Catherine Delorme
— President
Catherine moved to Rhode Island after retiring. She was college professor, program director, and physical therapist. She discovered the rich history in her new state after stumbling on to Smith’s Castle shortly after the move. After spending her career involved in science, history was a wonderful discovery for her. She found a generous and warm community of people at Smith’s Castle and trained as a docent which she has loved doing. She was asked to join the board of trustees and progressed throough the ranks as secretary of the board, vice president and is now in the second year as president. She has 3 children and 8 grandchildren and particulary enjoys spending time with them.
Robert Rouse
— Vice President
Vietnam Era Veteran. A retired attorney following a 40-year career serving as a Corporate Counsel in Illinois, Georgia, and Rhode Island. Specialized in finance, insurance, and employment law. Married with three children and three grandchildren. Spends time with family and friends, traveling, reading, and avidly following many sports. Pursues and engages in several volunteer activities with an emphasis on veteran matters. Has served since 2014 with Smiths Castle as a Docent and in several administrative capacities.
Amy Jenner
— Treasurer
Amy is a former senior operations executive at Pfizer with more than 30 years of leadership experience. She previously served as a minority selectman in Weston, Connecticut and is now active in Rhode Island civic and preservation efforts, including service on the Historic District Commission, Board of Assessment Appeals, and the Wickford Advisory Committee. She is also a trustee of Norfield Congregational Church and a board member of HistWick. At Smith’s Castle, she is committed to strengthening the organization’s long-term sustainability while expanding its impact as a cultural and educational resource.
Denise Boule
— Executive Committee, Trustee, Collections Committee Chair
Retired Educator from Public and Higher Education. With a love of history, she began volunteering at Smith’s Castle in 2014. Serving as President of the Cocumscussoc Association 2016-2018, she currently serves as co-chair of the Collections Committee and serves on the Education Committee.
James Murphy
— Executive Committee, Trustee
Jim Murphy is a retired civil litigation attorney and Navy JAG officer. He and his wife Susan, a retired librarian and teacher, live in Wickford, where they raised their 6 children. Jim and Susan share a love of history, travel, and literature. Jim's particular interest is the intersectional role of Smith's Castle and Cocumscussoc in the history of the indigenous Narragansett, the early English settlers, and their successive generations.
Ann Casey
— Executive Committee, Trustee
Ann is a born and raised Rhode Islander. She earned a B.A. in English from URI and a M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from RIC. She worked for the Warwick School Department for 40 years as an Elementary teacher and Instructional leader. She was a member and officer of several professional organizations, district and state committees, union leadership committees, and local Chamber of Commerce Educators committee. She has been a Master Gardener since 2004 and has volunteered and is the leader of several different projects, including Smith’s Castle Historic Gardens. She is also a member of an RI painting Workshop Group
Mark Burnham
— Executive Committee, Trustee, Docent Representative
Artist and Retired Rhode Island attorney. Mark is currently a docent and Trustee at Smith’s Castle in Wickford, RI. About 8 years ago he began giving tour guides as a retirement activity, along with watercolor painting. First at the Stephen Hopkins House in Providence, RI. Then the 300 Years of College Hill and the International Slave Trade Walking Tour on College Hill in Providence, RI. And now, on Smith’s Castle property in Wickford, RI. At all three places his understanding of US History has been stood on its head. The bare bones, whitewashed American history he had grown up with has slowly been supplemented by a greater understanding of what was really going on. He remains convinced this country will never live up to its promise until it is brave enough to learn and accept its actual history - and then, be brave enough to make the needed changes in our society to honor that history and all those who experienced it.
