The Honored Citizen's Reception will take place on Saturday April 30th at the Harvey Wheeler Community Center.
Congratulations to Joanne Gibson, Concord's 2022 Honored Citizen! Joanne was born into a US Navy family in 1941. In the early 1960's, her family settled in Wellesley where she graduated from Wellesley High School and then attended and graduated from Middlebury College.
Moving to Concord in 1969, she made a home with her husband, Chuck, and their 3 children Kate, Tim and Phil. Joanne has served on many committees during her time in Concord. She has been very involved and has a great passion for education, serving on the parent teacher association. Joanne has always been a strong advocate for historic preservation and for preserving Concord’s churches, historic houses, neighborhoods, and landscapes and this has shown through her work in Town.
The following Honored Citizens will be also be honored alongside Joanne Gibson at the Reception on Saturday:
Elise Woodward (2021):
Elise is a former Consulting Principal at Shepley Bulfinch, an architectural firm based in Boston, where she participated as a senior member of the firm's education and healthcare clients. She served for nine years on the firm's board of directors, including four terms as board chair.
Although not a native of Concord, Elise continues to volunteer. As a nominator of Elise said, "Since coming to Concord in the 1980's, Elise has served the town since 1991 in many organizations and committees including; the concord Board of Appeals, founding member of concord's Finance Committee, moderator of Trinitarian Congregational Church even serving as a member of the Select Board, just to name a few of her many accomplishments, speaks volumes of her personal character, having steadfast commitment, integrity of purpose and thoughtful organization."
Elise studied at the College of William and Mary and the University of Texas in Austin, and received her bachelor's degree in architecture from Columbia University in New York. Elise and her husband Alan live in a house she designed. They have two grown children.
Jonathan Keyes (2020):
A proud lifelong Concord resident, Jonathan has served the town and many of its organizations/institutions since leaving his four years of active duty in the Navy as a Lieutenant in 1961. In 1961 he immediately became and continues to be a member of the Independent Battery. In 1972 he began serving on town committees, first on the Future School Sites Committee (1972-75), the Deferred Tax Plan Study Committee (1973-74), the Local Option Income Tax Committee, the NRC’s Trails Committee, and most recently as the chairman of the Tax Fairness Committee (2016-2019).
Jonathan has also been a devoted and active supporter of four important Concord organizations/institutions: The Fenn School, the Concord Museum, the Old Manse, and the Land Conservation Trust.
Beyond Concord, Jonathan has devotedly served Mass Eye and Ear, Community Builders, and The Trustees of Reservations, playing a critical role in the passage of the Rivers Protection Act in 1996.
Jonathan and his late wife Judy raised their three children, Philip, Jared, and Herrika, at his Liberty St. home that has been in the Keyes family for 160 years. As a fixture at town meetings, League of Women Voters’ breakfasts, and Land Trust meetings, Jonathan continues to be a model citizen. His record of faithful service to the Town and its institutions make him deserving of the Town’s highest volunteer honor.
