BOARD OF TRUSTEES NEWS
Jacoby Completes Term as Mount Auburn Board Chair ; Hara Takes Over Gavel
ean T . Hara has been elected Chair of the Mount Auburn Cemetery Board of Trustees ,
D commencing his duties at the Trustees ’ Meeting on September 30 . Dean joined the Cemetery Board in 2017 , serving on several committees including Cemetery Services ,
Audit , and Investment . As Chair of Human Resources for the past two years , he also helmed the successful efforts of the Presidential Search Committee .
Dean is a retired financial advisor who worked in investment planning and advisor oversight , and his background includes human-resources management , small-business consulting , and government relations in Washington , DC . He is a member of the Boston Foundation Equality Fund , and is on the boards of Boston Harbor Now , Jewish Vocational Services , and the Boston Center for Adult Education ( BCAE ). His late husband , Representative Gerry E . Studds , the first openly gay member of Congress , is buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery .
Dean takes over the Chair ’ s gavel from Patricia B . Jacoby , whose leadership on the Board was nothing short of transformational . She challenged the Cemetery ’ s Executive Leadership and brought in consultants Mary Jane Kubler and Karl Wirka , who undertook an examination and re-statement of Mount Auburn ’ s Vision & Values and developed an 18-Month Strategic Bridge Plan to guide the organization through an important period of transition . She also oversaw a reorganization of the Board , the sale of the Grove Street parcel , and the establishment of Board efforts focused on inclusion , diversity , equity , and access ( IDEA ) and sustainability . She has been a guiding force behind the David P . Barnett Fund for Horticulture and Urban Ecology . Pat is also the Deputy Director Emerita of the Museum of Fine Arts , Boston , and a member of the Board of Visitors of the Cambridge Center for Adult Education . A member of Mount Auburn ’ s Council of Visitors in 2011 , Pat became a Trustee in 2013 and has worked tirelessly with the Board ever since . As you step away from the Chairship , Mount Auburn Cemetery thanks and salutes you , Pat ! We are also excited to welcome two new members to the Board : Todd Basnight has served as a Non-Trustee member of the Investment Committee of the Mount Auburn Board for the past two years . He is a partner with Aureus Asset Management , managing equity strategies and advising high net-worth families , foundations , and endowments on their investment portfolios , financial planning , tax / legal issues , and other special considerations . Prior to his role with Aureus , Todd had been with Putnam Investments and with Cambridge Associates LLC . He is a graduate of Columbia Business School ( MBA , ‘ 12 ) and Colby College ( BA , ‘ 06 ). Todd enjoys squash and tennis as well as other outdoor activities . He and his family reside in Cambridge .
Christina C . Mann joined the Horticulture & Landscape Committee of the Mount Auburn Board as a Non-Trustee member in early 2018 . Christina is a Certified Master Gardener ( MMGA , 2018 ) and a Research Consultant with Candide Gardening of Bristol , UK , and TheHub . earth in London , an online resource for the Garden and Landscape Design Community . She was formerly a Design Associate with Lynden B . Miller Public Garden Design in New York and contributed to the design and installation of Wagner Park in Battery Park City , Bowling Green Park , and Landscape Master Plan Gardens for Columbia University . Christina also brings to the Board a background in marketing and media planning , having worked in those areas for Time Warner , Inc ., and Young & Rubicam , respectively . A graduate of Middlebury College ( BA , ‘ 88 ), Christina resides with her family in Cambridge where she is an active volunteer with the local schools .
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