Robert Geake
— Trustee, Chair Education Committee, Chair Education Center Committee
Robert A. Geake is a public historian and the author of seventeen books on Rhode Island and New England history. Mr. Geake served three terms as Vice-President and two as President of The Cocumscussoc Association, and continues to serve as a Trustee, as well as the Chair of the Association’s Education Committee. While chair of that committee, adult educational programs began and were expanded to include the seminars “Roger Was Here” in 2019, which brought scholars on Roger Williams together to discuss his life and legacy, and “Anchored in Rhode Island: The Slave Trade and Reckoning with Our Past”, held in 2023.
As a public historian, Mr. Geake is a contributor to the blogs smallstatebighistory.com, rifootprints.com, and most recently, The Cocumscussoc Review on smithscastle.org. His essay on Rhode Island and The American Revolution is among those contributed to EnCompass, online tutorials for the Rhode Island Historical Society and the Rhode Island Department of Education.
Michelle Girasole
— Trustee, Publicity Committee
Michelle brings three decades of digital marketing experience to the Castle. She serves on the publicity committee as well as running her North Kingstown-based technology company, Fresh Adventures. Working with local historians, Michelle is innovating the way historical education is experienced, through a series of mobile-app driven history-themed scavenger hunts. In 2023, Michelle built a video-based self-guided walking tour on Smith's Castle grounds. Learn more on www.MyFreshAdventures.com.
Jason Roomes
— Trustee
Jason Roomes of the Rome, Roome, Roomes family of slaves from Rome point in North Kingstown R.I. He is a direct descendant of a 1st Rhode Island Soldier, a local Militia Soldier, and a Seaman who all fought in the Revolutionary War. Jason is a reenactor. He portrays his ancestors in the local Militia, Continental Army, and Navy during the Revolutionary War era.
Jen Sullentrop
— Trustee
Jen Suellentrop has lived in East Greenwich, Rhode Island for the last ten+ years. As Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel to Fidelity Investments, Jen has managed legal teams and been the lead lawyer for several areas within Fidelity, including intermediary distribution and institutional asset management. Previous to Jen’s experience at Fidelity, she was in private practice in Washington, DC at Shearman and Sterling after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law with honors. Jen received her Bachelor’s Degree from Tulane University majoring in history and political economy with a minor in Spanish. Between college and law school, Jen taught third grade bilingual (Spanish) students in Plano, Texas. Building upon her professional experiences and her longstanding interest in history, Jen is a trustee with Preserve RI, Rhode Island’s statewide advocate for historic places, and is the former Vice President and was a director of the East Greenwich Historic Preservation Society. She completed her term with the Rhode Island Land Trust Council as a trustee after a stint at the East Greenwich Municipal Land Trust.
John McNiff
— Trustee, Safety Committee
John McNiff is a Rhode Island–based historian, archaeologist, storyteller, and performer who brings the world of 17th-century New England vividly to life. A retired National Park Service ranger and lifelong reenactor, he combines decades of fieldwork across New England, England, and Mexico with a background in theater and film to interpret the past with rare immediacy. Specializing in Roger Williams and early colonial history, McNiff focuses on the lived experiences of ordinary people navigating extraordinary change, blending scholarship, grit, and performance to reveal the shared humanity at the heart of history.
Donna Correira
— Trustee
Married for 51 years with two wonderful daughters and six grandchildren (and one soon to be great-grandchild). She held the position of Administrative Assistant and Office Manager for the East Greenwich Public Schools and Special Education Department for 22 years. Her path to historic homes began as a docent at the Nathanael Greene Homestead (Spell Hall) in Coventry, RI. She was encouraged to pursue her Patriot’s ancestry through the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her Patriot is Henry Greene. She has held the office of Chaplin, Assistant Treasurer, and Chapter Historian in the Phebe Greene Ward Chapter in Westerly, RI. And recently co-chaired their 125th anniversary celebration. She was a docent at Varnum House in East Greenwich and is a member of the Varnum Continentals. After visiting Smith’s Castle she basically found her place and says Smith’s Castle intrigues her, not only because of the most welcoming people that are there, but the incredible beauty and history of the property, along with the learning and educational experiences that can be found at this site.