Committee Members

The Board of Selectmen and Planning Board have empowered an eleven-member Master Plan Committee. As Project Manager, Town Planner Sue Brown provides technical assistance and staff support.

  • Susan Beckmann, Co-chair, 

    is a member of the Manchester Board of Selectmen and served on the Manchester Essex Regional School Committee for nine years, six of those years as chairman. Susan brings more than 25 years of business experience in the private and public sectors. She knows how to build a strategy, grow businesses profitably, and guide leadership teams. Susan has consulted in areas of business operations, executive coaching, instructional design/delivery, and organizational assessment. 

  • Susan Baker Leavitt 

     works on exhibition projects for the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Studies, Harvard University, and collections managment projects at Historic New England.  She has an MBA and Masters in Museum Studies and has experience working in both the public and private sectors.  Susan is a past president of the Manchester Mothers Club, co-chair of the Spaulding Trust (now Spaulding Education Fund) and the Masconomo Park Committee.

  • Lisa 

    Bonneville

    is a certified interior designer and founded Bonneville Design in 1981. Her passion is creating lifelong living environments for people of all ages and abilities, applying the standards of Universal Design and accessibility. A member of the Manchester ADA Advisory Committee since 1995, her work has created a more accessible town for all residents. She delivered Meals on Wheels in Manchester for 18 years, and designed the interior and added a ramp to the Manchester Community Center. She has held local and national leadership positions for a number of organizations and has been recognized in various ways for her contributions to design and community.

  • Jay Bothwick

     is a partner at Wilmerhale and his practice is focused on mergers and acquisitions. Jay has significant experience in venture capital and corporate finance transactions. He has advised public and private companies, both domestically and overseas, in mergers and acquisitions, tender and exchange offers, proxy contests, and public and private offerings. Jay has also served as member and chairman of the Manchester Finance Committee, as well as member of the MESD Steering Committee, Superintendent Search Committee, Town Administrator Search Committee and HORN.

  • Sarah Hammond Creighton

     chaired the Manchester Essex School Building Committee that oversaw the construction of the regional middle/high school. She has served on the School Committee, the Manchester and Newbury Planning Boards, and the Manchester Downtown Improvement Committee. In her professional life she is the Director of Sustainability at Endicott College and has more than twenty years of experience in campus sustainability, climate change action, green buildings, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.

  • Josh Crosby

     is a World Champion rower, ultra-endurance athlete and competitor in the Ironman and Adventure Racing World Championships. As a third generation rower, his passion for rowing led to the co-creation of fitness programs Indo-Row and ShockWave, both of which bring the benefits of rowing to fitness enthusiasts across the world through group exercise classes. In addition to his love of sport, he is passionate about the outdoors and his community. Josh was born and raised in Manchester and now, as father of two young girls, he is happy to have returned from the West Coast to raise his family here.

  • Gary Gilbert

     has a Masters in Architecture, a degree in Urban Design and years of experience serving on public boards and committees in Manchester. He is currently a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals and previously served on the Planning Board, chairing the Board during the public hearings to review the regional middle/high school. Gary was the original chairman of the Community Preservation Committee and has authored a number of ballot initiatives.

  • Gary Russell, Co-Chair, 

     is a certified professional planner (AICP) and is currently self‐employed as an independent planning consultant with current projects ranging from facility and policy planning for a school in Cairo, Egypt to rural land use planning in Indiana, as well as urban and architectural design projects. His education and professional experience includes many years of experience in architectural design, five years of preservation planning and policy development for the City of Boston, as well as project management experience working with city governments and community organizations on city planning data collection and analysis.

  • Laura Winn

     has been a resident since 1996. She holds a BSBA in Finance and a Master of Architecture. Laura has been working with contractors and homeowners on residential design in Manchester and the North Shore since 1994. She has contributed to the town in a variety of ways, including designing the MERSD concession stand (pro bono) and being a board member and president of the Manchester Sailing Association.