BOARD
Meet the Team
Marc W. Bono
President |
Bob Munger
Treasurer |
Deb Nugent
Secretary |
Richard D'Abate
Board Member |
Sally Evans
Board Member |
Francine Kontos
Board Member |
Steve Lydenberg
Board Member |
Jill Nooney
Board Member |
Ann Tarlton
Board Member |
Wendy Tauber
Board Member |
Leadership
John Forti
Executive Director |
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John FortiJohn Forti is a nationally recognized lecturer, garden historian, ethnobotanist and garden writer. He comes to us from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the oldest horticultural society in the nation, where he was the Director of Horticulture. Before taking on this new position, he was the Curator/Director of Historic Landscapes at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH. He previously served as the Director of Horticulture at Plimoth Plantation Museum where the gardens and seed program he created brought international attention to the preservation of Pilgrim and Wampanoag heirloom crops.
John co-founded and served as the board chair for Slow Food Seacoast. He serves on the bio-diversity committee for Slow Food USA and is a governor for Slow Food in New England. He also served as chair of the board for the Herb Society of America’s New England Unit, and won the 2014 Award for Excellence in Horticulture from the national office. He was also recently granted the award for “Civic Improvement through Gardens” from the Garden Club of America. Thousands on Facebook follow his posts where he blogs as The Heirloom Gardener - John Forti. |
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Wendy TauberWendy Tauber joined the board in May of 2023, after years of exposure as a volunteer (including her kids in it) and docent.
From Alabama, she works as a real estate agent. She is active in the Scouts. She lives in Portsmouth with her two children. |
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Ann TarltonAnn Tarlton received her BA in Art History from Barnard College, after which she married, and had two children. Needing to escape the noise of her household. Ann found peace and stillness in her gardens, a passion which she acquired from her time living in Cuba. It was there that, as a child, she discovered the magic of tropical colors and shapes.
This passion has followed Ann throughout her life, leading her to become involved in several garden clubs, ownership of two flower stores, time spent on two Tree Commissions, working for Strawbery Banke and creating and presenting numerous programs and workshops on flower arranging, basket making, wreath designs etc.. But it wasn’t until Ann visited Bedrock Gardens several years ago that she knew that she had come home! The combined creativity of beauty, variety and art in the various beds, borders and walks through the different garden areas felt like the perfect combination of head, heart and soul. |
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Jill NooneyJill Nooney is co-founder of Bedrock Gardens. She has had a lifelong interest in psychology, plants and art.
She holds degrees from Bennington College, Smith College School for Social Work and the Radcliffe Seminars Program in Landscape Design. She has made art her entire life and many of her welded steel sculptures occur in the garden. She has been on FBG's board since it was founded in 2010. |
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Steve LydenbergSteve Lydenberg graduated from Columbia College and has an MFA in Theater Arts from Cornell. For the last four decades, he has worked in socially responsible investment for Domini Social Investments, KLD Research & Analytics and the Council on Economic Priorities and authored books and articles on the topic.
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Francine KontosFrancine Kontos is a graduate of Daemen College in Amherst, NY with a degree in Art Education. She has been an art educator for 31 years, teaching in both public and private schools.
Francine has had numerous showings of her own personal work, spotlighting a variety of works involving mediums including, but not limited to, fibers, clay and photography. In 2014 she was awarded the S’Park Media Mentor Award from Ithaca College, a national award recognizing high school teachers and advisors who are committed to igniting a passion for media in their students. Francine is also a musician, having performed at Carnegie Hall with the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra, and a world traveler. She has been on the board of FBG since its inception, and served as president from 2013 to 2018. She lives in Dover, NH, with her husband Ted, an engineer who has been involved visual and musical arts. |
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Sally EvansSally Evans is a CPA with a master’s degree in accounting. She has worked in public accounting and various private industries; focused on property management, real estate development and construction, but also owed a gift shop for several years.
She has been on boards of the Derry Boys & Girls Club, SPCA in Stratham & Child Advocacy Center in Portsmouth. Her personal and professional lives identify with the artistry and symmetry of Bedrock Gardens – analytical skills required for accounting with the creative passions she uses for quilting and fabric art projects. When not enjoying and relaxing at Bedrock Gardens she likes to bike, ski, snowshoe and kayak in the Bellamy River behind her house and other seacoast locations. |
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Richard D'AbateRichard D’Abate is a graduate of Columbia College and Cornell University. As executive director of the Maine Historical Society (Portland, 1996-2012), he oversaw organizational growth, digital innovation, and capital improvements, including new construction, historic restoration, and landscape rehabilitation.
As associate director of the Maine Humanities Council (1984-1995) he oversaw statewide educational initiatives, including conferences, exhibitions, publications, films, and school programming. Richard is a publishing poet and the author of a number of scholarly essays on New England history. He lives in Wells, Maine, with his wife Bonnie, a visual artist. |
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Deb Nugent
Deb Nugent is a member of the board and the volunteer coordinator for Bedrock Gardens.
She graduated from high school in the Philippines, is a UNH graduate and earned her Master’s degree in adult education from the University of Phoenix. Deb recently resigned as an Instructional Design consultant for Fidelity Investments, and now works at Wentworth Greenhouses in Rollinsford, NH. Deb has years of experience working with volunteers. She is the former president of the New Hampshire chapter of the Associate for Talent Development (ATD), a volunteer organization that provides programs for training professionals. In her spare time, Deb is an avid gardener, knitter and loves to travel around the world. |
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Bob MungerBob Munger is a retired physician, and co-founder of Bedrock Gardens.
He grew up in Virginia, but schooled in the north. He practiced primary care for 30 years in Exeter NH, specializing in Internal Medicine, Family Practice, and Geriatrics, retiring in 2006. Since then he has worked on Bedrock Gardens, primarily as the project manager for his wife. He lives with his wife, Jill Nooney, in Lee NH, in Bedrock Gardens, where he has lived for over 30 years. He has been on FBG’s board since it was founded in 2010, and currently serves as its treasurer. |
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Marc W. BonoMarc W. Bono is a retired telecommunications and public safety executive with experience in business development, fundraising, strategic planning, and quality assurance. He has had over 38 years in various community activities, and maintains membership and support for many New Hampshire non-profit organizations.
A resident of Stratham, Marc and his wife moved to New Hampshire in 2012. Marc W. Bono is currently President of the Friends of Bedrock Gardens. He can be reached at: [email protected] |