Mary Bergman, Executive Director
Mary Bergman was appointed NPT’s Executive Director in January 2020 after two years as Director of Media and Communications.
Originally from Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod, Mary has lived and worked on Nantucket since 2014. Her ties to the island go back to the 1920s when her great-grandparents lived on India Street. She has a BA from Smith College in American Studies and an MA from American University in Public History.
A writer and historian, Mary has long been fascinated by Nantucket’s built environment. She enjoys uncovering the stories of the people who built and lived in the island’s historic homes, and believes Nantucket’s historic structures are our most direct link to the past. To lose these historic buildings is to lose an important piece of the island’s fabric.
Favorite Historic Island Location: Front Street in ‘Sconset and Smith Point in Madaket. Both neighborhoods feature interesting architectural details, are perched on the edge of the island, and catch the first or last rays of the day.
Favorite Season on Nantucket: While I love the slower pace of life winter offers, summer on Nantucket can’t be beat. I love that it is light outside from almost 4:30 in the morning to 8 at night.
Julie Kever, Administrative Assistant
Julie joined the NPT team in the Spring of 2018. She holds a BA in English Literature from UMass Amherst. Julie worked in another historical arena for 13 years with the Nantucket Historical Association and loves to see folks interested and learning about island history and the old crafts. She sees working for the Preservation Trust as a continuance of the focus on keeping history alive, just through older buildings mostly, which pulls in so much about craft.
My favorite Historic Island location: Would have to be the Abiah Folger Franklin Homestead site, which sits on a little hill and overlooks town. I like to imagine her there with all her siblings having so much room to explore the surrounding hills, picking the native blueberries and beach plums. Also, I am a direct descendant of Peter Folger, Abiah’s father, so I feel like I’m visiting my cousins when I’m there.
Interesting Fact: I can’t pass a bush of beach plums that are ready to pick and am addicted to the smell of them cooking down in preparation to make the jelly. I’ve never made any other kind of jelly in 40+ years.
My favorite season: on the island is Autumn, which can’t come soon enough, nor last long enough. It’s honey collecting, cranberry harvesting, beach plum cooking, scallop fishing and bumping-into-island-friends time!
Rita Carr, Deputy Director
Rita joined NPT as Director of Media and Communications in January 2020 and was appointed Deputy Director in 2023. She first came to Nantucket in 2018 as an intern with the Nantucket Historical Association. With a background in history and museum education, she is inspired by how the built environment of Nantucket combines with the island’s natural beauty to form a place where the past feels uniquely present. She holds a BA in History from Vassar College and an MA in History Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program, SUNY Oneonta.
Favorite Historic Island location: The Eleanor Ham Pony Field. I love the bit of open space in the middle of small streets filled with interesting houses where you can spot unique architectural details any route you walk down.
Favorite season on Nantucket: I love the late fall, when things slow down and the moors turn red. There’s a clarity to the light here in late October and early November that’s unlike anything I have experienced elsewhere.