SALEM — Earlier this year, the House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association welcomed four new members to its 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.
Chris Hale recently retired after more than 40 years as a financial services industry professional with a record of planning, designing and executing system conversions, product integrations and new client implementations at Boston-based companies. Companies he worked with include Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Co., Investors Bank and Trust, Fidelity and State Street. Hale also volunteers 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 1980s 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 more than 25 years of marketing experience, with 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, health care, retail and more.
McCarthy is now vice president, director of advertising at Salem Five Bank, 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.