Management

Michelle Cruz, Director of Education

Hailing from New York City, Michelle first began working with the Observatory in 2002 as an Americorps member. In 2004 she returned to join the staff as Outreach Educator, eventually moving into her current position as Director of Education. She is extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Observatory staff and continues to look forward to expanding its educational endeavors. Michelle has a B.S. in Communications and is a graduate of Lesley University with a Master's in Education.

Michelle and her husband Dave are looking forward to introducing their new addition to the family to the White Mountains.

Bill Grenfell, Director of Museum Operations

Bill began working for Mount Washington Observatory as the Retail Coordinator in July of 2006, and stepped into his current role as Director of Museum Operations in July of 2009. After several years of working with the wonderful staff, experiencing the captivating beauty of Mount Washington, and learning much about the history of the mountain and the organization, he feels as lucky today to be a part of it all as he did on his first day.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Bill has been living and working in Mount Washington Valley since 1999. He enjoys hiking, playing guitar, and sitting on his back porch watching the wildlife pass by.

Scot Henley, Executive Director

As a youngster, Scot Henley traveled to New Hampshire's White Mountains from his home in suburban Boston on a regular basis, hiking, skiing and camping with his family. The North Conway area, with its rivers, lakes and mountains has always been a special place for Scot. After venturing to Salt Lake City for college, Scot moved back to his native New England, settling in the Mount Washington Valley.

Scot's Observatory career began in 2000, when he was hired as the organization's first marketing manager. In this role, he was responsible for coordinating the organization's public relations, special events, sponsorship and advertising efforts. Scot has served as the Executive Director of the Mount Washington Observatory since 2006, during which time the organization has seen tremendous success. During his tenure, the Observatory has launched an innovative distance learning program with national reach, signed a long term lease for its facility atop Mount Washington, built several significant corporate partnerships, expanded its income and reshaped its relationship with the National Weather Service.

Scot is a 2010 graduate of the Leadership Mt. Washington Valley program, and was honored in the November 2010 edition of New Hampshire Magazine by being named to the publication's annual "It List," which portrays the Granite State's "movers and shakers you should know."

In his free time, Scot enjoys skiing and snowboarding, running, hiking, birdwatching and passionately rooting for University of Utah football and basketball. In the community, Scot serves as the chairman of New Hampshire Public Radio's Community Advisory Board and as the Vice President of the Mt. Washington Valley Children's Museum.

Scot lives in Madison, New Hampshire with his wife, Michelle, and their two boys, Owen and Cabot.

Kerry MacDougall, Director of Development

Tired of driving to the White Mountains to hike or ski every weekend, Kerry made North Conway her home in 1999. She spent her initial years in town working as a software development project manager for e-Travel, Inc., a subsidiary of Oracle Corporation. In 2003, Kerry decided to leave the working world to focus on her family and non-profit work. Over the past seven years, Kerry has served on the Board of Directors for the Mount Washington Valley Children's Museum, Starting Point, Arts Jubilee and the Lilliputian Montessori School. As a founding Board member of the MWV Children's Museum, Kerry helped establish a non-profit museum and fundraise for it from the ground up.

A bit of a weather junkie, Kerry and a few friends embarked on a winter Mount Washington climb and Observatory overnight in 2009. It was then that Kerry realized just how much she would enjoy and appreciate being a part of the Observatory. A graduate of Saint Michael's College in Vermont, when not working, Kerry happily focuses her time on her children with a little running, skiing and biking mixed in.

Ken Rancourt, Director of Summit Operations

Ken earned his B.S. degree at Iowa State University in Meteorology in 1972, and a Master of Science degree at Montreal's McGill University 1977. Ken joined the staff in 1979, and currently manages the Observatory's scientific research and testing programs. He has over fifteen years of hard-earned expertise in these areas, having served to coordinate the move into the "new" Sherman Adams building from the old Observatory in 1980 to driving the Observatory tractor in the wintertime. He now has good support in these operational areas.

Ken lives in Conway, NH with his wife Jane in a solar powered home. He's made the trip to the summit - surely one of the world's worst commutes - over 1,200 times, his first trip being in 1952. Ken was recently elected Vice President of the Eastern Snow Conference, an international organization which studies snow and snow measurements and serves on the Board of Directors for Friends of Tuckerman Ravine.