Our Team

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Dorian Winslow loves being part of a community. She has lived in Pawling for 35 years, initially as a part-time resident commuting from NYC on weekends. After she and her husband Tom moved to Pawling full-time, she seized the opportunity to bring people together over ideas by co-founding The Spark Presents with Maria Reade and enlisting team members like Lisa Kelsey and Sam Petersson. Dorian was the owner and manager of Womanswork, a national brand of gardening products, for 26 years, and sold her business in 2026. She serves on the board of the Pawling Farmers Market and enjoys being a knitting mentor for the organization Whistling Finch Labs. 

Sam Petersson is a lifelong learner who loves bringing people together around art, film, and bold ideas. Raised between New York City and Columbia County, Sam has spent the past twenty years working in film and commercial content production before discovering Pawling during the pandemic. He joined The Spark in January 2025, drawn to its mission of fostering conversation, creativity, and connection through community events that enhance local engagement. Sam recently earned a master’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems at the Culinary Institute of America and also serves on the board of the Pawling Community Garden, where he collaborates with team members to strengthen community bonds. He believes that gathering communities to discuss challenging ideas builds strong support, resilience, and mutual aid.

Maria Reade has always loved pushing beyond her comfort zone and challenging herself to develop new skills. Founding this series with Dorian Winslow in 2020 grew out of her passion for local engagement, bringing people together to explore ideas and forge community connections. She honed these talents during her long tenure as an English teacher, dean of faculty, and coach at Trinity-Pawling School. Maria now balances three careers in southern Vermont: freelance writer and editor; head chef of a nonprofit that provides from-scratch meals to food pantries; and working partner on a veggie and poultry farm. She splits her time between her home in Arlington, Vermont, and Pawling, where she actively participates in community events and serves on the board of the Pawling Farmers Market, collaborating with team members to enhance local initiatives.

  Lisa is an editorial designer, creative director, and occasionally, a writer. She has a passion for learning and a curiosity about why things are the way they are, which has served her well during her career in magazines. When she's not designing stories for her primary client Peoplemagazine, she can be found enjoying the outdoors, reading a good book, or in her kitchen cooking up something from one of her over 500 cookbooks.

Lisa designed the logo and other graphics for The Spark Presents.