Kar
en Binder is the Executive Director of Blithewold, Inc., a post she has held since July 2004. Her primary responsibilities include oversight of daily operations, strategic planning, supervision of major capital projects, fundraising, donor and board cultivation, and support for Blithewold’s board and committees. Karen earned a dual Bachelor of Arts in economics and in political science from St. Mary’s College, Maryland, and a Master of Arts in education with a focus on management and training from the University of Rhode Island. Formerly, Karen worked as Director of Operations and as Executive Director for several large YMCA associations. Karen most recently served as Chair of the Bristol Museum Association and was a member on the Bristol Comprehensive Plan Committee and Vice-Chair of the Bristol Noise Commission. 401-253-2707 ext 12
en Binder is the Executive Director of Blithewold, Inc., a post she has held since July 2004. Her primary responsibilities include oversight of daily operations, strategic planning, supervision of major capital projects, fundraising, donor and board cultivation, and support for Blithewold’s board and committees. Karen earned a dual Bachelor of Arts in economics and in political science from St. Mary’s College, Maryland, and a Master of Arts in education with a focus on management and training from the University of Rhode Island. Formerly, Karen worked as Director of Operations and as Executive Director for several large YMCA associations. Karen most recently served as Chair of the Bristol Museum Association and was a member on the Bristol Comprehensive Plan Committee and Vice-Chair of the Bristol Noise Commission. 401-253-2707 ext 12
For Jillian Cleveland, it was love at first sight when she began interning at Blithewold, so much so she came back the next summer, before becoming a permanent fixture in the communications department. She’s a New England local, who attended Framingham State University, where she studied graphic design. When she’s not designing or drawing, she’s an enthusiastic gamer, and lover of science fiction, baked goods, and all things sweet and edible. She uses the gardens, architecture, and energy of Blithewold for inspiration when working on everything from creating postcards to the redesign of the grounds map. 401-253-2707 ext 15
Connie Ganley is a native of the East Bay and a graduate of Rhode Island College. After a career in the antiques field, she came to Blithewold with a passion for all things local: history, food, architecture, and people. When she’s not cooking or researching local history, she’s enjoying time with her family and pets. She ensures that all Blithewold volunteers share their pride and enthusiasm for Blithewold with each of our guests. 401-253-2707 ext 18
At the end of a long retail management career, Sue Legault was looking for a volunteer opportunity when she discovered that help was needed for Christmas at Blithewold. As a Master Gardener and longtime Blithewold member who had always loved the holiday season at the Mansion, she immediately responded and put her retail background to use in the gift shop. That first Christmas was absolutely magical, so when asked to become the shop manager, she jumped at the chance. It has been the perfect fit: She has the opportunity to continue the activities she enjoyed during her retail career, buying and merchandising a small but active shop, while also experiencing firsthand the beauty of the gardens of Blithewold. 401-253-2707 ext 40
Betsy Ekholm received her BA in English from Gordon College and worked at Pearson Custom Publishing until her love of plants stole her away from the publishing world. She has been working in gardens since her youth, always admiring and caring for plants whenever she could. She worked at Tranquil Lake Nursery for seven years and took the URI Master Gardener course during that time. She then followed her love of plants to Boston, where she interned at the Arnold Arboretum. From daylilies to trees and shrubs, she then worked for Schartner Farms, growing perennials and annuals. In 2013, her love of gardening drew her to Blithewold, where she began as an intern. She now is a Rhode Island Certified Horticulturist and on staff full-time. 401-253-2707 ext 17
Caitlin’s love of plants began at her childhood home in South County, Rhode Island, where she helped her parents in the garden and made bouquets out of anything and everything she could find. After completing a fine arts degree at Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland, she returned to the States to work in floral design and then pivoted to horticulture. Following internships at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Stonecrop Gardens in New York, she tended to private gardens in New York City before returning as a staff member to Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, where she worked in the conservatory for nine years. 401-253-2707 ext 42
Margaret Whitehead, originally from England, has worked at Blithewold for almost 25 years, and has been Curator of this important collection since 1999. She works in the Archives and Collections Center of Blithewold on the third floor of the Mansion, preserving, transcribing, and interpreting, to share with the public the endless stories of the Blithewold family through exhibits and articles. She has written two books about the history of the family: Blithewold: Legacy of an American Family and The Grand Tour 1903-1904, both published by Blithewold Press and available at the Museum Gift Shop.
Linda moved to RI at the start of the millennium and, given her love of history and gardening, one of the first locales she visited was Blithewold. After that visit, she pondered for a number of years how she might use her skills to contribute to the preservation of Blithewold’s charm, beauty, and history. In 2009, she completed a Master’s degree in Museum Studies at Harvard University Extension School and started shifting away from her 20-year career in consumer research. In 2014, Linda got her chance and began working inside the mansion, in the Archives. Her primary responsibility is to organize, digitize, analyze and supervise every object in the mansion, those you see in the exhibit rooms, as well as the numerous items stored away behind closed doors. Working with a group of specially trained volunteers, she has overseen the entry of more than 4500 objects into Blithewold’s collections database. 401-253-2707 ext 31
Allan Millora’s background in membership sales, marketing, photography, and special events makes Blithewold a perfect place for his role as Membership Coordinator, Registrar, Tea Manager, and Photographer. Allan moved to Rhode Island back in 2012 and immediately started working at Blithewold. It’s a dream job for him, as he also gets to follow his passion for cooking when he is in the kitchen prepping for Blithewold’s afternoon teas and special events. Allan is also a full-time photographer and videographer and can be seen all around New England on the weekends, shooting portraits, galas, and weddings. 401-253-2707 ext 21
Hannah started working at Blithewold while still in high school and instantly fell in love with the world of hospitality. She quickly became part of the private events management team. After graduation, Hannah decided to take a year off from college to pursue and learn more about the hospitality world and what Blithewold has to offer.
Sue Axelrod, started at Blithewold in December, 2001 through Accountemps. She was only supposed to be filling in for only a month or so and has been here nearly 15 years! All year-round Sue still appreciates what a beautiful place Blithewold is to walk into work every day. She also loves that there is so much activity every day: decorating for Christmas, teas, horticulture events & classes, kids camps, volunteers and so much more. Over the course of the last 15 years, Sue has learned a great deal about gardening, taking home the lessons learned at Blithewold where she’s planted many flowers, bushes, shrubs & small trees. 401-253-2707 ext 13