Staff and Board Members

Jen is an accomplished leader with over two decades of experience working at the intersection of conservation, education, and recreation.

A native Michigander who has called New England her home for the past 16 years, Jen comes to Friends of the Blue Hills with experience working for some of the largest conservation organizations in New England, including the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, Massachusetts Audubon Society, and The Trustees of Reservations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Recreation, a master’s in Environmental Studies, and a doctorate in Environmental Education and serves as the President of the Massachusetts Environmental Education Society.

Jen is passionate about parks and working to make our public green spaces more engaging, inclusive, and accessible to all.

Melissa joined Friends of the Blue Hills as the Manager of Stewardship and Special Events in February 2023 with a transition in title to Director of Advancement in 2024. This was a coming home of sorts, as Melissa already had a history of volunteering with the organization. She has deep professional experience in communications, project management, and consumer engagement that marries well with the FBH mission and vision.

Melissa grew up in Downeast Maine, spending many hours exploring the local woods, fields, and shoreline just beyond her back door. Since 1999, she has lived just minutes from the Ponkapoag section of the park, where she often takes her dog Bella on the seldom-used side trails, discovering something new with every outing.

Mary Timilty joined Friends of the Blue Hills in the summer of 2022 as the Membership Coordinator. Mary grew up in the Ponkapoag section of Canton and spent her childhood enjoying all areas of the Blue Hills with her friends and family.  In her free time, Mary enjoys gardening, listening to all types of music, vacationing with her family, and walking her dog Presley.

Mike Dezube is the CEO of Charles River Data, a data science consulting firm in Boston focused on machine learning, GIS, optimization, and big data. After 7.5 years at Google he left to found his own firm putting his two degrees in engineering from Cornell University to use at their fullest extent.

In his free time, Mike’s also a senior data scientist at Mass General Hospital doing academic research – ML for cancer research and large scale analysis for opioid reduction. When he’s not diving into data, Mike spends his time woodworking and, of course, hiking.

linkedin.com/in/mikedezube

Erin Hajian joined Friends of the Blue Hills in 2024 as a social media intern. She is a student at Boston University studying Public Relations with a minor in Business Administration, and is from Rhode Island. In her free time, Erin enjoys reading, crocheting, and the outdoors.

Mike grew up in Milton, MA, and the Blue Hills was a resource throughout his childhood, whether he was enjoying the view from Eliot Tower or skiing for the first time at the Blue Hills Ski Area. Now living in Canton, MA, he and his family have been supporters of Friends of the Blue Hills since first learning of the organization. Mike has worked since 1998 at Fidelity Investments in a variety of roles, from financial planning services to relationship management and sales. He is currently a VP of Sales, presenting Fidelity’s Workplace Giving solution and helping companies manage broad-based employee philanthropy programs. He is enthusiastic about promoting the Blue Hills as an incredible resource open to all and building support for its protection. Mike holds an MBA from Suffolk University and a BS in Education from Boston University.

Carina has been involved with Friends of Blue Hills for several years as a National Trails Day project coordinator and trail maintenance volunteer. In her leadership capacity she has received multiple Partner of the Year awards on behalf of a relationship with REI. Carina has served as chair of our Clean Parks Committee, and helped launch the Advocacy Committee in 2022. Carina is an avid outdoor enthusiast and frequents Blue Hills trails as a trail runner, cyclist, amateur photographer, and steward. She obtained her master’s of science in Conservation Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dan Barcan is a partner at Schoolhouse Partners, an investment and advisory firm focused on the education industry. He has spent his career in public education, working as a teacher, principal, and school developer before joining Schoolhouse. He enjoys hiking and running throughout the Blue Hills, especially Buck Hill, the White Triangle loop, and the lost section of Route 95. He and his wife, Leah, live with their two sons in Roslindale.

A Boston-area native, Fiona had explored the Blue Hills many times before moving to Milton in 2023. But since settling nearby, the Blue Hills has become her favorite weekend destination. Whether hiking with her family to the observation tower to watch the changing seasons or cooling off at Houghton’s Pond, she finds joy and connection in this beautiful forest ecosystem right on Boston’s doorstep. Forests are also more than a personal passion for Fiona. She is a forest ecosystem ecologist with a PhD in ecology, and her research explores how New England forests are both responding to and helping mitigate climate change. Fiona is currently an Assistant Professor of Science at Babson College, where she teaches environmental science and tries to come up with new ways to share her love of forests with her students.

Pete works at the intersection of people and place. With 10 years of experience in cultural landscape preservation at The Trustees of Reservations and previous experience in landscape architecture, Pete believes experiences in nature are vital to human health and aims to connect people to the natural world around them. An avid hiker and explorer, Pete has adventured extensively in the northeast mountains and loves putting in big miles in the Blue Hills. With a passion for landscape photography, he can typically be spotted on the trail with his camera, capturing big views, streams, and wildlife sightings. Nowadays, Pete can be found learning all about the ecosystem of Blue Hills at the Trailside Museum with his son. Pete and his family live in Sharon, MA

The Blue Hills have been an important part of Debbie’s life for many years, offering a place to recharge, keep active, and spend time outdoors with her family and friends. Whether running, mountain biking, snowshoeing, paddling, or skiing, she, her husband, and their two kids enjoy the trails and waterways in every season. Debbie thinks the Blue Hills’ proximity to Boston, combined with its diverse terrain and ecological richness make it a one-of-a-kind place, and she is delighted to help preserve and protect the park so that she and others can continue to enjoy it. Professionally, Debbie is a lawyer in Ropes & Gray’s asset management practice group. She lives in Canton, MA.

Lorna Jane is a British born singer, teaching artist, coach, and consultant. After 20 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit arts education sector in MA and NYC, Lorna Jane launched LJN Advisory in 2020, a consulting firm that partners with individuals and non-profit organizations to manage and embrace transition through executive coaching, strategic planning, and leadership search. Lorna Jane first ran all 125 miles of the Blue Hills during COVID which led her to learn about the Friends. She first joined the board in 2021 and currently sits on the Governance and Fundraising committees. She is particularly invested in supporting the organization to grow and strengthen so FBH can engage more people in its programs and in the park. Lorna Jane lives with her partner Ed in Vermont.