Board of Directors
Meet the Board of Directors!
Candy Perez
President
Candy has been a summer resident since she was five years old (and full time since 1993). As her father was an early member of the Highland Lake Association, Candy learned at a young age the importance of protecting the lake. She was on the Highland Lake Watershed Association board of directors in the late 1990s as well as the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission. She became President of the HLWA in 2022.
She currently serves on the Board of Selectmen. One of her main areas of interest is keeping our lake a good place to swim with improvements to the drainage system around the lake.
Beth Papermaster
Project Manager
Beth joined the HLWA Board in 2014 and was President from 2018 to 2022. In addition to her involvement with HLWA, she serves on several nonprofit committees. Beth and her husband Dan live in Hartford and have two adult children, Nathan and Molly. They have had a home on the lake since 2004.
Willie Platt
Vice President
Willie and his wife Terry have lived at Highland Lake since 1976. Willie serves as Chairman of the HLWA Legacy Committee, is on the Town Ad Hoc Water Level Committee and is Chairman of the Planning & Zoning Commission. Willie attends many town meetings and has volunteered at many HLWA events – setups and tear-downs, cleanups, and more. Thanks to Willie’s creative thinking HLWA began soliciting ads for the newsletter several years ago and at this point there are so many advertisers that the cost of printing and mailing the newsletter is fully covered by the advertising fees.
Annie Simard
Annie and her husband Greg bought their cottage in September 2019 with the initial intention of being seasonal residents, but after one summer of “lake life,” they converted their cottage and lives to full-time lake living. They both love the lake and the community. They love that it is a natural and very clean lake. Since the day they made the decision, Annie has wanted to be a part of the protection and preservation of the lake. In her professional life she owns yoga studios and is a realtor. She has decades of experience building connections, fostering relationships and creating strong community bonds. She is honored to be on the board and continue the work that has been done thus far, making Highland Lake what it is today.
Betty Martin
Betty has been vacationing at Highland Lake with her family since 1997. It was a dream come true to purchase and live full time at the lake as of 2020. She recently retired from Investment Accounting after working in the industry for 35 years and is now enjoying tennis, golf, biking and, of course, activities on the lake. She is also enjoying the opportunity to contribute to various charitable organizations including Gifts of Love in Avon and HLWA. She is now secretary on the HLWA Board of Directors.
Denise Pratt
Denise was born and raised at Highland Lake and has many fond memories. To name a few, penny candy at Toto’s, end-of-summer ski tournament, Bruno’s Market, the first boat made of plywood, and a Johnson outboard. Having one brother and one sister was the perfect number for a skier, driver and shotgun along with generous parents providing the boat and gear. In more recent years, a whole new set of happy times are happening with her daughter and son as well as extended family who continue to love all four seasons at the lake. Her favorite HLWA events are the spring and fall cleanups!
Carol Josefek
Carol and her husband Rick purchased their home on Highland Lake in 2019. They wanted a seasonal place central to their four adult children and nine grandchildren. In 2022, they retired in order to renovate it to a year round residence. Also, their youngest grandchild was born in March and Carol wanted to be available to help with babysitting duties. In 2023, they moved here permanently from Monson, Massachusetts.
Carol graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a BA in French Literature and then started work at MassMutual in Springfield, MA in the Corporate Technology Services department. Carol attended night school part time and graduated from Western New England College in 1996 with an MBA. Carol loves hosting and making wonderful memories on the lake with family and friends, especially the grandchildren.
Chris Chinnock
Chris and his wife, Linda, have been on the lake since 2019. With an engineering background, Chris first worked in aerospace before founding his consulting company in 1998 with a focus on advanced display technology. Along the way, he helped co-found and manage two nonprofit trade organizations, managed conferences and training events, published newsletters and market reports, plus custom consulting. In addition to the HLWA Board of Directors, he volunteers with the marketing group for the display industry’s major technical organization.
Mary Ann Marino
Mary Ann has been a fixture in Third Bay’s Bristol Cove since 1970 when her grandparents purchased a summer cottage for the family to gather every summer. Like many who were fortunate enough to spend their childhood summers on Highland Lake, Mary Ann developed a great love of the natural wonders of the lake, its wildlife and surrounding forests, streams, rivers and brooks that connect to Highland Lake. She could often be found “rock hopping” with her friends barefoot in Taylor Brook as a little girl. Mary Ann loved the Sunday sailboat races and often “crewed” for her grandfather in their green and white Sunfish. Their ribbons hang proudly in the old family cottage. Tossed into the water with two criss-crossed skis and a tangled tow rope by her brother and uncle at the age of six and told, “Get up or don’t get out!”, she met the challenge and became an avid waterskier. Early morning slaloming on a glassy lake remains a favorite treat for Mary Ann and the whole family. In 2006, Mary Ann purchased her own home adjacent to what is now Laurel Ridge and in 2010 she purchased an undeveloped waterfront parcel near her family’s property in Bristol Cove which she intends to landscape with native plants, a meandering pathway and rain gardens as an example of an ideal buffer environment to manage stormwater runoff to help keep the lake healthy and clean. Mary Ann served as an Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commissioner from 2020-2023, joined again in late 2025 and remains a seated member of IWWC.