Board Members

David Sargent is the owner of HOUSEWORKS, a renovation contracting company that he co-founded in 1985. A resident of Northford since 2001, both he and his wife Heidi enjoy the rural character and strong farming community that the town affords.

Serving as President of the NBLCT since 2011, David has helped to reorganize, steer and grow the organization, which now boasts more than 100 members. To help educate the public about NBLCT, David contributes to the NBLCT website and the Facebook page, writes articles, and speaks to local civic groups.

David actively reaches out to conservation groups in surrounding towns, meets with land owners and developers, enlists speakers for NBLCT events, participates in Connecticut Forest and Parks Association (CFPA) Trails Day and helps to develop trails and trail mapping not only for the NBLCT but also for the town of North Branford and for the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG).

David holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Skidmore College where he graduated with honors with a major in Sculpture and a minor in Psychology.  While at Skidmore, he spent his junior year studying architecture at the Institute of Architecture and Urban Studies in New York City. He continued his studies at the University of Pennsylvania where he received his MFA in sculpture in 1985.

Hank Petroskey has called North Branford home since 1982. He joined the Land Trust in 2013 and became a Board Member in 2014.

Hank took the lead in coordinating, developing, and implementing the Land Trust’s investment policy.  He currently chairs the Investment and Governance Committees.

Other volunteer activities include: North Branford Solid/Hazardous Waste and Recycling Committee, Crosspoint Federal Credit Union, the Charitable Foundation of the Credit Union League of CT, Shoreline Men Over Sixty, and the North Branford  Potato and Corn Festival.

Professionally, Hank has 40 years of Information Technology and Project Management experience retiring from United Illuminating in 2013 after 33 years.

Hank has an Associates Degree in Business/Data Processing from South Central Community College and a Bachelors Degree in Information Technology from the University of New Haven.

Steve and his wife Patricia have lived in North Branford for 40+ years and raised their three children here.  He coached many of his children’s sports teams as they grew up, is a 25-year member of the North Branford Zoning Board of Appeals and is involved with other environmental organizations   He is retired from Sikorsky Aircraft after working for 40 years primarily as a program support manager for U.S. Government and foreign military helicopter customers. 

He enjoys the great outdoors and takes opportunity to be camping or hiking the Connecticut blue trail system and Appalachian Trail whenever possible.   He assists when possible with the development and maintenance of the NBLCT system of trails and encourages all town residents to use these trails and become involved in the NBLCT activities.

Mike Ferrucci is a professional forester with field experience in four countries and thirty-three states. He worked as a consulting forester for his entire career, completing projects for Environmental Non-Government Organizations (ENGOs), companies, and government agencies large and small, including The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Lands, The Conservation Fund, Weyerhaeuser, West Rock, the US Forest Service and a dozen or more state level forestry and/or wildlife departments.

Mike’s career involves evaluating and helping to improve forest management programs, with some time devoted to teaching future foresters at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

As the Land Stewardship Forester for the NBLCT, Mike organizes quarterly work parties made up of land trust members and other volunteers to help maintain the trails and the natural beauty of the Land Trust properties. 

Mike graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry in 1978 from the University of Maine and a Master of Forestry from Yale University in 1981. A resident of North Branford for over 50 years, he retains great memories of growing up in a rural farm town.

I think of myself as a hearty New Englander enjoying all the activities the four seasons have to offer. My involvement in the land trust affords me the opportunity to give back to the community by developing new hiking trails and participating in administrative functions.  It is important to incorporate land conservation into our lives and consciousness. The beauty of the outdoors is here for all to enjoy.

Scott Small is a principal architect for Elm City Architects of North Branford, Connecticut. Founded in 1989, the company specializes in small commercial, industrial, institutional, and high end residential projects. Scott’s responsibilities include client contact and representation, procurement of regulatory approvals, as well as project design, development, and creation of all construction documents.

Scott serves on the Finance and the Property Acquisition Committees as a member of the Board of the North Branford Land Conservation Trust, Inc. As such, Scott helped to apply and acquire the permit for East Shore Health District approval, created the drawings, completed the application process, and presented the proposal for approval before the Zoning Board of Appeals. Today, he continues to work with North Branford town officials to record and file the paperwork necessary for the acquisition of Harrison Property (Harrison Farm Preserve).

Scott is a member of the North Branford Economic Development Committee and is serving as Co-Chairman of the Northford/North Branford Design Review Committee. In recent years, he also served as a Deacon and chair of the Board of Trustees of the North Branford Congregational Church.

Bonnie Symansky is passionate about nature and teaching children about the land. She retired in June 2016 from the Wallingford, CT school system.  A School Library Media Specialist for 20 years, Bonnie developed a Nature Trail for students in grades K-5. She also served on the North Branford (CT) Board of Education from 2005-2007. Bonnie was awarded a Master of Library Science degree with K-12 teaching certification from Southern Connecticut State University in 1996 and an M.S. in Speech Communication from Emerson College in 1979, where she specialized in TV Production. Her graduate thesis, Equal Rights to the Sun, about self-help, low cost, urban solar energy, was awarded an Honorable Mention at the American Film Institute, aired nationally on WTBS and was distributed by Bullfrog Films.

Bonnie was an independent producer from 1980-1985, specializing in promoting nonprofit organizations. Her clients included Northeast Solar Energy Association, the Department of Energy, the American Heart Association, and Yale University. She served five years as a senior video producer for Wang Laboratories in Massachusetts (1986-1990) and was President of the Board of Directors of the Boston Film/Video Foundation. Before moving to Connecticut, she was the Director of the Boston Jewish Film Festival from 1990-1993