Foundation Elects New Directors

Tara Gayle
Tara Gayle is a landscape designer with an emphasis in resilient ecological design. In addition to becoming a certified soil consultant, her education has taken her across the country and the world, studying permaculture design and regenerative agricultural systems. At the core of her philosophy is a mission to encourage people to look at their environments holistically, while incorporating elements of time-honored design and reinforcing our sacred relationship with the natural environment. She is a year round resident of Martha’s Vineyard.

Lizzie Horvitz
Lizzie has been coming to Martha’s Vineyard since before she could talk, and it continues to be her favorite place on the planet. When she’s on island, she tries to jump in the ocean every day, explore the walking trails and try every restaurant that serves breakfast. She is currently the founder and CEO of Green Lizard, a company that helps educate consumers on the environmental footprint of their purchases and incentivizes them to make better decisions. She has a BA from Middlebury College and an MBA and Master of Environmental Management from Yale. Lizzie is originally from Shaker Heights, Ohio and currently lives in New York City.

Aileen K. Roberts
Aileen Kennedy Roberts serves as Vice Chair of the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia where she chairs the building committee. She has served on the board of directors at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Franklin Institute, the Avenue of the Arts, the International House and the William Penn Charter School. She graduated from the Design School of North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Landscape Architecture. Prior to starting a family she was a banker with PNB, now Wells Fargo, in the investment management and trust divisions. Aileen enjoys summers in West Tisbury working on design projects, vegetable gardening, golf, and walking the trails on the Island.

Carla Taylor-Pla
Carla Taylor-Pla has been enjoying Martha’s Vineyard, where her family has a home in Chilmark, for the last 45 years. Carla started her career as a broadcast journalist in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Following that, she worked to improve educational opportunities for children as a policy advocate for high quality early childhood education in Washington, DC. In addition, Carla served on the leadership team that launched the educational programming brand, PBS KIDS, for Public Broadcasting Service. More recently, she worked for The Washington Post where she managed advertising promotions. Carla is currently Founder and Owner of Carla and Liv KIDS, which supports children and parents in the transition to preschool and kindergarten. She is a speaker on the subject and author of a book series, SCHOOL IS NEW TO ME: A Beginner’s Guide to Starting School, which includes bilingual (English-Spanish) versions. Carla holds a BA from Yale University, an M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University (Medill School of Journalism), and an MBA from American University.

Alec Walsh
Alec and Sally Walsh moved full time to the Vineyard in 2019, coincidental with his retirement from Harding Loevner, an asset management firm in New Jersey where he was a portfolio manager and a partner. The restorative power of the outdoors and hiking have been a constant in their lives and those of their three children, with Jockey Hollow National Historical Park in New Jersey, the AMC huts in the White Mountains and the trail system here on the island all being an important part of their daily routine. His formative years were spent on Chappaquiddick before buying a house, in 2010, in Chilmark between Quitsa Pond and Squibnocket Beach. Alec is also a trustee of the Permanent Endowment Fund of Martha’s Vineyard.

Chris Alley and Susannah Bristol
We are delighted to welcome Chris Alley and Susannah Bristol back to the Board. As per SMF Board rules, Chris and Susannah both took time off after serving 10-year terms. Their bios can be found online.