FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2023
The House of the Seven Gables Welcomes Four New Trustees
The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association is proud to welcome four new members to its esteemed board of trustees: Diann Baylis, Chris Hale, Cheri Grishin and Alison McCarthy. The new trustees bring a wealth of expertise and diverse backgrounds, further strengthening The Gables’ mission of being a welcoming, thriving historic site and community resource that engages people of all backgrounds.
Diann Baylis is an immigration attorney who works with immigrants across Massachusetts. Baylis hopes to help continue The Gables’ legacy as an essential port of North Shore immigrant assistance with ESL classes, citizenship classes, computer training and more. Community participation, as The Gables provides, is essential in giving immigrants the opportunity to feel safe and secure in a welcoming environment. Baylis looks forward to celebrating the results of these services yearly at The Gables’ Naturalization Ceremony.
Chris Hale recently retired after more than 40 years as a financial services industry professional with a successful record of planning, designing and executing system conversions, product integrations and new client implementations at Boston-based companies. Companies Hale has worked with include Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company, Investors Bank and Trust, Fidelity and State Street. Hale also provides volunteer services at the Greater Boston Food Bank and Community Servings, and has served as treasurer for the New England Watercolor Society for five years.
Cheri Grishin is the director of operations at Essex National Heritage Commission, which manages the federally designated Essex National Heritage Area. Grishin grew up immersed in Salem’s history. She lived at the Peirce-Nichols House as a young child, spent time in costume at Pioneer Village in the ‘80s and worked as a tour guide at The House of the Seven Gables as a teenager. Grishin holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in museum education/middle school history from Gordon College. In addition to her position as a board member at The Gables, Grishin is on the board of Historic Salem Inc.
Alison McCarthy has over 25 years of marketing experience, with integral leadership roles at several Boston-area advertising and marketing agencies. She has helped build the brands and business for a wide range of companies, including travel and tourism, nonprofit, financial services, healthcare, retail and more. She is now vice president, director of advertising at Salem Five Bank. McCarthy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, art history from Dickinson College and believes strongly in the importance of art and historic preservation. As a new board member, she is excited to bring her skills and interests to bear for the benefit of such an iconic and important landmark — aiding the good work that The Gables continues to do.
About The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association
The mission of The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association is to be a welcoming, thriving, historic site and community resource that engages people of all backgrounds in our inclusive American story. For more information visit www.7gables.org