Our Board of Directors

Board President
Leigh Townes

Leigh lives in Cotuit. She and her husband moved here a few years ago from Princeton, NJ where she worked for many years managing global clinical trial programs for the development of new medicines for cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Leigh graduated with a BSN from the University of Rochester, where she worked as a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit and later, in diagnostic cardiology. She earned her MBA from Temple University in Philadelphia. Now retired, she is active with a variety of groups that are focused on maintaining and improving the environment on Cape Cod, including Barnstable Association for Recreational Shellfishing, Barnstable Clean Water Coalition, Heritage Museum and Gardens and The Barnstable Land Trust.

Leigh became active with the BLT shortly after moving here, and has spent many hours working as a Land Steward. She has helped with a number of special projects at properties including Mill Pond Overlook, Jenkins Lane, Meadow Point and preparing the new BLT office for the installation of the parking lot. She is also starting to formulate property management plans. She and her husband have enjoyed many BLT walks and talks.

Board Treasurer
Robert Carey

Robert is an Assistant Vice President at The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod. As a Commercial Loan Officer, Rob provides business owners and investors tactical solutions for their lending needs. Rob held positions at Sun Life Financial, Ridgewood Securities and most recently as a Regional Vice President of Pioneer Investments residing in California. He holds an undergraduate degree and MBA from Bryant University in Rhode Island.

Having grown up on the sandflats of Sandy Neck, sailing on Lewis Bay and lifeguarding for the town of Barnstable, it was always a dream to work and live on the Cape full time. In 2013, after almost a decade in the financial services field, Rob decided to follow his childhood dream. He now resides in Sandwich, where he enjoys taking advantage of all that the Cape has to offer: fishing, sailing and swimming. Rob joined the BLT Board in 2016.

Robert Callahan was a Foreign Service officer for 32 years, ending his career as ambassador to Nicaragua from 2008-2011. In addition to other assignments in Latin America (Costa Rica, Honduras, and Bolivia) and Europe (London, Athens, and Rome), he served in Baghdad as the press attaché and embassy spokesman from 2004-2005. He also taught national security policy for two years at the National War College and spent three years as a diplomatic fellow at George Washington University, where he taught courses and lectured on foreign policy, public diplomacy, and international relations. He speaks Spanish, Italian, and Greek.

Since his retirement from the Foreign Service Bob has written articles on topics as varied as foreign affairs and education reform for the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Miami Herald, and Cape Cod Times, among others. He has also led training classes for American diplomats and other Federal government employees assigned abroad and addressed the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the U.S. government’s policy toward Nicaragua. Bob, who was born in Chicago, has a B.A. in modern European history from Loyola University and an M.A. in American history from DePaul University. Both are in Chicago. Before joining the State Department, he was an editor at Loyola University Press. Bob is married to the former Deborah Brown of Worcester, Massachusetts, and they have two adult sons and a granddaughter. Bob and his wife currently reside on Cape Cod.

Ben Canavan is a lifelong resident of Barnstable. He is an owner at Solar Rising LLC of Mashpe and a photovoltaic solar panel installer. He has worked for 15 years in renewable energy and installed thousands of residential and commercial solar installations on Cape Cod, the islands and South Eastern Massachusetts. A licensed Master Electrician by trade, Ben also holds numerous certifications in the solar industry.

Ben lives in Cotuit on his property, Fish Hawk Farm, with his wife, son, two dogs, and many chickens. They grow large vegetable gardens and specialize in berries. Ben is passionate about sustainability and enjoying the natural world around us. When he’s not working, or in the garden, he spends his time on the water or cooking the harvest.

Michael Cohen was born and raised in the Boston area and now lives in Cotuit and Boston. His professional career began in broadcasting serving as General Manager of a group of New England radio stations. Michael went on to join his wife Marci and build the largest independent media buying agency in New England with billings in excess of $150M. His expertise is in situational analysis, strategic planning and revenue generation to move organizations forward. Now retired, Michael is an active photographer and grandfather. He has served his communities volunteering with various arts organizations including ZUMIX of Boston, Featherstone Center for Arts on Martha’s Vineyard, the Teton Photography Group of Jackson Hole, WY and the Cahoon Museum of American Art. He also mentors young companies in the US and Canada including the Cape Cod chapter of Entrepreneurship-for-All.

Learn a bit more here.

Tobey Collins is the Head of Americas for Astris Finance, a boutique investment banking firm specialized in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure. Astris Finance has been recognized as the Financial Advisor of the Year in Latin America by the premier industry publication, IJ Global, for the past four years running. Tobey has spent much of her career working with Latin America including working overseas. She has a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.S.F.S. from Georgetown University. 

Although she lives full time in Washington DC, Tobey grew up in the Boston area and has spent summers in Centerville her whole life. She and her husband Marc have recently bought a house on Lake Wequaquet where they plan to spend more time with their two college-aged sons. Tobey has a strong interest in preserving Barnstable the way she remembers it as a child for future generations of residents and visitors.  

Dick Fairbanks was the President and Owner of Orleans Auto Supply, the leading independent auto parts supplier on Cape Cod for 30 years where he ran four locations and managed 75 employees. After selling his company, Dick launched Fairbanks Consulting to help business owners achieve measurable results. He is recognized for bringing a disciplined approach to addressing financial issues, fostering culture, and working effectively with business trade and non-profit partners.

Dick has served in board leadership roles for both the Auto Care Association (ACA) and the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA), where he served as Chairman . He was also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cape and Islands United Way and has served on the boards of other local nonprofit agencies on Cape Cod. Dick graduated from University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a B.A. in Economics and received his M.B.A. from Northeastern University. He lives in Centerville with his wife Michelle.

Joe Hawley has more than 40 years of local experience assisting individuals and business owners in meeting their financial goals. He has worked for the Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank as a Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor since 2005. Originally from Upstate New York, Joe holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Computer Science from the State University of New York at Oswego, where he graduated magna cum laude.

A Certified Financial Planner, Joe is a board member of the Estate Planning Council of Cape Cod and a corporator of Cape Cod Healthcare as well as Heritage Museums & Gardens. In addition to his many years of dedication to Barnstable Land Trust, Joe has been actively committed to numerous nonprofits over the course of his career. Joe and his wife have two children and live in Centerville.