Meet your Topsfield Democratic Town Committee members...
Heidi Fox registered as a NYC Democrat in 1977 and in PA in 1992. It wasn't until she moved to Topsfield in 1999 that she truly understood political engagement at the local level. Topsfield Town Meeting is one of the purest forms of democracy and she has enjoyed civic participation in local ballot question committees, as volunteer Treasurer of the Topsfield Elementary School PTO, and past chair of Master Plan and Town Hall Building Committees. Her first run for MA Convention delegate to support Robert Reich's bid for Governor in 2002 led to membership in Topsfield's DTC, serving as chairman since 2007.
Jackie has been a resident of Topsfield since 1990. A retired speech pathologist, she has for many years been active on boards of the Congregational Church of Topsfield and is currently involved in mental health advocacy via NAMI-MA Greater North Shore.
Jackie has continually supported and advocated for democratic values.
Sara has lived in Topsfield since about 1965. She is a graduate of Proctor School, Masconomet, and Smith College where she received a degree in Physics and Astronomy. She is currently the webmaster for this site.
Sara has always had a deep interest in environmental causes and climate change. During one of the earliest Earth Days, Sara and a friend painted an oil drum, turning it into litter can for the downtown area. She has served on the Topsfield Energy Committee and is currently doing all she can to reduce the carbon footprint of her family home.
Sara has always been a Democrat and believes in democratic causes.
John Brown has been a resident of Topsfield since he moved here with his wife, Kathleen, and their two sons in 2004. He teaches education at The University of Massachusetts Lowell and is a life-long democrat.
Joel moved to Topsfield in 2002. He became a member of the Topsfield Democratic Committee soon afterwards.
A semi-retired international telecom executive, Joel has wound down most of his global work to focus on local action, not only in the Democratic Party, but with regional environmental engagement. He is on the Outreach Committee of the Ipswich River Watershed Association and also initiated the successful effort to eliminate distribution of single use plastic tote bags in Topsfield. Joel fought against the construction of a gas pipeline along 11 miles of the Ipswich River at a US Congressional level.
Joel believes that conservation of the beautiful open lands in Topsfield is a desire that most citizens of the town hold deeply, no matter what their general political persuasion, and that it is an opportunity to communicate our values and engage a wider audience.
Charise Rohm Nulsen is a freelance writer, mom to two elementary school students, and perpetual volunteer. She holds a B.A. from Boston College in English and Women's Studies and an M.A.T. from Boston University in English Education. She has worked in the corporate world in Manhattan, San Francisco, and Boston, as well as in education throughout MA.
Charise has been a member of the Topsfield School Committee since May 2018 and the Chair of the committee since May 2019. She is passionate about community involvement and has been very involved in local civic engagement in various ways including through GREEN Topsfield, the Board of Mission & Outreach at the Congregational Church of Topsfield, Topsfield's Intergenerational Leadership Team, as a leader of Girl Scout Troop #82333, as a Room Parent and volunteer in many capacities at the elementary schools, as a DASH volunteer (Disability Awareness Starts Here), and more. Charise co-founded local activist groups such as Action Together North Shore and Action Together Tri-Town. She is also a 2019 graduate of Emerge MA's signature training program, the state's premier organization that recruits, trains, and provides a powerful network for Democratic women.
A life long resident of the tri-town area, Melissa, a graduate of Masconomet, Salem State University and Suffolk Law School, settled in Topsfield with her family in 2006. Melissa has been a Democrat since she voted for the Mondale-Ferraro ticket in the Howe Manning mock election and has been engaged in politics at every stage of her life.
Most recently, Melissa is a member of the Topsfield Open Space Committee, and was elected to the Masconomet Regional School Committee in 2019. She is currently volunteering with the Belsito for Congress campaign.
A lifelong Democrat, Jeanne moved to Topsfield in 2002 with her husband, Joel Hariton, and two sons, Sam and Zachary. She ran an independent web design company for fifteen years.
Soon after moving to Topsfield, she joined the volunteer committee that developed the first Town of Topsfield website which she maintained for the next ten years. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Topsfield Historical Society, develops and maintains their website and produces a monthly e-newsletter sent out to over 400 contacts.
Jeanne believes in close community ties developed through cooperative work on preservation of Topsfield's local historical and natural resources.
Dorothy grew up in a family where politics were a feature at the dining room table. She campaigned for Adlai Stevenson before she could vote. (The voting age was 21 back in those days.)
Dorothy moved to Topsfield in 1968. She joined the League of Woman Voters and served in various board positions there but got involved in Democratic politics soon after and went to state conventions supporting Dukakis (for Governor), John Kerry and many others over the years. She carried papers for Teddy Kennedy and was invited to a party in Hyannisport one summer.
Dorothy is also interested in the environment and, as outgrowth of a clean up party back in 1972, she was involved in starting the recycling program in Topsfield. Dorothy is a regular letter writer on environmental issues.
It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Herb Wass. A tribute to his life well-lived can be found here.
After nearly 30 years working in the college and textbook division in publishing, I planned to pursue a degree in medical illustration. I earned an Associate Degree from NSCC in Liberal Arts in 2003 and transferred to Tufts with plans to major in Biology. I took one course in Political Science and was hooked! I should have at least minored in Political Science and under normal circumstances, I may have chosen to do so. However, that summer, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. With help from both my medical team and the Professors at Tufts, I was able to continue with my education, graduating in February 2007, Cum Laude, with a degree in History.
I have been a lifelong Democrat, but it wasn't really until 2017 that I became more fully engaged in politics. I have been a volunteer in activities ranging from tutoring middle school students whose first language is Spanish to delivering Meals on Wheels during the pandemic. Other interests include gardening, photography, and wildlife art.
