New director takes helm at Rose Island

By Sean Flynn
Daily News staff

NEWPORT — David McCurdy grew up sailing out of Newport Harbor into Narragansett Bay and some of his earliest memories are of Rose Island. He especially remembers watching a large school of bluefish near the island’s lighthouse from his parent’s boat.

Now McCurdy, 38, is the new executive director of the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation and in charge of operations in the lighthouse and on the island.

“I feel a big connection to the island,” he said. “It’s a wonderful place. It couldn’t be a better place to work.”

McCurdy replaces Charlotte Johnson, who has been the leader of efforts to restore and preserve Rose Island and its lighthouse for the past 24 years, and was the foundation’s only executive director until now. The foundation hired a consultant, Nancy Jackson of Third Sector New England Inc., to help coordinate the transition from Johnson to McCurdy.

For the past 10 years, McCurdy has worked for the Atlantic States Rural Water Association, where he worked on drinking-water issues and developed groundwater protection programs with local communities throughout the Northeast.

McCurdy also has been working as a captain of tour and charter boats out of Newport for the past eight years. He holds a 100-ton master’s license from the Coast Guard.

“I’ve been on so many boats in Newport that you can pretty much name any one and I drove it,” he said.

From his time on the boats, he knows many people believe there is a long waiting list to be able to stay overnight at the lighthouse. That is no longer true, he said. He said there are rooms available throughout the coming year, including this summer.

Another misconception is that the visitors have to work the whole time they are on the island, McCurdy said. He said there are a few tasks, such as checking the level of chlorine in the cistern that stores water for showering and cleaning and getting the rooms ready for the next guests. But he said those tasks could be done in less than a half-hour.

He said some people take a working vacation and write off all the time working on volunteer jobs as a donation to the foundation, which is welcomed but not necessary, he said. Information about the foundation and stays on the island can be found online at www.roseisland.org.

“It’s a unique environment,” he said of the island. “There is no water there except what we collect and no power except from our generator and windmill. People who stay there are very aware of how much power and water they use. It’s a great experience.”

McCurdy’s office is on the second floor of the Armory, 365 Thames St., and the foundation’s boat, the Starfish, operates from the Ann Street Pier behind the Armory.

McCurdy grew up in Shrewsbury, Mass., but his family had a boat in Newport for sailing on weekends and during vacations. He and his wife, Laura, now live in Middletown.

He has a bachelor’s degree in physical geography from Plymouth State College and a master’s degree in environmental resource management from Antioch University.

The foundation’s board directors chose McCurdy because of his “varied background and strong interpersonal skills.” Board members said he would help the foundation grow and continue “a proud tradition of historic preservation, environmental protection, public access and education.”

“We are extremely pleased to have found such a terrific match for (the foundation),” Carol Trocki, president of the board, wrote in a prepared statement. “David is talented and engaging, with creative ideas and a charming personality. His strong communication skills and diverse background make him the perfect person for this position. We are all very much looking forward to working with him.”

Johnson will remain with the foundation as capital campaign and project manager.

The nonprofit foundation was formed in 1984 “to restore the lighthouse and its property and become a hands-on demonstration center and living classroom to teach stewardship, conservation and sustainable living through responsible use of its natural resources.”

The 18.5-acre island is one mile offshore from Newport and can easily be seen from the Pell Bridge.

Send reporter Sean Flynn e-mail at Flynn@NewportRI.com.