Staff and Volunteers
Executive Director
Lisa Simpson Lutts
director@castinehistoricalsociety.org
Lisa Simpson Lutts came to the Castine Historical Society in November, 2017 as the Executive Director. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art History from the University of Tennessee and a Master’s Degree in Art History and Museum Studies from George Washington University. She has over 30 years experience working in museums including historic house museums, art museums, and general history museums. Most recently, she was director of the New Hampshire Boat Museum (Wolfeboro, NH). Prior to that she was director of the Museum Center at Five Points (Cleveland, TN) and the Director of External Affairs at Fort Ticonderoga (Ticonderoga, NY).
Collections Manager
Jules Thomson
collections@castinehistoricalsociety.org
Jules came onboard with the Castine Historical Society in February, 2022 as the Collections Manager. She holds advanced degrees in Mediaeval History and Archeology from the Universities of St Andrews and Oxford, UK, and a MLIS from Simmons University in Boston. In 2013 she completed a traineeship in digitization and digital archives with the National Archives UK, and went on to work for 4 years as Digital Access Officer with The Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland. Back in the U.S., she worked from 2017-2022 with the Congregational Library & Archives in Boston, first in a CLIR grant-funded role publishing collections for the “New England’s Hidden Histories” digital humanities project, and later as the Library’s Associate Archivist. She is honored to be able to steward the history of Castine and facilitate access to the collections.
Office Manager
Mary Caron Durost
admin@castinehistoricalsociety.org
Mary joined the staff in March 2022. From 2004-2022, Mary was the manager of the Castine Inn, greeting and assisting hundreds of visitors to our town. Prior to this position, she was a teacher at George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill.
Exhibits Coordinator
Blair Taylor
exhibits@castinehistoricalsociety.org
Blair Taylor joined CHS staff in March 2023 as Exhibits Coordinator. After growing up between Boston, MA and Blue Hill, ME, Taylor graduated from Stanford University in 2001 with a BA in Studio Art, and soon embarked on a career as an art dealer and curator in the New York art world. She worked at both large blue chip art galleries showing top tier contemporary artists as well as smaller, younger galleries representing emerging artists. After many years on sales floors and in art fair booths, Taylor shifted to working directly with artists studios and estates, functioning as a consultant, researcher, and in-house writer. From 2017 to 2021, Taylor ran a much-acclaimed handblown glassware ecommerce business, Asp & Hand, out of Washington State. Throughout all of these stages, Taylor has also maintained projects as an independent writer and curator. As of summer 2022, she lives in Blue Hill with her two daughters and a pair of cats. Taylor is delighted to help bring thoughtful and engaging exhibits to the CHS audience.
Docent Coordinator
Dabney McKenzie
info@castinehistoricalsociety.org
Dabney Hunter McKenzie earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Auburn University in 2003. Prior to joining the faculty at Troy University, she taught Gifted Education in Montgomery (Alabama) Public Schools for twelve years. In early 2020, she retired from her administrative responsibilities at Troy, but still teaches the graduate Capstone course for education majors. Dabney has always enjoyed serving others and has found that her time as a docent and walking tour guide with the Castine Historical Society has enriched her local experience by broadening her knowledge of the town and the people who call it home.
Walking Tour Guide Coordinator
Laurie Butler
info@castinehistoricalsociety.org
