Staff of Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation
Edward Thome – Executive Director
Angie VanScyoc – Chief Operations Officer
Tyler Schumacher – Facilities Site Manager
Board of Directors for the Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation
Scott Bentley – LHPF Board President
Scott Bentley is an entrepreneur and philanthropist from Pottstown, Pennsylvania. He and his wife Susan have been instrumental in the process of acquiring Lynnewood Hall and setting up the planning and implementation for the future of Lynnewood Hall that is allows everyone to experience the feel of living in a true Gilded Age masterpiece. In addition to chairing the LHPF board, Scott is a past member of the board of directors of Big Brothers, Big Sisters Independence region, is the co-President of Steel River Playhouse, and an active donor and advisor to the Colebrookdale Railroad. The Colebrookdale Railroad has acquired and is in the process of renovating the private Pullman car “Lynnewood,” which was recently relocated from Amqui, Quebec.
Peter Oyloe – LHPF Board Vice-President
Peter brings to his foundational role of Vice-President a unique perspective as a working and nationally acclaimed professional performer in various aspects of the arts (including many non-profits) based out of the Chicago area.
Having grown up on a productive rural farm, his knowledge and interest in the building arts and trades began as a boy helping to restore his family’s historic home as well as working alongside some masters of the trades in painting, wood restoration, and finishing carpentry while still in school. Peter has since worked on the restoration/renovation of several historic homes of note, as well as his own. He is extremely passionate about historic preservation worldwide, and he travels extensively, gathering information, learning from, and touring important sites.
Peter is also an avid art and antiques collector, furnishing and decorating his historic home with period pieces that he also conditions and repairs while also sourcing and reselling. As a lifelong learner, he is always in pursuit of knowledge in some form and continues the never-ending pursuit of his own mastery in his various crafts and interests.
Peter has worked as Creative Marketing Director and lead graphic designer, as well as other capacities, in the non-profit world and is very passionate about the community-based and projects-oriented approach that only non-profits can offer. He feels that when non-profits are well executed and deeply invested, their work is paramount to the positive transformations that we need to see in our communities nationwide.
Peter holds a degree, with much additional coursework, with an emphasis in the performing arts from Victoria University in New Zealand. He has performed all over the world at the highest levels in his professional fields.
As a project encompassing so many of his passionate interests, Lynnewood Hall is the intersection of the arts and culture at the highest levels and will stand to inspire all of those who are so engaged in the pursuit of such.
Jennifer Robinson — LHPF Board Secretary
Jennifer serves the Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation as the board secretary, and brings extensive experience in historic preservation to the team. She’s the Director of Preservation Services at the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia where she manages an extensive portfolio of easements on historic properties throughout the region. She has a master’s degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from University of California, Berkeley.
In addition to the LHPF board Jennifer is on the Historic Review Board for Pennsylvania’s Historical and Museum Commission, and on the board of the Concord Schoolhouse and Upper Burying Ground in Philadelphia. Jennifer lives in a historic home in northwest Philadelphia and discovered Lynnewood Hall one day while getting lost in Elkins Park. In her spare time, Jennifer is learning to sail and enjoys sewing.
Gregory Denesevich – LHPF Board Treasurer
Gregory is on the Board of Directors and is the current Treasurer for LHPF. He has a Bachelors degree along with a minor in Business from Penn State University. His career encompasses over 30 years of engineering and he is currently working as an Electrical Department Head and Project Manager in a firm doing building design.
As a lifelong resident of the Scranton, Pennsylvania area, Gregory has always been drawn to the details of the historic architecture in the area. In his work, he has enjoyed working on historically important buildings and the revitalization and repurposing of others. After coming across Lynnewood Hall on the internet, Gregory realized getting involved with LHPF would be a natural extension of his interest in preserving and enjoying the past. Preserving Lynnewood Hall for generations to come was a calling he could not ignore.
Angela Barker – LHPF At-Large Board Member
Angela Barker sits on the Board of Directors for the foundation. With over 20 years in ministry, Angie has experience in management, programming, curating curriculum, writing, public speaking, performance arts, and event planning. Angela recently graduated from Harvard with a master’s in Museum Studies where she gained experience with museum operations, exhibition design and planning, collections management, and programming. She currently works in construction in sales.
Angela resides in Smyrna, Delaware, raising her six children and writing novels. Angie became aware of Lynnewood Hall while volunteering at Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library and doing research for the estate historian. Once she learned of Lynnewood, she became determined to do something and connected with Angie Van Scyoc to see how she could help. Angie welcomed her, and she has continued researching the property, using that research for her capstone project.
A vision of the future for Lynnewood Hall drives Angela to dedicate herself to the preservation of Lynnewood Hall so that it can serve as an example of creative sustainability in historic places.
Kevin Dunn – LHPF At-Large Board Member
Kevin sits on the Board of Directors and has been a neighbor to Lynnewood Hall since birth. A North Philadelphia native, Kevin was born just a mile and a half from the property. He has always been fascinated with the incredible and historic architecture of Philadelphia and its surrounding counties. Kevin is a Son of the American Revolution, being able to trace his roots back to the country’s founding. He has therefore been passionate about learning and preserving its rich history. Kevin’s desire to learn about and be a part of this history led him to The United States Military Academy at West Point, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with a minor in Mechanical Engineering. He then served in the United States Army as a qualified Airborne Ranger with multiple deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and an 18-month tour in South Korea. He then returned home to Philadelphia to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a physician, graduating from The Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. He currently is a physician at Chestnut Hill Hospital in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania.
When searching for a place to start a family and raise their children, Kevin and his wife, Elise, stumbled upon Lynnewood Hall. They were instantly fascinated by the history of the building, its architect Horace Trumbauer, and the Widener family, who built and occupied the home for over half a century. They were also confused as to how such a spectacular architectural wonder could devolve into a largely abandoned structure, left for decay. Since they first saw Lynnewood Hall, Kevin and Elise both wanted to find a way to save it from ultimate destruction, as has been the fate of so many other historical buildings. As fate had it, a home that was part of the Widener Estate became available soon thereafter. Kevin and his wife jumped at the opportunity to live in a home so close to Lynnewood Hall, also designed by Horace Trumbauer. Kevin, Elise, and their three children now live in the Carriage House, across the street from the mansion. They have been maintaining and restoring the structure since they moved in. Kevin sees the Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation as a natural extension of his existing efforts to preserve and modernize his family’s current home. Being a part of the local community also affords Kevin to take a ‘boots-on-the-ground’ role in supporting the Foundation.
Susan Bentley – LHPF At-Large Board Member
Pottstown — Bio coming soon.
George Coates – LHPF At-Large Board Member
Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia — Bio coming soon.
John Constable – LHPF At-Large Board Member
Bryn Mawr — Bio coming soon.