Waban Webquish - President
Waban Webquish (Marcus Hendricks) is a Mashpee Wampanoag/Natick Nipmuc Cultural Land & Sea Manager dedicated to protecting Turtle Island and strengthening community relationships with land and water. His work spans Traditional Ecological Knowledge, cultural resource protection, coastal resilience, and municipal service, grounding his approach in place‑based stewardship. As President of Turtle Land Conservancy, Waban leads efforts to safeguard culturally significant landscapes and advance Indigenous stewardship for future generations.
Ryann Monteiro - Board Director
Ryann Monteiro is a food scholar, PhD student in sociology, and community researcher working at the intersection of food, culture, and sovereignty. A citizen of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), her work centers Black and Indigenous food systems and examines how histories of land, labor, and resistance shape food and land sovereignty, alternative food systems, and pathways toward self-determination.
Mary E. Wyman - Board Director
Mary E. Wyman is a lifelong Boston resident and retired educator who taught in the Boston Public Schools for 35 years. She is also a photographer and artist with a master’s degree in Communications Media Technology. Mary serves on the Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band Tribal Council, where she has been an active member for more than two years.
Troy Phillips - Board Director
Troy serves as Chairperson of the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs. As a commissioner, Troy’s fundamental role is to assist Native American individuals, tribes and organizations in their relationship with the state and local government agencies as well as to advise the Commonwealth in matters pertaining to Native Americans. Troy serves on the Hassanamisco Elders Council, the Tribal Council and is a member of the Nipmuc Medicine Society. When not working on tribal affairs, Troy is employed by an environmental company, US Ecology, as a field chemist.
Marlene Parkinson - Board Director
Marlene is a single mother of three, a dedicated CNA, and a nursing student whose life’s work has been shaped by compassion, service, and a deep respect for nature. With nine years of elderly care experience, specialized dementia training, and a commitment to holistic wellbeing, she has spent nearly a decade supporting elders with patience, dignity, and heart. Beyond her medical background, Marlene is guided by a lifelong belief that healing often begins right at home in our kitchens, our backyards, and the wild spaces that surround us. She is passionate about natural remedies, traditional practices, and the wisdom found in everyday plants. Her goal within the land trust is to help create a space where the community can grow herbs, food, and medicinal plants, reconnect with nature, and learn how simple, natural remedies can support basic household health.
Casey Downs - Clerk
Casey Downs is a regenerative horticulturist with over a decade of hands‑on experience in plant cultivation, ecological gardening, and biodiversity stewardship. She operates a microfarm specializing in native perennials and medicinal herbs, applying a restoration‑focused approach to land care rooted in agroecology and wildlife conservation.
