Board Members

Mark Berns, a Norwalk resident since 1996. He has been an FCP member and its webmaster since the beginning and was the organization’s president in 2013-2014. Mark has enjoyed the trails and orchard at Cranbury Park with four black Labrador Retrievers over 35 years: Huck, Jake, Ruckus, and now Dickens. His wife, Nancy Shulins, also a founding member of FCP, ran the annual Christmas bake sale in Gallaher Mansion for several years.

His other outdoor activity is sailing and sailboat racing, primarily out of Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport, where he served as a Governor, Treasurer, and Commodore for over a dozen years.

Mark is a consultant focused on information technology and helping clients improve business processes. He was a Norwalk Education Foundation board member and a member of Norwalk’s Water Pollution Control Authority.

Ursula, an FCP co-founder, manages membership, keeps the organization’s records, conducts FCP elections and basically keeps us communicative. She served on the 2010 Cranbury Park Master Plan committee. Ursula  retired from a career in analytical chemistry then in technical sales.  In meetings with the park’s director to influence decisions, Ursula’s intimate knowledge of every part of the park has been invaluable. She notices everything that’s amiss anywhere. As FCP Secretary, she is a part of every decision FCP makes.  She now walks the trails with Buddy, her rescue mixed breed from Houston.

Liz was one of the original officers of Friends of Cranbury Park and served as Treasurer for 17 years.   She has resided in Norwalk for 27 years and would bring her children to the park when they were young to play and walk the trails.  Liz was actively involved in FCP’s past events and fundraisers.  Liz is currently employed by UBS and has over 30 years of corporate experience in accounting, finance, and technology.  In the past Liz was also involved with the Save Cranbury Association and Partrick Wetlands Preservation, she currently serves as Secretary of the Greenwich Hibernian Association and Treasurer of Something Special Vintage Shop, Inc.

Greg has been a proud resident of Norwalk since 1987.  Growing up, he moved all around the country from Chicago, where he was born, to upstate NY, to several places throughout California, and to Massachusetts for college.  Then he traveled the world for a bit before settling here in Norwalk.  He estimates that in the first almost 30 years of his life, he lived in 30 different homes around the country, while in the most recent 30+ years, he’s lived in just one, very near Cranbury Park, where he visits daily with his dog, Tucker.  Greg and his wife of 29 years, Christina, have two children who attended Norwalk schools and who both recently graduated from college.

Greg enjoyed his first career in the hospitality industry, having graduated with a degree in Hotel & Restaurant Administration.  Then 29 years ago, he started his own property management firm, caring for properties throughout Fairfield County, which company he runs today with Christina and two others.

Greg served for many years on the Board of Directors for Norwalk River Rowing Association and oversaw the construction of their boat house.  He serves with local political organizations as well.  He works many hours at his family-owned business but enjoys serving the City of Norwalk in many ways.

Vernon Howard, who has resided in Norwalk, CT since 2013, is a self-employed web developer with a solid career in creating and managing websites for a diverse set of clients. His work is characterized by its functionality, user-friendliness, and adherence to the latest web standards, skills he has honed through years of education, dedicated self-learning, and practice in the field.

Beyond the pixels and code, Vernon is a passionate Cranbury Park enthusiast. For over a decade, his dedication to nature and outdoor walks is evident in his routine visits to Cranbury Park. Not alone in his ventures, accompanying him are his two energetic Jack Russells, Rusty, and Milo, who are just as much part of the park’s landscape as the habitual early morning joggers and evening strollers. Their playful antics and endless energy infuse an added zest to his daily walks. These walks are more than just exercise; they’re a cherished part of his daily routine, an opportunity to unwind and reconnect with the simpler aspects of life.

Celia is one of the three FCP co-founders who proposed the formation of our organization. That initiative resulted in FCP becoming an important part of the city’s park decision-making process. Her tenure as FCP president resulted in many improvements to the park, including planting projects, the kiosks, Scout projects, regular trail maintenance days and additions such as the circular bench and water access in the orchard. Celia worked closely with our treasurer to achieve FCP’s 501(c)3 status. With archeologist and FCP member Holly Cuzzone, she created the park’s history exhibition, won nomination of the mansion and park to the National Historic Register of Historic Places, and secured two sizable grants for the park. An English professor by trade, she wrote FCP’s upbeat newsletters and website articles for years and continues to walk the park trails faithfully, twice a day, with her dogs Nadia and Teddy.

Andrew has been a Fairfield County resident since 2016, and a regular on the Cranbury Park trails with his dog since 2020. He joined the Board in 2023 and currently serves as Treasurer and chair of the Trails Committee.

From his first days getting lost on the trails, Andrew recognized what an amazing resource Cranbury Park is to the surrounding community. He hopes to continue the tradition of stewardship established by the original Friends and do his part to preserve the park for the next generation.

Greg Smith lives and works in Norwalk. His first two children were born here. He walks Maisy the bloodhound mornings at Taylor Farm and afternoons at Cranbury Park. A Connecticut Yankee, he likes to keep things simple and thinks that people from Massachusetts are a little kooky.