Kathryn Bishop Eckert (Omoto), FPS Chairman, is an architectural historian and historic preservationist whose thirty-five years of experience has taken her throughout Michigan to study buildings and cultural landscapes and assist communities with preservation activities. Born in Detroit but now living in Leland, she is Michigan’s past State Historic Preservation Officer and a former advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She received her bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College and her master's in art history and Ph.D. in American Studies from Michigan State University.

Craig Miller, FPS President, resides in Leland Township and is very active in land conservancy and preservation efforts in Leelanau County. He is currently the Board Chair of the Leelanau Conservancy. Craig is a retired management member of the Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo law firm of Miller Johnson; a former Director of the Keystone Community Bank; a former managing partner of a real estate group engaged in the preservation and development of historic properties; a former board Chairman and President of the Sherman Lake YMCA Character Development Center; former Chair of the American Bar Association Committee on Employments Law; and several other charitable organizations. Craig is a graduate of the University of Michigan, B.A., and Wayne State University Law School, J.D.

Ann Watkins, FPS Treasurer is a seasonal resident of Leland, introduced to the area thirty years ago by her husband, Warren. For the past 25 years, Ann has been an active volunteer with several non-profits in metro Detroit. Ann graduated with a BBA from the University of Michigan and worked as a CPA and then as the Business Manager of a Community Center.

Joanie Woods, FPS Assistant Treasurer, resides in Leland and is very active in a broad range of community activities. She presently serves on the Stewardship Committee of the Leelanau Conservancy, as Co-Chair of Wildflower Rescue. Joanie is former Chair of the Leelanau Heritage Route, and continues as a member of the committee. Joanie graduated from Abbot Academy (now Andover), and received a B. A. from the University of Colorado.

Berkley W. Duck III is a resident of Leland and maintains a home in Indianapolis.  He retired in 2001 as a managing partner of Ice Miller, one of the largest law firms in Indiana, where his practice included corporate governance and finance, securities law and mergers and acquisitions. Berkley is the current chairman of Conner Prairie Foundation, Inc., which manages the endowment of the Conner Prairie living history museum in Fishers, Indiana, near Indianapolis, and he is the immediate past chairman of the board of directors of the museum.  He also is the past chairman of other civic and arts organizations in the Indianapolis area.  Berkley is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School.

Fred Heslop is a seasonal resident of Leland and has been enjoying Fishtown for many years. During High School and while attending the University of Michigan, Fred's summer job was at the harbor with Pete Carlson and Fred Lang. That experience left a long-lasting impression and helped to foster an already established love and respect for the water and the region. Professionally, Fred has been involved in television production since the early 80's, working primarily with network sports events. Recently however, he has established a business building wooden rowing shells and skiffs from his shop in Utah, which he finds far more rewarding and enjoyable. Fred and his family live in Park City, where he is active in the community and still an avid competitor in Marathon, Triathlon and Luge.

Wilfred J. Larson, a seasonal Leland resident, is active in area land conservation and historic preservation efforts. Wilfred retired as President & CEO of Westwood Squibb Pharmaceuticals and Senior Vice President Bristol Myers Squibb. He is a past Chairman of the Board of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; past Vice-Chairman of the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and Greater Buffalo Development Foundation; founding Chairman and former Director of Western New York Technology Development Center; and served on the Board of Directors of M&T Bank, Pratt & Lambert and the Bryant & Strattan Business Institute. Wilfred holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and has conducted graduate study at the University of Chicago and the University of Cincinnati.

Dan McDavid is a resident of Leland who, in addition to being a Board member of the Fishtown Preservation Society, is Vice Chairman of the Munson Healthcare Finance and Investment Committees. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Northern Michigan Supply Alliance, a Munson Healthcare-affiliated procurement company. Dan worked in the automotive industry for 33 years and retired from DaimlerChrysler as Vice President, International and Operational Procurement. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and the M.I.T. Senior Executive Program.

Jim Ristine, a historic preservationist and art historian, is the founder and owner of Great Lakes Art Services of Leland, Michigan, as well as a licensed building contractor.  He graduated with degrees in art history and religion from Denison University and in art history and museology from the University of Minnesota, and is currently pursuing graduate work in historic preservation at Eastern Michigan University. After curating at several museums in the Twin Cities, including the Minnesota Museum of Art, Jim founded Great Lakes Art Services in Milwaukee in 1987, which he relocated to Leland in 1989.  Jim is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Michigan Legacy Art Park in Thompsonville and serves on the Board of Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear.”

Cris Telgard is a life-long resident of the village of Leland; he and his wife Kathy presently own and operate a retail store in the village. Cris’s family has strong ties to the maritime heritage of the area and to Fishtown; both sides of his family lived on the Manitou Islands from the mid-1800s and worked as farmers, trappers, Indian traders, commercial fishermen and boat builders in Leelanau County. His great-grandfather was a fisherman in Leland who built a number of the structures in Fishtown, and members of his family still fish out of Leland today.

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