangible pieces of the Maine Coast that fuel her soul. Abby holds a B.S. from Cornell University and an M.A. from Boston College. Abby is the Owner, President, and Lead Instructor for Wilderness Medical Associates International which is based in Portland, Maine and works as an Advanced EMT. Abby currently splits her time between Mount Desert Island Maine and Rochester, NY where she enjoys as much time as possible outdoors with her partner, Emma, and their two rescue dogs from Puerto Rico.

KAREN FILLER

Vice-President

Karen moved to Maine in 1999 with her husband Matt from Simsbury, Connecticut. She was a vice president at MassMutual Life Insurance Company where she worked in the Compliance Division until 2000. In addition, she mediated disputes for the company.

Karen serves on the Boards of Skidompha Library, the Lincoln Home, Coastal Kids Preschool, Mobius, and the Carpenters Boat Shop. She has volunteered her services over the years to Rotary and Habitat for Humanity.

Karen and Matt live in Walpole and are the parents of four sons and are grandparents to ten.

PETER MCCNAUGHTON

Treasurer

Peter McNaughton was born and raised in South Africa. He served as a naval officer for 10 years, representing the South African Navy in offshore and transatlantic sailboat races. After several years captaining boats in the Caribbean and along the east coast of the US he settled in Maine. He owned a manufacturing business for over twenty years before becoming a broker with Drum & Drum Real Estate in Damariscotta, where he has been for 8 years. Peter served as treasurer on the board of Salt Bay Chamberfest for two terms. He is currently treasurer of The Carpenter’s Boat Shop where he happily combines his interest in supporting local nonprofits with his favorite pastime, best articulated by Kenneth Graham in Wind in the Willows: “…there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

LISA CONWAY

Lisa is a lifelong sailor whose first introduction to the Boat Shop was as a summer volunteer for the Community Housing Improvement Project (CHIP, Inc.). She and the rest of the crew from Basking Ridge, NJ, slept on the Boat Shop’s floors for nine days each summer while restoring homes for neighbors in need throughout Lincoln County. More recently, she helped coordinate that program for the past 15 years. Lisa’s educational background includes sciences, education policy and management, and nonprofit finance. She has worked in leadership and board roles with multiple educational nonprofit organizations, and most recently served as Executive Director of Coastal Kids Preschool in Damariscotta, ME

MATTHEW FILLER

Matt is a Rhode Island native and holds a BA degree from Norwich University. After serving in the US Army patrolling the Czech boarder in Germany and as a company commander at Ft. Campbell, KY Matt began a 32-year career in the Agra-Products business. Although they lived in various parts of the country, they spent most of the time raising their family in Connecticut. Matt spent 25 years coaching youth hockey at the Bantam level. Matt and his wife Karen moved to Maine in 1999 and after retirement became an active volunteer in the community. He was president of the Damariscotta Historical Society, on the Board of DRA and also head of the stewardship committee for 12 years. He was also instrumental in setting up and organizing the skating rink at the DRA. He also volunteered at the Great Salt Bay School with a third grade class for over 10 years. He is currently an FOB at the Carpenter’s Boat Shop and heads up the Adirondack chair building program as well as teaching chair building classes. He is also an active volunteer at Skidompha Library on the adult circulation desk. He and his wife Karen live in Walpole and have 4 adult children and 10 grandchildren.

TODD GARTH

Todd and his wife, Laura, apprenticed together at the Carpenter’s Boat Shop and married there in 1992. They consider their apprenticeship at the boat shop a singularly unique and influential part of their lives and enjoy giving back to this amazing organization. Todd and Laura recently moved from Washington, DC and New Harbor, Maine to Grand Rapids, Michigan where they are trying to embrace a new phase of life caring for aging family and find new career purpose. In the middle, Todd worked over 25 years in the leadership of nonprofit international humanitarian assistance, living and working in over 60 countries with Habitat for Humanity International, World Vision, GoodWeave International, and EYElliance. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, boating, hiking, and fishing.

ED HAMILTON

In 1972, Ed sailed from England to Tortola, British Virgin Islands, eventually starting his own Bareboat Charter Company which grew to a fleet of 55 boats before it was sold. In 1982, he moved to Maine and with his wife Barbara, started Ed Hamilton & Co, booking yacht charter vacations all over the world. By the time they sold the company and retired, it was the largest independent charter brokerage in the industry. The Carpenter’s Boat Shop is a wonderful outlet for Ed’s retirement years, helping an organization that truly changes lives.

