History & Values
WREN was founded in 1994, powered by rural women committed to the mission of supporting better lives and livelihoods through education, economic development and community engagement in the North Country. Through the years, WREN’s work has impacted thousands of people across New Hampshire’s North Country. We provide technical assistance training and market access for local entrepreneurs, artists and makers, and organize educational, cultural and social events for the entire community. The Store and Gallery at WREN support the livelihoods of local artists while contributing to the vitality of the North Country.
Mission
The mission of WREN is to support better lives and livelihoods through education, economic development, and community engagement in the North Country.
Staff
Julia B. Webb – Executive Director
Julia Butterfield is a North Country native and second-generation WREN contributor. Julia earned a BA in Education from Goddard College in Plainfield, VT, where she focused on improving outcomes for rural youth. She is excited and honored to take the helm at WREN.
Katie A. Burgess – Operations Manager
Katie Burgess was raised in the North Country and is a supporter of non-profit organizations in the community. Katie attended White Mountains Community College where she earned an AS in Criminal Justice, then Accounting. Her education, as well as experience in business and retail, contribute to the many responsibilities as Operations Manager. As an art lover, she looks forward to working with WREN’s talented artists.
Board
Julie A. Weisman – Board Chair
Julie is committed to supporting women, education, and the arts. She believes in WREN’s mission and seeks to actively support the arts community and rural entrepreneurship in the North Country. She lives in Franconia and spends as much time as possible on the trails. Julie attended Dartmouth College and has the “granite of New Hampshire in her muscles and her brains.” She looks forward to using her past experiences with public school governance and her deep connection to the North Country as a member of the WREN Board
Darlene Jones – Secretary
Darlene Jones became a full-time resident of Bethlehem after her retirement in 2021. Shortly after moving to Bethlehem, she and her husband Tim became members of WREN. They were excited about the possibilities of becoming involved in the community. That journey has not disappointed them.
Darlene has a love for the arts, from photography, to crafts, to cooking. Beginning in 1977 until 2000 she was a co-owner of a Memory Lane Photography Studio specializing in portraits and weddings. For 16 years she served on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Professional Photographers Association (CTPPA) in many different capacities. First serving as co-print chairman for two years, then moving through the offices of Second Vice President in charge of the trade show and First Vice President in charge of hiring the speakers for the CTPPA Annual Conventions. Then in 1992 Darlene was elected first woman President of the CTPPA. After her two-year term of President was complete, she assumed the role of Executive Director holding that position for the next six years. During her tenure with the CTPPA she was presented with the President’s Award for service and the prestigious National Award from the Professional Photographers of America.
Darlene also has a love for education and in 2001 became a Special Ed Paraeducator. During her time as a Paraeducator she served on the Board of Directors of the Newtown Paraeducator Association as a building representative, and the last three years prior to retirement she served as Treasurer. In 2017 she was awarded “Profiles in Professionalism” by the Newtown Board of Education. Also in 2017, she was named “Paraeducator of the Year” for her school.
After becoming a member of the “Daughters of the American Revolution” in 2014, she served as Treasurer of the Sarah Riggs Humphreys-Mary Silliman Chapter in Connecticut from 2016 until 2021. She was able to use her love for crafts with the Chapter creating Valentines for Vets and creating many gift baskets for raffles.
In 2022 Darlene became a Brakeman on the Mt. Washington Cog Railway. Besides the safety aspect of the job, she gets to interact with people from all over the world and share her knowledge of the area around the White Mountains and especially Mt. Washington.
Sharon Washwick-Francis – Treasurer
Sharon Washwick-Francis is a Bethlehem, NH resident who has a passion to see women succeed wherever their passions lie. Sharon has worked in the insurance business for over 17 years, which has in the past been dominated by men. Women were found in supporting roles but weren’t found usually at the helm. Sharon feels that you will succeed no matter who you are, your background, or even the obstacles if you stick it out and don’t quit. In 2023 Sharon opened her own agency on Main Street in Bethlehem, NH. Sharon believes that to succeed as a small business owner, one must also take the time to listen to the needs and challenges of clients. She looks forward to helping others achieve and be appropriately covered so as never to have a loss that negatively impacts the goals of her small business clients. Sharon has held roles and volunteered in multiple non-profit organizations and committees. She and her husband, the pastor of a local church, believe in helping the community in impactful ways. Sharon enjoys being a part of WREN’s community of women who succeed, grow, and achieve their dreams. Sharon is married with three children and enjoys spending time with family and in the beautiful nature the North Country provides.
Rebecca Fullerton
Rebecca is a landscape painter and has served as Archivist for the Appalachian Mountain Club since 2005. In 2018, she returned to New Hampshire after many years in Boston, choosing Bethlehem in part because of the vibrant arts community in the area. Living in the North Country, she has dedicated her art practice to depicting the White Mountains in oils and watercolor. She has a deep love of mountain history and conservation, hiking, trail running and kayaking.
Christa Hollingsworth
Christa Hollingsworth is the community partner for the Neil and Louise Tillotson Funds of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. She previously held roles in Advancement and Annual Giving for Plymouth State University, where she helped achieve multi-million-dollar campaign fundraising goals, and she served as Managing Director for the North Country Center for the Arts, a non-profit performing arts center in Lincoln, NH. Originally from the Midwest, Christa loves living in Franconia, having moved to the north country following her through-hike of the Appalachian Trail many years ago.
Robin J. Ross
Robin Ross, originally from New Jersey, worked and raised her family with her husband in the Boston area. In her career as the president of a social service provider agency that contracted with the Commonwealth of MA, she worked to support the lives of adults living with physical and mental challenges. As an employer, business owner and state contractor she experienced the kinds of challenges that engendered an understanding of opportunity, bureaucracy,
compromise, and accountability. Growing up with a mother who was an art instructor and painted and showed professionally, a father who ultimately pursued his love of theater, and multiple artists and architect family members, she has a rich background in creative arts, particularly in the visual arts. She is working on getting back into the studio herself, but mostly you can find her in the woods appreciating the art of nature with her funny and furry trail companion.
Amanda Arcone
Amanda lives in Franconia, NH, and is an interior designer. She owns her own design studio, window treatment, and furnishings boutique in Lincoln, NH. She has been an advocate for supporting women since the very beginning of her career, where she was mentored and saw the value of giving back to help others succeed. Those relationships of strong support help build us all up, and she strongly believes in collaboration over competition in supporting one another. Amanda is originally from Kentucky but married an NH guy, and while she complains about the cold and gray winters, she can’t imagine living anywhere else; the North Country is a magical place.
The Women’s Rural Entrepreneurial Network (WREN) is an equal opportunity organization and will not allow discrimination based upon age, ethnicity, ancestry, gender, national origin, disability, race, size, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or any other status prohibited by applicable law.