Commissioners

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The MVC is made up of 21 Commissioners elected by residents or appointed by elected officials, 17 of whom are eligible to vote on regulatory matters.

Nine are elected in Islandwide elections held every two years.
Six are appointed each year by the Vineyard town select boards.
One is appointed each year by the Dukes County Commission.
Five are appointed each year by the Governor or member of the cabinet, only one of whom may vote on DRIs and DCPCs.

The Commission elects its officers (chair, vice-chair, and clerk-treasurer) each December.

For more information, contact Lucy Morrison.

Current Commissioners

Jeff Agnoli

Edgartown - Elected member at large
Commissioner since 2021

Jeff and his wife, Francine, live in Edgartown and raised three children who attended Island schools. Jeff grew up in Clifton, NJ, and taught English and reading in Paterson, NJ, and Kingston, NY, for 15 years before moving to the Island in 1988. Jeff was an English teacher and later guidance counselor at the MV Regional High School until 2012. He is currently the HISET (High School Equivalency Test) administrator for the high school.

Mary Bernadette Budinger-Cormie

Tisbury - Elected member at large
Commissioner since 2025

Bernadette serves as a member of the Tisbury Planning Board and is the Grant Coordinator for MV Public Schools. She studied finance at Boston University and worked in the wireless data industry for more than 15 years. Bernadette and her husband, Leigh, moved to the Vineyard 30 years ago and have made the Island their home while raising two sons. With a deep love for the Island and its community, Bernadette is honored to serve on the MVC.

Mark Gauthier

Oak Bluffs - Appointed by the Oak Bluffs Select Board
Commissioner since 2025

Joan Malkin

Chilmark - Appointed by the Chilmark Planning Board
Commissioner from 2013-2024; appointed in 2025 to complete the term of former Commissioner Jay Grossman

Joan currently serves on the Chilmark Zoning Board of Appeals and Conservation Commission. She was previously a lawyer and practiced in the US and Australia.

Michael Kim

Governor's Appointee
Commissioner since 2017

Willa Kuh

Chilmark - Appointed by the Chilmark Select Board
Commissioner since 2025

Willa is an urban planner and director of planning at a national engineering firm. She has devoted her career to public policy and regulation to protect the environment, including land use, solid waste management, and decarbonization.

William Lake

Aquinnah - Appointed by the Aquinnah Select Board
Commissioner since 2026

Bill and his wife moved to the Island in 2016 after many years as seasonal visitors. He is a lawyer who practiced in Washington, DC, in and out of the government. Concerned about climate change, he chairs Aquinnah’s Climate and Energy Committee and serves on the boards of Vineyard Power and Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative.

Mike MacKenty

Edgartown - Elected member at large
Commissioner since 2024

Mike has been coming to the Vineyard every year of his life and moved here full-time in 2014. Mike is a retired CIO for global companies and is currently pursuing his passions for woodworking, boating, and hunting here on the Island. Mike recently worked on the Edgartown Master Plan and is involved with several conservation and preservation groups on the Island.

Daniel McGinn

Edgartown - Appointed by the Edgartown Select Board
Commissioner since 2026

Elaine Miller

Tisbury - Appointed by the Tisbury Select Board
Commissioner since 2026

Elaine and her husband, Howard, an attorney, have been Island residents for more than 40 years. Elaine was actively involved in real estate and served as an Island representative on the Cape Cod and Islands Association Board of Realtors in 2015–2019. She also served on the Tisbury Planning Board for seven years, including as chair for one year and as a town representative to the MV Land Bank; the Tisbury Affordable Housing Committee, of which she is still a member; and the Advisory Committee of the VTA, of which she is chair. She has also spent six years on the Steering Committee for the Coalition to Create the MV Housing Bank, and is an alternate on the Tisbury Zoning Board of Appeals. She is honored and enthusiastic to join the MVC team.

Ben Robinson

Tisbury - Elected member at large
Commissioner since 2016

Ben is a member of the Tisbury Planning Board and a graduate of the Syracuse School of Architecture. Being born and raised on the Vineyard, he feels that civic participation by residents is vital to the strength of the community.

Douglas Sederholm

West Tisbury - Elected member at large
Commissioner since 2003

Doug is an attorney. He served on the Chilmark Finance Advisory Committee and is a former MVC Chair, most recently from 2019-2020.

Linda Sibley

West Tisbury - Elected member at large
Commissioner since 1992

Linda was the owner of the Vineyard Electronics. She is the longest-serving member of the MVC, and a former MVC Chair.

Brian Smith, Current Vice-Chair of the MVC

Oak Bluffs - Elected member at large
Commissioner from 2010-2014 and since 2022

Brian moved to the Island in 1995 and has served the community in many capacities. He was the West Tisbury Select Board's appointee to the MVC from 2010-2014 and served as the Treasurer as well as Land Use Planning Committee Chairman during that time. Brian also serves as a member of the personnel boards for Oak Bluffs, West Tisbury, and Dukes County.

Ernie Thomas

West Tisbury - Appointed by the West Tisbury Select Board
Commissioner since 2015

Ernie has worked in production control and planning, and is currently doing appliance repairs. He served with the Gay Head Fire Department and Dukes County Search and Rescue.

Jannette Vanderhoop

Aquinnah - Elected member at large
Commissioner since 2025

Jannette was born and raised on Martha’s Vineyard. She is a proud member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe. She sits on the board of directors for the Aquinnah Cultural Center as is an elected Tribal councilwoman. Jannette is also an entrepreneur and environmentalist with an MO “to teach people to respect nature through art.” She has made and sold jewelry under the name Island Naturals for the last 20 years and is a business owner at NV Gardens.

Peter Wharton, Current Chair of the MVC

Appointed by the Dukes County Commission
MVC Commissioner since 2022

With roots in Oak Bluffs that go back four generations, and having served on both the Airport and Dukes County commissions, Peter is proud to be the County's appointed representative to the Martha's Vineyard Commission.