Ian Blackman
Board Member
Ian Blackman lives in Chichester and joined the Prescott Farm board in October 2021. He is owner and operator of Ian Blackman LLC which specializes in the restoration and preservation of historic barns and houses from the foundation to the roof. Ian’s interest in Prescott Farm was sparked in 2017 when he oversaw the restoration of Prescott Farm’s beautiful and historic “1883 Barn”.
In addition to a BS in Vocational Education from Keene State College, Ian is a graduate of North Bennett Street School in Boston, a school for traditional trades and craft traditions. He has previously served on the school board and conservation commission in Chichester. Since 2011, Ian has been a director of the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance.
Ian is drawn to board membership because he is a strong proponent of nature-based learning as a way of tackling challenging environmental problems. “It is hard to develop a care for something you don’t have an intimate experience of. Programs like those offered at Prescott Farm are the initial step in developing that love for the natural world at a young age.”
Ian will serve as the Chair of the Education Committee at Prescott Farm.
Bob Ewell
Secretary
Bob Ewell joined the Prescott Farm board in November 2019. As a Laconia resident and retired educator, Bob has been active in the community for decades. For several years, his grandchildren attended Prescott Farm’s increasingly popular WildQuest Camps, where the emphasis on natural, outdoor education resonated with Bob and his family. Inspired by this natural philosophy, Bob has participated in ten years of volunteer service at Prescott Farm, including spearheading the Rotary-lead annual Youth Leadership program that brings together future leaders from high schools around the Lakes Region. He is a regular attendee of Community Connections programs.
Bob is a current member and past president of the Lakes Region Rotary Club and a charter member of the New England Burgermeister Club. These leadership roles along with his passion for the environment, historical buildings and barns preservation combine to make Prescott Farm board membership a perfect fit for Bob. He will assist in community networking and facilities management.
Spencer Ballou
Treasurer
Spencer Pardoe Ballou lives with her husband in Richmond, Virginia but has been coming to Prescott Farm since she was six weeks old. She has three grown children, all who attended Wild Quest Camps for many years. Spencer and her family have all served as Prescott Farm volunteers in various capacities over the years. She also sits on the boards of the Samuel P. Pardoe Foundation and the Northside Richmond YMCA. Spencer recently stepped down after a thirty year term as manager of the family owned farmhouse at Prescott Farm. In 2021, Spencer and her husband established the Helen Prescott Pardoe Garden Fund in honor of Spencer’s grandmother to support Prescott Farm’s amazing gardening program.
Bruce Pardoe
Board Member
Bruce Pardoe has practiced mindfulness meditation intensively for the past twelve years with numerous 1, 2 & 3 month retreats at Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock where he completed the 2 year Community Dharma Leader program. In addition to numerous extended pilgrimages to the wisdom centers of Asia, and extended multi-month solo retreats in uninhabited areas, Bruce has spent almost two years in silence to cultivate insight and compassion. He has been sharing dharma teachings and leading healing groups for the past 9 years. Bruce has an extensive grounding in the somatic practices of Feledenkrais Awareness Through Movement and Hakomi Body-Centered Psychotherapy, and has received training in the trauma therapy EMDR. He also draws significantly upon his deep experience with Taoism, the non-dual inquiry practices of Advaita, and the path of devotion to complement and enrich Heart Fluency and AskLove.
Charles Pardoe
Chair
Charles Pardoe is a retired investment executive based in Abu Dhabi and Williamstown Massachusetts. In his 32-year career at Prudential Financial, his roles included real estate fund management, international business development, and business transformation. Most recently, he led Prudential’s expansion into Africa, and finally met his match as the digital transformation leader of Prudential’s international insurance businesses, from which he retired in 2020. He is currently investing in businesses focused on lifelong learning.
He is a graduate of Williams College and Stanford Business School.