Learn more about the people behind the Granite Church. Each of us is dedicated to creating a beautiful, historic space that benefits the community and fosters the arts.
Richard Wenning is the Founder of the Granite Church. He also serves as Executive Director of BeFoundation, a family foundation devoted to strengthening the education of young people in Connecticut and the vitality of their communities. He also co-founded SpreadMusicNow, a music and arts education nonprofit, which serves as the programming partner at the Granite Church.
During a career focused on public policy and the improvement of public education, Richard has worked with federal, state, and local agencies and nonprofits as an executive leader and strategy advisor in Washington, DC, Colorado, Hawaii, New York, Washington, and Connecticut.
Richard holds a Master of Public Administration degree from The American University and was awarded a Presidential Management Fellowship. He was a doctoral student in Social Psychology at the University of Maryland prior to joining the Senate Appropriations Committee staff to focus on education and labor policy. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Ithaca College.
Richard grew up in Monroe and has lived in Redding for 12 years after returning to Connecticut from Colorado. He views the Church as a vital community space at the crossroads of Redding, Weston, Wilton, and Ridgefield. He’s looking forward to weaving the Granite Church back into the fabric of these communities.
Daryn Reyman-Lock, Ph.D. serves as the Historic Preservation Specialist for the Granite Church and provides guidance and support for restoration and preservation projects.
With interests in local placemaking and public history, Daryn has worked with municipalities, organizations, and individuals throughout the state to help preserve, protect, restore, and/or rehabilitate historic spaces and buildings to support community initiatives and highlight local history. Although principal of her own consulting firm, Daryn was recently hired as the curator of the Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
She holds a Ph.D. in Archaeology from the University of Nottingham in England and two bachelor’s degrees in Geology and Archaeology from Lehigh University. Daryn is a Connecticut native and enjoys exploring the outdoors with her two children and driving her husband nuts.
Maisie Todd Wallick utilizes her many talents to provide community outreach, programming, and visual direction to the Granite Church.
A New England native, Maisie was born in Massachusetts and earned a B.A. in Creative Writing and Photography from Bennington College in Vermont. She was one of the founding staff members of ESPN Magazine and worked for several national magazines, including LIFE, New York, Travel and Leisure Golf, and Discover.
She moved to Redding in 2016 and has two children in the Redding schools. She has been active in the community in various ways, most significantly producing art installations for RES. She is passionate about creating a vital and beautiful community space that is inclusive, inspiring, and fun for all members of the community.
Architectural Preservation Studio is excited to work with BeFoundation to create a community gathering and arts space in the historic Granite Church, part of the Georgetown National Historic District.
Architectural Preservation Studio, DPC is an architectural preservation firm with deep roots in architectural design and dedicated to the preservation of historic structures. APS was established in April 2015 by a team previously working together in the Preservation Department of Wank Adams Slavin Associates, a firm which existed for over 125 years.
Carl Rothbart, Partner, and Rose Scott Long, Sr. Project Manager, have worked together for over 35 years. With a passion for keeping our architectural heritage intact and vital, they produced the Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill Feasibility Study for Preservation Connecticut in 2015. They are most inspired when an existing structure with architectural strength and character also has the capacity to provide a useful and unique space in which to experience creative contributions to our lives.
BCS Interactive provides digital marketing, strategy, and branding support for the Granite Church. Their thought leadership provides an integral voice to the team, and they’re passionate about spreading the Granite Church mission far and wide.
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