Amanda holds a Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife and a Certificate in Historic Preservation, both from the University of Pennsylvania. She has written numerous architectural, landscape, and engineering studies for the National Park Service, as well as published an award-winning history of Omena, Michigan. Amanda trained at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine, and in addition to teaching writing at the university level, has presented living history programs about nineteenth-century farm life. She received her undergraduate degree in American Studies from Amherst College.
Jody joined the Fishtown Preservation Society staff in the spring of 2009. Prior to coming to FPS, she worked at the Interlochen Center for the Arts as an Enrollment Officer, handling a demanding audience of parents, faculty and students in order to maintain the rich and diverse community of students at Interlochen. Jody is a graduate of Saginaw Valley State University with degrees in Communications and Theater. Jody has always lived in Northern Michigan. She was born and raised in Gaylord by outdoor enthusiasts who love to hunt and fish, a background that she never imagined would become part of her career. Jody and her husband, Cameron, live near Suttons Bay, and have just purchased their first fishing boat.