About Us

Board of Directors

President
Ronald Zweig · ronaldzweig@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
Mr. Zweig, an aquaculture, coastal zone planning, biodiversity conservation and aquatic environment management specialist, has experience in the northeast USA and East, South and Southeast Asia and recently retired from, though continues to consult for, the World Bank and others.   

Treasurer
CDR Ronald Smolowitz · ronaldsmolowitz@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
CDR. Smolowitz, a marine engineer and retired NOAA Corps officer, has been conducting fisheries research and fishing gear development for almost 40 years. His specialties include exploratory fishing surveys, reducing bycatch in fishing gear, and studying the behavior of species interacting with fishing gear. Mr. Smolowitz is currently the President of Coonamessett Farm, Inc, a 20-acre farm in Falmouth raising livestock and growing vegetable crops.  

Clerk
Kristin Abbott · kristinabbott@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
Mrs. Abbott is a member of the Falmouth Community and has expertise in financial systems and management.   

Directors

Thomas Azarovitz · thomasazarovitz@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
Mr. Azarovitz is a retired fishery biologist. During his 37 year career with the National Marine Fisheries Service he directed, developed and participated in ecosystem and fishery surveys utilizing traditional finfish and shellfish fishing gear, plankton samplers, acoustic instrumentation and remote sensing from aircraft and satellites.

Frank Carotenuto · frankcartenuto@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
Mr. Carotenuto serves as the Cape Cod Regional Manager for the Beaumont Solar Company. Previously, Frank was a fundraising professional for more than twenty five years, including positions at the University of Chicago, Clark University, and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. In 1976, he interviewed Ernst Schumacher, author of Small is Beautiful, and became convinced that local goods are key to an environmentally sound and sustainable existence.  

Chip Chandler · chipchandler@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
Mr. Chandler is a member of the Falmouth community and technician working in biotechnology.  

Kenneth Doherty · kennethdoherty@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
Mr. Doherty, a civil engineer and a member of the Falmouth Community, retired from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution after a long and distinguished research career.   

Daniel Gould · danielgould@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
Mr. Gould is a former marine contractor and currently a Falmouth High School educator and a Falmouth Assistant Harbor Master.

Jess Holderbaum · jessholderbaum@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
Mr. Holderbaum is a member of the Falmouth community and is a computer networking expert.  

Lori Lieberman · lorilieberman@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
Mrs. Lieberman, an educator and a member of the Falmouth Community, has developed and runs innovative and very successful on-farm education courses through Coonamessett Farm and Cape Cod Children's Museum. 

Christine O'Connor · christineoconnor@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
Ms. O’Connor is a Certified Public Accountant with a Masters in Taxation. She has worked public accounting for 14 years and is currently employed as Tax Manager for D.J. Gustafson CPAs, Weymouth, MA.  She is a member of the American Institute for Certified Public Accountants and Mass. Society of CPA’s.   

Christina Rawley · christinarawley@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
Ms. Rawley is a Falmouth resident with a long experience in community development, environmental activism, women's rights, and girls' education that has been carried out locally as well as in Asia, Africa Central America and Eastern Europe. Most recently she is co-founder of the Falmouth Climate Action Team.  

Roxanna Smolowitz, DVM · roxannasmolowitz@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
Dr. Smolowitz has specialized in aquatic animals medicine. She currently directs a diagnostic laboratory at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI where she is also an assistant professor. She has participated in and conducted several research projects concerning diseases of cultured bivalves and other aquatic animal during her career.

Coonamessett Farm Foundation Staff

Kathryn Goetting, Supervisory Research Biologist · kathryngoetting@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
Kat began working for the Foundation in May 2011, initially concentrating on the Yellowtail Flounder Bycatch survey. Originally from Tulsa, OK, Kat moved to the East coast to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. She lived in Zambia and Ghana, where she worked on large and small scale aquaculture projects. Upon returning to the US, Kat switched her focus towards commercial fisheries while working as a Fisheries Observer. She holds a Master of Science in Environmental Science and a Masters of Marine Studies in Fisheries Resource Management from Memorial University of Newfoundland, researching the recovery and sustainability of the Newfoundland redfish fishery.

Dan Ward, Marine Biologist · danward@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
Mr. Ward specializes in aquaculture and fisheries research, with an emphasis on commercially important species. He holds a masters degree in zoology from the University of New Hampshire, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Environmental Science and Biology at the University of Rhode Island, focusing on summer flounder nutrition and immunology as it relates to alternative protein sources for aquaculture feeds. Dan has worked as a commercial lobsterman, contracts with NOAA as a fisheries observer, and is also currently farming oysters on a 2.6 acre farm in North Falmouth, MA.

Farrell Davis, Assistant Research Biologist · farrelldavis@coonamessettfarmfoundation.org
The newest employee for the Foundation, Farrell graduated from the University of Rhode Island in May of 2011, receiving a degree in Aquaculture and Fisheries Technology. Before working for the Foundation in September of 2011, he worked as an intern for the NEFSC Ecosystem Survey Branch taking part in the scallop, Gulf of Maine shrimp, and ocean quahog/ surf clam surveys. His career in commercial fisheries began at sixteen where he worked on small fishing vessels out of Chatham, MA during the summer between school years and he has never stopped enjoying fishing since.


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