PHYLLIS IVES

Title

Phyllis Ives has deep family roots in Pemaquid (her ancestors built the red and white farmhouses at the Boat Shop) and was first invited onto the Board in 2002 by Ruth Ives. After a hiatus, she returned in 2021. She retired from a career of strategic planning and capital campaign counseling. Three miles from the Boat Shop, she lives with her husband Bobby in close range of family, including five grandchildren.

DAVID LEVESQUE

David Levesque is the owner of Levesque Law which has offices in Damariscotta and Bath. Levesque Law is a general civil law practice with concentrations in real estate, business, and estate planning matters. In addition to his business/political science undergraduate degree from the University of Maine at Farmington, David holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern Maine, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maine School of Law. David is a former President of the Maine State Bar Association, the Lincoln County Bar Association, and the University of Southern Maine Alumni Association, and a former Chair of the University of Maine at Farmington Board of Visitors. He also served as the Director and a Council member of the American Bar Association’s Solo, Small Firm, General Practice Division. David grew up in a family engaged in commercial fishing, boat building, marine construction, and transportation. Originally from Ellsworth, Maine, David now resides in Newcastle, Maine with his wife, Susan and their three sons, Luke, Austin, and Joseph.

MICHAEL PUTZEL

Michael Putzel learned to sail aboard an old wooden sloop when his family moved from a land-locked farm in Missouri to a place in Connecticut near Long Island Sound. He was 12 and, many decades later, is still at it. A reporter and author, he covered the Civil Rights Movement in the South, the war in Vietnam, the Watergate scandal, the White House during Carter, Reagan and Clinton, and the collapse of Communism from Moscow. He stumbled onto The Carpenter’s Boat Shop while hiking on the Pemaquid Peninsula in 2003 and returned the next year to learn boatbuilding and furniture making. The spirit of the Boat Shop quickly drew him into its welcoming, supportive community. After cruising for years off New England and on Chesapeake Bay, he served as crew crossing the Atlantic from Bermuda to Marion, Mass., and from Panama City across the Pacific to Tahiti.

JIM ROWEN

At age 8 I first visited the Pemaquid area with my family- we rented an old summer cottage in New Harbor. We quickly fell in love with the Maine coast and returned as renters numerous times until finally buying that cottage (the “Oaks”)and the one next door (the “Acorn”) in the late ‘60s. They are now owned by the next generation of Rowan’s. My Dad got to know Bobby at the Methodist Church in New Harbor and the Boat Shop came into our lives and our hearts. Emily and I live in the DC area and bought a house in South Bristol in 2000, where we spend as much time as possible. I have served on the Boat Shop Board for many years, and recently joined the Board of the Farnsworth Art Museum.

KEITH ROWAN

Keith’s exposure to CBS goes back to its beginnings with his grandfather’s admiration of Bobby in the pulpit all around the central coast of Maine. When CBS began, Grandpa could not stay away from the spiritual and CBS “cool factor” only Bobby could deliver – and young Keith was his willing Uber. Years later, with Keith’s Uncle Jim, a long-lost mahogany runabout Grandpa acquired for his sons new in 1951 was found – and restored by CBS. Old “AR” lives in South Bristol today. Keith is a motorhead-handyman-framer-stage-techy type who finished college with a degree in economics and finance – and then became a commercial banker – in order to meet Bonnie. To diversify, he exited to the construction disciplines of the lighting world, and for almost 33 years now, has been working on mostly commercial projects of every size. He currently works for the world’s largest LED lighting manufacturer calling on architects and engineers. Keith has held GC licenses in several western states and has always been enamored with building, restoring or fixing things with a variety of modern and vintage tools. Antique structures and motorized antiques, including the floating kind, have a particular affection. He has participated in multiple new construction and remodel projects over the years – many of them were separate from his formal career work. Keith and Bonnie are restoring a 1903 porch wrapped cape in New Harbor where they stretch to spend more time with every passing year. To keep up with his uncle’s lead – he built his first boat when he was 19 – a larger version of “The River Queen” from the July 1967 Boys Life magazine. The difference was – Keith had power tools.

DEB MILLS-SCOFIELD

Deb Mills-Scofield is passionate about helping companies and individuals see what’s possible and implement plans to achieve it. She co-created the Cognitive Science concentration at Brown University and graduated in 3 years. As an alumna, she co-created the new Design Engineering concentration in Brown University’s School of xEngineering. At Bell Labs, Deb created one of AT&T and Lucent’s highest-revenue generating patents that we all use and take for granted today. She has written for Harvard Business Review, contributed to various business books, and has her blog. Deb fosters innovation and growth via her strategy and innovation consulting with mid to large-sized privately-held companies, her experience as an early-stage Venture Capitalist, and with her student entrepreneurs. Deb’s official positions at Brown University include being the university’s Mentoring Maven, Adjunct Lecturer, Member of the School of Engineering Advisory Council, Advisor to the Brown Design Workshop (maker-lab), and advisor to several student design and entrepreneurship groups. She is the first Mentor-In-Residence at Northeastern University’s Portland Maine Roux Institute. Deb is also on the Carpenter’s Boat Shop board in Pemaquid and the Lincoln Theater board in Damariscotta, Maine. Deb thrives on meeting people and mindsets from all over, fueling her curiosity for serendipitous interdisciplinary approaches to problems and building unexpected connections.

