Chair

Carolyn Rogers retired to Wellfleet in 2016 from her work as an administrator in higher education, where she focused primarily on the development of innovative and collaborative programs to support student success. She is also a singer of Broadway tunes and American standards, having performed extensively throughout Connecticut and in Boston. More recently, she has been enjoying her work with pianist/producer John Thomas and is on the Advisory Council of the Great Music on Sundays at 5 Broadway concert series in Provincetown. She lives year-round in Wellfleet with her wife, Mary.

Secretary

Sue is the owner of Blake & Co., a jewelry, personal accessories, and home décor store in Orleans. She previously owned a contemporary craft and fine art gallery in Wellfleet, Blake Gallery, which she opened in 1984. And in between the two was a stint at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston, as Gallery Administrator.

Sue has continued her involvement in the arts, serving as a juror for local and regional craft exhibits. And as a member of the Wellfleet Cultural Council, she has the pleasure of promoting the arts in a town that she holds dear to her heart.

Yvonne Barocas has been a member of the Wellfleet Cultural Council for eight years and previously served as co-chair for two years. Over these years she has enjoyed assisting in the acquisition of grants to artists, musicians, scientists, and humanitarians who enrich the cultural life of Wellfleet.

Yvonne was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She attended college and graduate school through the City University system and received a double Master's plus professional diploma in school psychology. She taught elementary school for 12 years, then special education, and went on to be a school psychologist until her retirement. She headed up staff development and was on the crisis intervention team for her district. In addition, for many years, she reviewed jazz performances in two New York-based newspaper columns. Music, and particularly jazz, are among her greatest interests. She also dabbles in stained glass and fused glass. In addition, for 40 years, she and her husband ran Abiyoyo, a well-loved retail gift shop in Wellfleet. Abiyoyo reflected their social and political values through community involvement.

Yvonne currently lives mainly in Wellfleet, MA and part-time in Montclair, NJ. She is married with four children and three grandchildren. Her strengths and interests are concentrated on issues regarding child development and education, exploration of literature and the arts (art, music, theater, dance), political activism, and, most of all, family and friends.

A lifelong lover and supporter of the arts, David retired last summer from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where he was Director of Development. His career in fundraising, marketing, and public relations also included tenures with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a regional orchestra, a children’s museum, and healthcare institutions. Originally from Pennsylvania, he has a BA from Bucknell University and a Master’s in Journalism from Temple University. He washed ashore in Wellfleet in 2005 and divides his time between here and Providence. Helping to promote and share the joy that the arts and culture bring to people is his goal in joining the Cultural Council.

With a BFA from William & Mary and a MFA from Washington University Jean’s career has most defiantly not followed a straight path. 10 years as art director in fashion advertising in Boston and then 15 years as business manager/owner of Integrative Animal Health Center in Stow, MA.

Trying to infuse art and creativity along the way: teaching art, producing town theatre productions, and supporting local art shows. She has 2 wonderful kids who take the ferry from Boston to visit, surf, and shuck oysters as often as they can. Nearly a full-time fleetian, Jean loves painting large-scale works promoting environmental awareness and volunteering with the food pantry, PMC and at Skip in Provincetown. Jean is very happy to participate in Wellfleet’s artistic and cultural communities, helping those to find their own unique paths as she serves the Wellfleet Cultural Council.

After teaching 3rd grade for ten years, Kathie took six years off to raise two children. During that time, she was very busy with volunteer work running story hours in her local libraries in Hebron and Mystic, CT, and Ashby, MA. She taught both piano and adult guitar and vacation bible school for many summers, worked on many committees with the Junior Woman's club, tutored for Literacy Volunteers, and as a girl scout leader, was the top "cookie mom" for two years!

She returned to teaching full-time, where she initiated a Community Service program and Community Reading Day event and served on the Arts Council. After her retirement in 2019. Kathie continued to volunteer both in Ashby for the Cultural Council and here in Wellfleet, helping Martha Gordon with music for the summer story hours. She has worked for the Provincetown and Nauset schools as a reading tutor for their ESY program and presently is a substitute teacher for the Nauset and Truro schools.

