The Chestnut Hill Conservancy held its 2019 Annual Meeting on Sunday, Jan. 6, hosted by Springside Chestnut Hill Academy at their Wissahickon Inn. The meeting was very well attended, in spite of the conflict with the Eagles playoff game (a strict “cone-of-silence” rule was thankfully respected during the meeting for those who were taping the game to watch later).

Refreshments for the meeting were generously provided by Fresh Market.

After some business to amend and restate bylaws with some minor changes, conservancy membership unanimously voted to elect three new members to its board: Jean McCoubrey, Emilie Lapham and Larry Salva. Following the election, board members who left the Board in 2018 were thanked for their extraordinary service: Martha Agate, Eric Greenwood, Barbara Olson and Mary Sue Welsh.

Executive Director Lori Salganicoff described the work being done by the Conservancy in the last year, and some of what to expect in 2019. Board president Eileen Javers presented Salganicoff with a gift from the board to acknowledge the Conservancy finishing its most recent strategic plan, with almost all goals exceeded. Founding board member Shirley Hanson then presented five Preservation Recognition Awards for renovation projects and stewardship.

Look in next week’s Local and on the Conservancy’s website for more on those.

The Conservancy’s three newest board members all bring a passion for the Chestnut Hill area, long support and participation in conservancy and community work, and particularly important interests and expertise.

A native of New England, Jean McCoubrey arrived in Philadelphia in 1980 to pursue a Master of Architecture degree at Penn. She has worked as an architect for more than 30 years. In 1994, she and her husband, fellow architect Dan McCoubrey, and their children decamped from Spruce Hill to Chestnut Hill. As an associate at the local office of Runyan & Associates Architects, McCoubrey has worked on numerous renovations, additions and new construction within Chestnut Hill and beyond.

As a local volunteer, she has been a member of the Chestnut Hill Community Association’s Land Use Planning Zoning Committee for more than two decades, a founding board member of the Children’s Park at Jenks and the organizer of SPEC, a support group for parents of children with special needs. She also serves on the board of a land stewardship organization: the Buck Hill Conservation Foundation. Most recently, Jean and Dan co-chaired the Chestnut Hill Conservancy’s 2018 Hall of Fame Gala. Service on the Conservancy’s board will tap Jean’s enthusiasm for local history and the rich cultural landscape and architectural heritage of Chestnut Hill.

Emilie Lapham is a designer and has specialized in working with historic buildings and gardens. She is a graduate of University of the Arts and The Attingham Summer School in England.

Lapham is a member of the Wissahickon Garden Club, a judge and exhibitor for Garden Club of America in Floral Design and Photography and teaches workshops in Botanical Arts. She is also a vice chair of GCA Garden History and Design, which is part of the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens. For the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, Lapham is the auction objects photographer. She has served on the Building and Grounds Committee for Woodmere Art Museum for many years.

She is a longtime resident of the community and a past board member of the Conservancy, but most importantly, a preservationist. Lapham and her husband Peter live in Wyndmoor on an old estate that is a lifetime restoration project. She is committed to preserving history and building a future for architecture, environment, and quality of place.

Larry Salva moved to Chestnut Hill in July 2016 into a conserved property and immediately embraced the mission of the Conservancy. He and his wife, Rita, relocated here from Princeton, N.J. just months before his retirement from Comcast where he had served as the chief accounting officer and controller for nearly 18 years. Larry and Rita have assisted the Chestnut Hill Conservancy with the Preservation Celebration 50th Anniversary Gala A Go-Go, Perennial Fete and Architectural Hall of Fame Fundraising Galas. Salva serves on the Major Gifts and the Conservation and Easements committees of the Conservancy. Currently, Salva serves on and is the secretary of the Board of Trustees of Rowan University and chairs its Audit Committee.