The Chestnut Hill Community Association begins a new term in August with a slate of seven new and returning members to its board of directors. The CHCA typically holds community elections for board seats; however, this year the number of nominees equals the number of open seats, negating the need for an election.

New to the board as at-large members are Allen Barkus, Janel Baselice, Tom Johnson, Laura Leon-Maurice, and Sarah Robertson. Returning board members are Joyce Lenhardt and Larry McEwen.

All seven members were asked to submit a brief bio with information on who they are and their interest in serving on the Chestnut Hill Community Association board of directors.

Tom Johnson

Johnson works in real estate development with a background in architecture and business. Though born in Delco and raised in New Jersey, he recently moved to Chestnut Hill after living in Miami with his wife and five-year-old son for nine years. He is passionate about cities and neighborhoods and hopes to draw on his personal and professional experience in service to the board.

Johnson said, “It only took one visit for us to be convinced Chestnut Hill was the place for us. In addition to frequenting the great local businesses on Germantown Avenue, we have loved taking part in local events such as trick-or-treating in the fall and the summer concert series at Pastorius Park. There is a great relationship between the local business community and residents. But what I am most impressed by is how welcoming and how committed residents are to Chestnut Hill. I would love to serve as part of the CHCA board to contribute to this community and to deepen my connection to it.”

Sarah Robertson

Robertson is a real estate agent with Elfant Wissahickon Realtors with over 22 years of experience. She has been a proud resident of Chestnut Hill for four years, having previously lived in Center City since the early 2000s. She loves to tour clients, friends and family around Chestnut Hill and show them the many amazing things that make this community so special. You'll find her perusing books at Hilltop or the library, hiking in the Wissahickon, or strolling the avenue. She and her wife reside in a 1910 carriage house and enjoy gardening, camping and traveling. Go Phils!

Robertson said, “It would be an honor to help sustain Chestnut Hill's storied history, community events, and traditions. My friendly and approachable demeanor is matched by my strong interpersonal skills, allowing me to really hear people and work toward our common goal.  I benefit so much from living in this community, and look forward to contributing to its continued growth and success.”

Lawrence McEwen

McEwen is a registered architect with a 29-year Chestnut Hill-based practice, and an adjunct professor at Thomas Jefferson University East Fall’s Center for Architecture & the Built Environment. His office has been professionally recognized for its work at historically significant sites including Wyck, Druim Moir, and St. Martin-in-the-Fields. In the past 39 years, first at Drexel University and now at Jefferson East Falls, he has taught several generations of students. He has worked with the Chestnut Hill Community Association since moving to Chestnut Hill in 1990, including a 29-year tenure on the Land Use Planning & Zoning Committee, 19 years as the Development Review Committee Co-Chair, and four terms on the board. 

McEwen said, “As we write an NCA zoning overlay for Chestnut Hill, I look forward to giving the board a strong voice to ensure that our development review process can balance appropriate patterns of development with enforceable protections for our historic buildings and landscape.”

Laura Leon-Maurice

Leon-Maurice was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area but moved across the country four years ago to Chestnut Hill so she could be close to her son, who resides in East Falls. She recently retired as an administrator for the Peralta Community College District in Oakland, California, where she worked alongside the Vice Chancellor. Alongside a degree in political science and a passion for community activism, Leon-Maurice is an avid quilter.

She explained, “I want to serve on the Board because the Chestnut Hill community has inspired me to get involved. … It is why I feel that my upbringing, education, and hobbies all connect.  As it is connection that makes a community work, it is understanding of its goals and objectives that ties them all together.”

Joyce Lenhardt

Lenhardt is an architect, business owner, and 40+-year Chestnut Hill resident. She has been involved with the CHCA for many years and in many capacities, as a member of the Land Use Planning and Zoning Committee; as a board member and Physical Division vice president; and working with the Chestnut Hill Conservancy as co-chair of the Chestnut Hill Conservation, Preservation, and Development Study. She is particularly interested in working with other Registered Community Organizations to evaluate development projects that require variances.

She said, “Ideally Chestnut Hill will find a way to protect what we have and provide for appropriate growth. Some increased density in the right places is good; it helps support community and the business district. However, it needs to be done sensitively and without destroying our historic resources. Destruction is not just demolition, it is changing the patterns and spacing of buildings, removing heritage trees, adding buildings that don’t respect the historic architecture. We have something very special here and sometimes it is hard to define, which makes it hard to protect.”

Janel Baselice

Baselice is a dedicated community advocate, volunteer, and longtime resident of Chestnut Hill with a professional background in higher education administration. She has experience in collaborative leadership, communications, and working within the community to bring about positive change. She’s also “passionate about preserving the unique character of Chestnut Hill while supporting thoughtful growth and inclusive engagement.”

Her reasons for remaining on CHCA’s board are, “to help strengthen the connections between neighbors, support initiatives that preserve our neighborhood’s charm, and ensure community voices are heard in decisions shaping our little village. We are so lucky to have the CHCA that provides so many community events throughout the year for everyone. I look forward to contributing to the CHCA’s mission of fostering a community I am happy to raise my children in.”

Allen Barkus

Barkus, whose family has resided in Chestnut Hill since 1967, is chair of the Ted Barkus Company, a firm that creates marketing and public relations campaigns for smaller divisions of national and international businesses. He is also a senior Ashtanga yoga teacher and has published The Travelore Report, which covers travel stories since 1971. Barkus served on the CHCA board as a student representative in the 1970s, and ran the student employment program for several years. 

Barkus said, “I would like to serve on the board because I've lived in the community for many years and have seen several phases of economic development. I think the changes now are going to have a huge impact in the direction Chestnut Hill will be taking, probably for the next 20 years. I am most interested in protecting our community during this period of growth and maintaining our unique historic heritage and quality of life.”