Janet Lesniak has spent the last 30+ years at the intersection of healing and wellness through creativity and community engagement. She began her career as an Occupational Therapist in mental health and chemical dependency treatment settings, using the creative arts as tools for healing. In the early 1980’s, she was a member of the team that created a unique partial-hospitalization model that became the standard of treatment nationwide and continues today.

In 1988, Janet joined her family in purchasing the Big Sur River Inn, an historic inn and restaurant on California’s famed Big Sur coastline and managed the family business for over 20 years. Janet served on the boards and leadership teams of the Big Sur International Marathon, the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau and was a co-founder of the Big Sur Jazz Festival.

Janet moved to Cape Cod in 2009 and became involved with Wellfleet Preservation Hall as a volunteer. When the doors opened in May 2011 she was named the first Executive Director where she served until January of 2023. Embracing the vision of ‘arts, culture and community, the Hall is now a thriving hub of cultural life in the Outer Cape community.

Janet currently serves on the boards of The Local Journalism Project, Cape Wellness Collaborative, the Community Development Partnership. She is also a working artist represented by the Frying Pan Gallery in Wellfleet and Orleans.

Moira brings a broad expanse of business skills to the Wellfleet Cultural Council. While she’s been coming to Wellfleet for more than 25 years, she became a full-time resident in 2020 after her retirement. Prior to retiring, Moira held a variety of strategy, marketing, and product development roles for large financial services firms. Her work has centered on creating and managing the programs, tools, and services enabling individuals to be financially prepared for retirement. Moira brings deep expertise in customer research, business case development, profit/loss management, data analysis, customer experience design as well as a broad range of general business skills. An experienced public speaker and strategist, Moira has worked with academic, research, medical, and cultural non-profit sectors employers among others to assess and address the needs of their employees. Prior to her work in financial services, Moira held sales and marketing positions in the publishing and technology sectors. Having retired, she’s now enjoying time for varied fiber interests – improvisational quilting, knitting and sewing particularly. Moira is pleased to continue her lifelong enjoyment of the Arts by supporting the talent of Wellfleet and outer cape through the work of the Cultural Council.

Moira grew up in rural New York state and holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College.

Kevin comes to the Cultural Council from nearly 40 years as an award-winning professional actor, singer, and teacher. Starting his career as a singing waiter at Dennis’ long-defunct Golden Anchor, his major credits include the Broadway touring companies of WICKED, BRIGHT STAR, and CITY OF ANGELS, as well as over 100 professional productions at some of our nation’s very best regional theatres including the Ahmanson, Fords, Pioneer, Paper Mill Playhouse, ACT, South Coast Repertory and Boston’s Charles Playhouse. He was recently featured in A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE at Cape Rep in Brewster.

He holds a BFA from the Boston Conservatory and has extensive experience in non-profit management, marketing, grant proposal writing, and grant management.

A Massachusetts native, Kevin is happy to be settled in Wellfleet and helping to assist in the important work of the Cultural Council. He currently manages the Council’s social media, press relations, and website.

Throughout her career, Vicki Solomon has worked in the arts and in education. She was a dancer and a dance teacher for 35 years. She is co-founder of the intergenerational and diverse Back Porch Dance Company, for which she choreographed and produced performances over 12 years. In 2002, she earned a Master's in Library Science and became a children’s and teen’s librarian in the Cambridge Public Library. Two years ago, she retired as a school librarian from the Shady Hill School. She now divides her time between Cambridge and Wellfleet. She is delighted to participate in Wellfleet’s artistic and cultural communities and to serve on the Wellfleet Cultural Council.

Treasurer Advisor

Fran joined the Council in 2022 as its Treasurer and now serves as a non-voting Treasurer Advisor to the Council. He is a CPA and an experienced financial executive. Over his career, he has held senior finance and operational roles at a number of well-known firms. In addition, Fran has been involved with a number of non-profits, most recently an emergency food and social services agency serving residents of the Bronx, New York.

Fran has been a long-term visitor to Wellfleet and purchased a home here several years ago. He and his wife Anne moved from Manhattan permanently in 2020, just in time for the pandemic. While they will miss the easy availability of Broadway shows, they are looking forward to taking advantage of the many local cultural opportunities.