Young Advisors

He/him

Jonathan Stark-Sachs is an attorney with an extensive knowledge of historic preservation law and policy. He earned both a J.D. (summa cum laude) and master’s degree in historic preservation from Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. Jonathan has worked at the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and National Park Service in Washington, DC, and was awarded a year-long, postgraduate fellowship with the NPS preservation grants division. Additionally, he has experience in both federal and state courts. During law school, he interned with Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson of the First Circuit Court of Appeals and, following his fellowship, clerked for Judge Diane R. Rubin of the Massachusetts Land Court. Jonathan advocates for preservation education, legislation, and funding in Washington through Preservation Action, a national non-profit. He currently works as an associate attorney at Johnson & Borenstein LLC, as a zoning, land use, and real estate litigator and lectures on historic preservation law at Roger Williams.

Allison “Ally” Toonen-Talamo recently relocated from Chicago where she works as a building enclosure consultant at Walker Consultants focusing on historic preservation. She actively sits on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for Landmarks Illinois (LI). She is the Chair of LI’s Resource Development Committee and on the Board of Directors for the Alumni Association at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). Allison has received a Bachelor of Architecture and a Master of Structural Engineering from IIT. In addition, she has received the following awards: the 2020 American Aspire Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the 2021 Landmarks Illinois 50Forward Influencers, the 2022 Chicago Landmark Award for Preservation Excellence for the 226 W. Jackson project, and the 2023 Outstanding Young Alumnus/Alumna Award by the Illinois Institute of Technology.

She/her

Maria Rachal is an experienced preservation professional with a background in historic preservation planning and public outreach and education. Most recently, she served as the Historic Preservation Planner for the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office, managing the Certified Local Government (CLG) Program and overseeing $100,000 in annual CLG grants. She has a demonstrated ability to foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders and engage communities in preservation efforts. Maria also brings experience from her time coordinating volunteer projects at Grand Teton National Park, where she developed training programs and expanded diversity in volunteer participation. She holds a Master’s in Historic Preservation from the University of Georgia and a BA in French and History from the University of Louisiana. Maria has recently accepted a position with FEMA’s Region 1 Office in Cambridge, where she will continue to leverage her expertise in preservation in the context of emergency management.

Grace McCabe is a preservation planner with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Office of Cultural Resources. In addition to capital planning and adaptive reuse project management, she supports historic preservation partnership programming that aims to foster a new generation of skilled tradespeople. Grace holds a Master’s degree in Regional Planning and a Bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Community Development from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she focused her studies on housing justice and planning for climate change. Grace is an unofficial local tour guide for her hometown of Cambridge, where she currently resides, and is excited to join the BPA Young Advisors in 2024 to advocate for the preservation of the places that make Boston special.

Mallory McCoy is the Project Manager for Traveling Exhibitions at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, overseeing both domestic and international collections sharing endeavors that reach over a million visitors each year. She has years of experience in non-profit and education work, and building creative partnerships. Mallory is active in professional organizations including the New England Museum Association, the American Exhibition Organizers, and the International Council of Museums. She earned a degree from Harvard University’s Museum Studies graduate program in 2018, and is a proud alumni of Northeastern University’s undergraduate program. Her graduate work included training on historic preservation and restoration, focused on Boston and surrounding areas. Mallory’s areas of expertise include public engagement, oversight of operating budgets, and complex logistics. She was thrilled to join the BPA YA’s in 2024, to lend these skills to the protection of Boston’s heritage.

He/him

Robbie Ashton is the Founder of Curve, a marketing operations and analytics consultancy that partners with consumer-focused brands. Through Curve, Robbie has worked with a variety of national clients across industries including apparel, consumer packaged goods, mobile apps, and wellness, helping them optimize their strategies and drive growth.

A former DC resident with a background in the video games industry, Robbie now calls Downtown Boston home. Outside of work, he enjoys improv, dominating movie trivia, and reminiscing about his past lives as a wedding photographer and DJ. Robbie is passionate about mentoring future leaders, supporting youth through Comfort Zone Camp, a program for grieving children, and working with students through PRISM, Virginia Tech’s student-led advertising agency. 
 

He/him

Idael Cárdenas is a designer and writer whose work frequently deals with both the art of making and socially responsible architecture—often tackling the two through narrative. Originally from Cuba, his research interests lie in the ramifications of the sugar industry on the Island, investigating how in more ways than one, our personal geographies are inherently linked to the legacies of colonial-economic processes. In his professional career, Idael has worked on a range of projects; from high-end residential to historic-adaptive reuse.  
Idael received his Bachelor of Design, summa cum laude, at the University of Florida and his Master of Architecture with Distinction at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.
 

She/Her

Cathryn is a writer and editor. She’s been on staff at The Knot, SAVEUR, Dotdash Meredith, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, and the Improper Bostonian. Her words have also appeared across Apartment Therapy, Culture Trip, Tasting Table, WBUR, Boston.com, and more. She is also a contributing author of “Boston Like a Local,” a travel guidebook published by DK Eyewitness (an imprint of Penguin Random House). Cathryn joined the Young Advisors Board to advocate for the historic sites and structures around Boston (and the rich stories they hold). She earned a degree in creative writing and Russian language from Trinity College as well as a certificate in publishing from Columbia University. She is also a member of the Junior League of Boston and lives in Back Bay. 

He/Him

James is a Landscape Architect at the National Park Service, where he specializes in design, planning, and management of cultural landscapes as part of the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation. In that role, he supports parks throughout the NPS Northeast Region with preservation planning, project implementation, and cultural landscape research and documentation. James earned his Master of Landscape Architecture degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he also completed a Graduate Certificate in Cultural Landscape Management. For as long as he can remember, James has been particularly interested in the landscape history of Boston, his hometown. He joined the Boston Preservation Alliance Young Advisors Board in 2022 to support the Alliance’s advocacy for the historic places that strengthen Bostonians’ relationships with their shared heritage. James lives in Roslindale with his boyfriend and their cat. Off the clock, he can typically be found wandering around the Arnold Arboretum, catching a new (or old) movie at Coolidge Corner Theatre, or playing one of the three songs he knows on the piano.

She/Her

Kimberly serves as Preservation Manager at The Craig Group Partners, LLC, working on preservation planning, climate resilience, and disaster preparedness projects. In her role, she assists with plan development, analyzing geographic information system (GIS) data, building ESRI StoryMaps, and the development and execution of public engagement opportunities such as surveys, meetings, workshops, conferences, and symposiums. Previously, Kimberly served as Co-Director of the University of Florida Preservation Institute Nantucket, where she assisted with projects focused on resilience and sustainability in historic Nantucket, MA. Kim also served as Founder and Coordinator of ACKlimate Nantucket from 2019 to 2021, encouraging Nantucket’s holistic communication and adaptation to a changing climate and rising seas through local and global engagement. Kimberly graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida’s Master of Historic Preservation in 2020. Before that, she completed her Bachelor of Science in History at Martin Methodist College (now University of Tennessee Southern)

Rachel Searle is an architectural designer at Goody Clancy, where she contributes to the design of higher education projects involving both new construction and the revitalization of existing buildings. She holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Washington, with a concentration in sustainable systems and design. Additionally, Rachel earned a Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation from UW, where her research focused on the importance of, and challenges associated with, preserving historic LGBTQ+ spaces. Her passion lies at the intersection of building reuse and environmental sustainability, aiming to create spaces that are not only functional but also mindful of their social and environmental impact. Outside of architecture, Rachel played Division III lacrosse at her undergraduate alma mater, Catholic University, and currently coaches for a local lacrosse club.