BRAD TANNERBRING

Following a 41 year career with GE Aviation, Brad and his wife Deb retired to Pemaquid Falls in the fall of 2019. They feel very blessed to have landed on the Pemaquid peninsula for their next chapter and to have become part of the CBS and local community – even more so since their three daughters and their families also reside now reside in midcoast Maine. An avid hiker, boater and one who cherishes any time spent outdoors, he also enjoys woodworking and home renovation projects. Since first touring the Boatshop in 2018 during a house-hunting trip, Brad has been a believer in the CBS mission, supporter of their programs, through FOB fundraising crafts to facilities and grounds-keeping support. He’s especially grateful for the many wonderful connections made and experiences shared there, not to mention skills and insights gained while working along side Bobby Ives and the talented FOB team during the recent Peapod build and ongoing restoration projects. Besides enjoying time with the FOBs and Apprentices, Brad can often be found volunteering with Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust and with the Old Bristol Historical Society. Brad looks forward to expanding his involvement as part of the facilities subcommittee to help ensure a sound infrastructure to support the program’s needs and possibly develop opportunities for FOBs and Apprentices to collaborate and mentor/skill build on a number of projects. He is also excited to support Alicia’s objectives of evolving the Apprentice program to include additional time, adventure, and skill/team-building on the water with the newly acquired pulling boat.

RICK MILLER

Rick Miller recently retired as Professor and Dean of Faculty at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine, where he taught courses in Terrestrial Navigation (Coastal Piloting), Celestial Navigation, Seamanship, Electronic Navigation, Meteorology, and Marine Weather Routing. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Springfield College and a Master of Science in Education from Capella University.

With over 40 years of experience, Rick has successfully combined his passion for sailing with his career as an educator, sailing aboard numerous training vessels and spending many years with the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School. In 2008, he served as Master aboard the schooner Bowdoin for a training expedition to the Arctic along Greenland’s west coast.

Rick continues to pursue his love of the sea, sailing annually as Master with the Sea Education Association (SEA) on voyages across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Following his retirement, he now enjoys a more traditional captain’s schedule with SEA.

In 2023, Rick joined The Carpenter’s Boat Shop Board of Directors, where he chairs the Program Committee and actively participates in the Facilities group. He and his wife Cathy reside in Camden, ME, while their two daughters live and work nearby in mid-coast Maine.

JENNIFER THOMPSON

Jennifer grew up boating and sailing around the Barnegat Bay in New Jersey and the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. With her love of the water, she purchased a 1968 Oday Mariner after college and restored it with her dad . Jennifer began racing in NJ, PA, MD while obtaining her captain’s license for chartering boats during her travels. She has spent over 30 years working as a nonprofit executive and moved to Maine a little over 2 years ago with her partner. She is currently the Executive Director for NAMI-Maine. She joined the CBS in 2022 and serves on the Development Committee as well as the Strategic Planning Committee.

RUSTY KENDALL

Rusty is the CFO of Charleston based Sherman Financial Group. Before moving to Charleston and joining Sherman in 2008, Rusty was at a Boston based investment manager focused on private investments and at Bank of America Securities. Additionally, Rusty worked as a Legislative Assistant in the United States Senate. Mr. Kendall has a BA from the University of New Hampshire and an MBA from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. Rusty currently serves on the Boards of Credit One Bank, Porter-Gaud School, New England Ski Museum and the Christmas Cove Improvement Association. Rusty and his wife Alice have 4 children and live in South Bristol, ME and Sullivans Island, SC.

Our Team

Dedicated to:

Building Boats,

Nurturing Lives,

Helping Others

ALICIA C. WITHAM
Executive Director

CHELSEA FISHER
Apprenticeship Program Director

LUKE SMALL
Wooden Boat Building Instructor

DAN ASHER
Fleet and Facilities Manager

MATTHEW DIRR
Wooden Boat Building Instructor

HOBIE
Chief Barketing Officer

Board of Directors

ABBY ROWE
President

KAREN FILLER
Vice-President

PETER MCNAUGHTON
Treasurer