The Stone Trust has an active board including professional dry stone wallers and members of other professions who are interested in dry stone walls. If you are interested in serving on the board of directors, please contact us for more information.
Board Officers
Hilary Dees, President
Lafayette, CO
Hilary started working with stone on trails in 2012 and has traveled and worked across New England and the West, specializing in utilizing rigging systems to quarry and move stones at remote job sites. In recent years she has shifted her focus to teaching and training, specifically working with trail crews to incorporate traditional dry stone techniques into the trails trade. Hilary is a DSWA-GB certified Level 2 waller and instructor.
Michael Barwell, Vice President
Hopkinton, NH
When he retired in 2018 from four decades as a journalist and public relations specialist, he vowed not to rest — or rust.
During the next two years he became a Master Gardener and Natural Resource Steward through the University of NH. He also took five Stone Trust workshops in basic walling, retaining walls, historic stone wall rebuild, flat work and stairs and steps. He began working almost full time for his son John’s landscape business Perfect North Lawncare in Concord, NH, doing design-build gardens, walls and flat work for clients.
He’s currently the chair of the Education Committee for the NH Landscape Association. The Stone Trust joined a retaining wall demonstration project during the NHLA’s annual Field Day in September 2023, coordinating with Peter Ryder and other instructors. It was a huge hit and a number of NHLA members signed up for workshops.
“My professional career spans Gutenberg to Zuckerberg,” he quips. “The first daily newspaper I worked for had a functioning Linotype machine using hot lead type. I was an early user and advocate for desktop publishing and other emerging electronic media.
“I’m not a professional waller but I love working with stone. And we have happy clients. Now, I want to help The Stone Trust maximize its potential in marketing/communications and grow.”
Kevin Lair, Secretary
Winterset, IA
Kevin Lair is an interdisciplinary designer, artist, and educator. He has incorporated stone into design/build projects and in teaching Material Intelligence at Iowa State University. He is an avid supporter of stone for its vibrant character and ecological value for the built environment. Lair is on a journey for DSWA certification. His vision includes bringing stone workshops to Iowa, design professions and academia. The Material Intelligence class has been working on a project using stone at the site of a former one-room schoolhouse. The site continues in the spirit of education to help foster interest in stone in new generations of architects and designers.
He holds degrees in Fine Arts and Psychology from Drake University and a Masters in Architecture from Harvard University. His academic appointments include Iowa State University, Syracuse University and Indiana University. Lair founded the Westbrook Artists’ Site (WAS) and currently is the director. The Westbrook Artists’ Site (WAS) is a post-industrial rural site located on 550 acres of land near Winterset, IA. From 1996 to 2006, WAS operated as an artist-owned venue for interdisciplinary art, design and architecture and then relaunched in 2011. WAS deepened its mission, focusing on the history and condition of the land itself, to provide an experiential laboratory for exploration of the post-industrial rural condition.
Board Members
Bill Burgess, Board Member
Herndon, VA
William Burgess, a Level 2 waller from Northern Virginia, rejoins the TST Board for a one-year term starting in January 2026.
Bill began his journey as a drystone waller in 2021 upon retiring from a 35-year career in federal service. He earned his Dry Stone Walling Association (DSWA) Level 1 certification in 2023 and his DSWA Level 2 certification in 2024.
An avid drystone hobbyist, Bill has enjoyed numerous Stone Trust workshops to hone his craft, including Introduction to Drystone Walling and the Contractor’s Intensive in Pennsylvania, as well as a four-day medley in Vermont: Retaining Walls, Intro to Stone Shaping, Steps & Stairs, and Patio Flagging & Flatwork. In addition, as part of his preparation for the Level 2 test, Bill completed the Cheekend Rebuild four different times at Stone Trust sites in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Tennessee. He is looking for opportunities to visit the other Stone Trust training sites in the next few years.
Bill stepped away from the Board in mid-2024 for personal reasons and agreed to return to the Board for this year to bolster board leadership and enhance the organization’s dedication to teaching the craft to all who want to learn it. In his spare time, Bill builds dry stone garden walls for his neighbors. Though he doesn’t charge for his services, Bill asks each customer to make a donation to The Stone Trust.
“I am excited to rejoin the Board and work with others to support the Stone Trust’s mission. Though not a professional waller or landscaper, I am eager to do my part on the Board to ensure the Stone Trust remains a valuable resource for professionals and hobbyists alike.”
Connor Esons, Board Member
Big Sur, CA
Jared Flynn, Board Member
Dummerston, VT
Jared began his stone story in the 1990s as a mason focusing on the restoration of stone houses, foundations, and chimneys in rural Vermont. By the early 2000s, he had started specializing in dry stone construction and found a passion for historic preservation through projects for the Landmark Trust USA.
Identifying the need for dry stone building standards in North America, he conducted research with the Dry Stone Walling Association (England), Dry Stone Canada, and the Dry Stone Conservancy (Kentucky). The DSWA Curriculum and Certification Scheme became central to his vision of a walling education center.
He founded The Stone Trust in 2010 as a Vermont 501(c)(3). His professional working relationship with the Landmark Trust USA led to locating it at Scott Farm Orchard, and living just down the road allowed him to build the Stone Trust Center and Master Feature Park. He notes that without the ongoing support of colleagues Brian Post and Dan Snow, none of this would have been possible.
In addition to serving as the Stone Trust Founder and President from 2010 to 2014, he is a DSWA Master Craftsman, DSWA Certified Instructor, DSWA Certified Examiner, DSC Journeyman Certificate holder, and a Dry Stone Canada Member.
Kelly Maloney, Board Member
Delmar, NY
Shandiin Nez, Board Member
Gallup, NM
Pete Ryder, Board Member
New Boston, NH
Pete Ryder is a Level 2 waller and active instructor for the Stone Trust. He is the Site lead in Mont Vernon NH and walls professionally as Touched By Stone which he founded in 2016. Pete tells us that his 32 years of aerospace engineering prepared him well for his career in dry stone walling. It’s just friction and gravity after all! In reality, it’s been a rewarding journey with many twists and turns.
Pete was previously on the Stone Trust Board from 2017 through 2022. His expertise in strategic growth and leadership development as well as his deep ties to the mission of the Trust and the walling community provide a valuable perspective to the Board.
His passion these days is in building new professional wallers. Just like walling, this is an avocation that requires patience, skill and dedication to the craft. Returning to the board is one more way that he indulges this passion.
Pete lives in New Boston NH with his wife Kathy. They enjoy traveling (usually to see interesting stonework…) and spending time with friends and family.
