The Thoreau Alliance was formed when the Thoreau Society and Thoreau Farm merged into a single organization, following a membership vote in December 2025 and legal completion on January 21, 2026. After decades of close collaboration and two years of thoughtful community discussion, the merger was designed to strengthen shared administrative support while preserving the distinct public missions of both organizations. The Thoreau Society continues its worldwide leadership in Thoreau studies, and Thoreau Farm remains the organization’s home and center for place-based programming—now united behind the scenes to better sustain and advance their work.
Purpose
The purpose of the Alliance is to stimulate interest in and foster education about Thoreau’s life, works, legacy and his place in his world and in ours, challenging all to live a deliberate, considered life. To support this mission, the Alliance hosts programs and publications that educate the public about Thoreau’s work and legacy, supports research about his life and writing, serves as a repository for a collection of Thoreauviana, advocates for the preservation of Thoreau Country, and maintains the birth house of Henry Thoreau on Virginia Road in Concord, Massachusetts, as a cultural and education center open to all. There are two (2) major components to the organization’s structure: (1) The Thoreau Society, including the membership, collections, and publications; and (2) Thoreau Farm, including the birth house, its operations, and its property.
Board of Directors
Honorary Advisors
Terry Tempest Williams, Nature Writer and Conservationist
Robert Pinsky, U.S. Poet Laureate, 1997-2000
James E. Francis, Sr., Penobscot Nation Tribal Historian
Officers
Court Booth, M.Ed.
Concord, MA
Co-President
Michael Schleifer, CPA
Brooklyn, NY
Co-Treasurer
Nancy McJennett
Concord, MA
Clerk
John J. Kucich, PhD
Maynard, MA
Co-President
Molly Eberle
Concord, MA
Co-Treasurer
David Gordon, PhD
Baltimore, MD
Assistant Clerk
Directors
Austin Bailey, PhD
New York, NY
Lois Brown, PhD
Phoenix, AZ
Lawrence Buell, PhD
Lincoln, MA
Kristen Case, PhD
Farmington, ME
Alice De Galzain, PhD
Paris, France
Cristin Ellis, PhD
Oxford, MS
Donald Jewler, MA
McLean, VA
Marc Jolley, PhD
Macon, GA
Nicole Palmer
Concord, MA
Beverly Pittman, PhD
Philadelphia, PA
Catherine Staples, MA
Devon, PA
Mark Sturges, PhD
Canton, NY
Robert M. Thorson, PhD
Storrs, CT
Chrissa Ventrelle
Fairfield, CT
Amity Wilczek, PhD
Concord, MA
Lydia Willsky-Ciollo, PhD
Hamden, CT