Our People
​Board of Directors
Catherine Haley, President
Catherine is a Vinalhaven native, having moved away briefly to attend college in Vermont after graduating high school here in 2011. After returning home, Catherine began working at Camden National Bank as a Relationship Banker, serving as the main point of contact for the community's banking needs. She is currently a stay-at-home mom raising her own family.
Catherine believes in the future of the Vinalhaven community, and wants to contribute to its sustainability and the longevity of the island. As one of the original founders of VHCDP, Catherine is serving now as the president of the VHCDP Board of Directors. She also serves on various other committees and boards throughout the town.
Donna Cordner, Treasurer
Donna has been a seasonal resident of Vinalhaven since 2011, and has a home on Crockett’s Cove where she enjoys hiking, boating, kayaking and exploring all the nooks and crannies the island has to offer. When not on Vinalhaven, Donna and her husband Brent live in Philadelphia. Donna is the Founder and Managing Partner of OKM Capital, a venture firm focused on early-stage start-ups. She is also a Managing Partner at Robin Hood Ventures, the premier angel investing group in Philadelphia. In that capacity Donna works with local entrepreneurs helping them raise capital, providing business advice and serving on boards to guide companies to successful outcomes. Donna also has spent time living overseas including Stockholm, Amsterdam, Moscow, Santiago, and the bush in Uganda where she ran the largest rural microfinance group and helped local entrepreneurs launch companies and raise capital.
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Donna is passionate about small businesses and helping new entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life and is looking forward to helping VHCDP become a force for the local economy on Vinalhaven.
George Kendrick, Secretary
A Maine resident for nearly 40 years and a seasonal resident of Vinalhaven since the early 1990s, George moved to the island full-time in 2015 following long careers in geology, land use planning, business management, and energy consulting. With experience across North America and western Europe working at both small and large companies, George’s expertise includes business development, regulatory advising, and community planning.
A professional geologist by training, George enjoys hiking Vinalhaven’s trails and exploring the complex geology all across the Fox Islands. In addition to leading geology programs for the Vinalhaven Land Trust and the Vinalhaven School, George has served on several town committees and boards, and is currently the president of the Fox Islands Wind board of directors. As one of the original founders of VHCDP, George is committed to helping the Vinalhaven community maintain its heritage, way of life, and economic vitality.
Alex Young
Alex is a Vinalhaven native passionate about preserving and sharing the island’s unique beauty and community spirit. She received a bachelor’s in social work from the University of Maine at Orono and an MSW from Simmons University. In 2019, Alex returned to Vinalhaven to raise her family, and she now works as an associate broker at a local real estate office. This role has enriched her understanding of the island’s history and allowed her to strengthen her connections with fellow islanders and help newcomers discover the island's charm.
Alex enjoys traveling, cooking, hiking the island’s nature trails, spending time on the water, and making beach memories with her kids. She is dedicated to supporting the community, preserving the island’s heritage, and sharing everything that makes Vinalhaven a special place to call home.
​Board of Advisors
Carey Cameron
Carey Cameron, originally from California, has been visiting Vinalhaven since the 1960s. She and her husband, Giovanni Ferrero, purchased a former dairy farm on the island in 1991, which has become a farm again.
As one of the original advisors who helped guide the creation of VHCDP, Carey is especially interested in encouraging local agriculture, and in helping to show the immense bounty of Vinalhaven, not only of beauty, but of all the wonderful foods the island can produce.
Emily Lane
Emily Lane, a longtime resident of Vinalhaven since 1971, has been involved in processing, logistics, education and marketing of Maine seafood for over 35 years. Her career spans five companies: managing facilities, developing new seafood products, expanding markets domestically and internationally, coordinating logistics and developing marketing programs and tools for international customers. Emily has held positions of leadership with a number of municipal, State and Federal boards and councils. She is Co-Chair of the Maine Seafood Promotional Council and Co-Chair of the Star of Hope Foundation Board of Directors. Emily is currently the Seafood and Aquaculture Specialist for the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, assisting Maine seafood and aquaculture businesses to ramp up production and increase distribution regionally, nationally and internationally.
David Lawrence
David has been a seasonal resident of Vinalhaven for over 30 years. Now retired from a 40 year career in commercial real estate development, David spends as much time as possible on Vinalhaven in all seasons of the year. David was a Director of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland for eight years during which he was exposed to many challenges - and solutions - relating to ocean science, middle school science education in Maine, the Blue Economy and the need for sustainability for coastal communities. David has served as a trustee of two independent schools, one in New York City and one in Massachusetts. When not on Vinalhaven, David lives in Boston and is active as a trustee of several nonprofit organizations. David cares deeply about the future of the Vinalhaven community and is pleased to be serving as an Advisor to VHCDP.