Who We Are
Graylag Staff
Nik Bassett, Facilities Director
A lifelong resident, just five minutes down the road in nearby Northwood, I love to call this area home. Working in and enjoying the outdoors is a great passion of mine. My wife and I have two boys who love to come to Graylag to play and explore. A goal of mine is to help ensure that areas like Graylag and land around will provide the same opportunities I was able to enjoy growing up outdoors, for my kids and for generations to come. Projects around Graylag are always in the works. While some are done to help satisfy the needs of our guests, others are designed to help people enjoy and connect with the natural settings around us. Staying connected to the local community is an important value of mine. I have served on various committees and organizations but have dedicated a lot of my efforts to the local fire department.
Anne Deely, Executive Director
Anne first came to Graylag as a guest in 2013, and like so many others, knew her family would come back again and again. She is grateful to have returned every summer since then, and even more grateful to now spend her workdays here as well. She lives in Deerfield with her husband and three sons, and is happy to be able to help others experience the peace of this beautiful place.
Board of Directors
Melinda Bubier (President) – Strafford, NH
Mindy came to know Graylag and Carl through a mutual friend and organizing a local 5K on Carl’s property at Harmony Hill nearby in Northwood. She later learned her husband was a long-time family friend of Carl and had spent time with Carl’s family when he was younger and raising cattle. Very much proof “it’s a small world”, or things are just meant to be. As a board member Mindy combines her background in environmental engineering and conservation with her passion for nature and enjoys contributing to the mission of Graylag . She believes in sharing and preserving its resources for future generations. Both of her children have participated in Graylag events, volunteered, and worked at the facility during the summer.
Fran Berman (Vice President) – Portsmouth, NH
Fran has been deeply involved in Graylag operations for the past five years and assisted her partner Carl Wallman in its transition to Graylag Nature Preserve. She is a retired editor and small business consultant as well as an experienced nonprofit leader who has served in key roles on multiple nonprofit boards. She grew up on a farm in New Jersey and has lived in NH for 40 years.
Dan Scheib (Treasurer) – Needham, MA
Dan is a good steward of the environment and a devoted outdoorsman with many years exploring the woodlands of Northern New England. He is also a member and longtime supporter of his local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), Newton Community Farm. Dan is a retired high-tech executive and is excited to share his passion for the outdoors while supporting the mission of Graylag.
Gerry Caron (Secretary) – Needham, MA
Gerry is an avid outdoorsman, naturalist, and friend of Graylag. “Carl’s vision for the Graylag Nature Preserve resonates with me deeply and I hope to help carry it forward into the next chapter.” Gerry is a practicing environmental lawyer in the Boston area and is on the faculty of BC Law School in Newton, MA as an Adjunct Professor.
Steven Bachmann – Strafford, NH
Mary Ervin – Stratham, NH
Susan Geib – Durham, NH
Susan is a writer and a retired marketing communications consultant in higher education. She has served on various nonprofit boards in the arts. Susan grew up at Graylag when it was a boys’ camp founded by her family and would have been the first camper if it had been coed. After decades of city life, she moved back to New Hampshire in 2008 and is thrilled to have become more deeply involved with Graylag.
Nicholas McDermott – Brooklyn, NY
Nicholas McDermott first visited Graylag with his mother, Carl’s cousin, who grew up with him in New York City. Nicholas’ relationship with Carl and Graylag deepened through his work as a practicing architect, assisting with planning and design projects over the years. He is partner and co-founder of Future Expansion, an architecture office in Brooklyn, and is on the faculty at the Yale University School of Architecture.
Peter Schultz – Colchester, CT
Peter came to know Graylag as a guest attending meditation retreats here. He leads the Finance Committee, which provides oversight and guidance to the Board and staff on all important financial matters including annual budget development and monthly reviews of operations versus budget.
Mary Ellen Shannon – Barnstead, NH
Mary Ellen was first introduced to Graylag in late fall of 1981. It soon after became her year-round home through mid 1994 — where her children were raised, where her relationship with nature and energies emerged. An instant special connection. Now that she has retired from the administration world, her spare time is spent sharing the gifts of Yoga, meditation, and Reiki in her local community as well as at Graylag. Mary Ellen loves time in her gardens and is a member of the Barnstead Garden Club. She is grateful for this opportunity for more involvement in Graylag.
Jessica Weigmann – New York, NY
Born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey, Jessica Weigmann majored in Theater at Barnard College, and received a Masters Degree in Filmmaking from Columbia University. She has acted and modeled in New York and Paris, studied German in Berlin, assisted in anthropological field work in Namibia. She worked in New York at the production company Good Machine, for Women Make Movies, and at Film Forum. She is a maker of short films, a scriptwriter and is currently working on her first novel. She also worked as librarian at PS 163 elementary school and tutored at-risk kids in New York Public Schools for Reading Partners and was on the board of Lifestitches, a philanthropic foundation supporting women and children with AIDS in Uganda. She currently lives in Central Harlem with her husband Mark Warren. She is mother to two young adults, Zeke and Oona Warren-Weigmann. She is a longtime devotee of Graylag.
Wini Scovill Young – Northwood, NH
Wini is retired from Coe-Brown Academy where she taught biology and environmental science. She is a member of the Northwood Conservation Commission, Friends of Northwood Meadows State Park, and NALMC, on whose board she first met Carl. She was familiar with Graylag before he bought it. It has always been a very special place for Wini, and has become so much more so because of Carl’s nurturing and vision.
