Director of Science

Dr. Burcher completed his Doctorate in Nuclear Physics in 2019 and went on to work as a postdoctoral research scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. He has since moved back to Cape May and Dr. Sean Burcher currently works at Cellular Tracking Technologies (CTT) as an embedded software developer. He works to develop state-of-the-art telemetry devices for wildlife with a focus on tracking marine animals.

Director of Marine Science

Melissa Laurino serves as the Research Director and a USCG 100-ton Master Captain with the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center. She is a graduate from Stockton University with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Marine Biology and Data Science and Analytics. She studies our local Cape May populations of marine mammals and curates our Bottlenose Dolphin and Humpback Whale catalogs using photo-identification.

Director of Art

Daniel Magariel is the author of One of the Boys and Walk the Darkness Down. His novels have been widely reviewed and translated into a dozen languages. He teaches at Columbia University.

Director of Education

Dr. Marilyn Murphy, is the former Director of the Center on Innovations in Learning at Temple University. She also served as Director of the Institute for Schools and Society, the research branch of the Temple University College of Education. She received her doctorate from Temple University in Education, Curriculum and Technology.

President

Bob wears many hats, from President of the Arts and Science Center to founder of the Harriet Tubman Museum and owner of the Cape May National Golf Course, the Chalfonte Hotel, and Dormer House. Bob rescued the historic building that is now the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center from demolition in 2021. Bob is passionate about conserving Cape May’s rich natural and cultural histories.

Operations Manager

Alicia’s upbringing in Cape May fostered her love for the natural world, inspired by family camping trips, fishing, gardening, and exploring National Parks. She earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Conservation  and Ecology from Lipscomb University in Tennessee and later a Master’s of Science in Sustainability with a focus on Watershed Management. Alicia has worked with organizations like AmeriCorps, Save Barnegat Bay, and The Nature Conservancy, where she contributed to water quality research, habitat preservation, and environmental education.

Business Manager

Katie is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where she studied Marketing and International Business. She began her career in the non-profit field as a Development Assistant for a career and technical school in Philadelphia, and spent her summers working at The Chalfonte Hotel. After taking some time to focus on raising her two daughters, Violet and Hazel, in Clearwater, FL and Cape Cod, MA, Katie returned to Cape May and to the Chalfonte where she has worn many hats over the years and currently handles bookkeeping and administrative duties for various projects spearheaded by the Mullock family. Katie is committed to assisting the mission of the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center by ensuring accountability and fiscal responsibility.

Events Coordinator

Both a local and resident of Cape May Point, Ellie is our Events Coordinator. She manages events at the Arts and Science Center and at the Chalfonte Hotel. Prior to joining the Center, she worked at University of Tennessee in Alumni Relations as Assistant Director of Special Events. Ellie is thrilled that this historically significant building has been preserved, and is proud to support the transformation of it into an Arts and Science Center!

Gardening, Maintenance and Groundskeepers

Katie and Mark Bliss are the live-in caretakers and head gardeners at the Center, having recently retired from Blissful Gardening, their garden design and maintenance business based in Northern New Jersey. Katie has addressed Garden Clubs and Master Gardeners throughout the Northeast as well as taught courses at the Rutgers Home Gardeners School. After a career on Wall Street, Mark joined Blissful Gardening in 2012, enabling him to focus on construction and handiwork services. They are past recipients of the Jefferson Award for Public Service in recognition of their volunteer efforts at Greenwood Gardens located in Short Hills, New Jersey. Katie grew up vacationing in Cape May, and both Katie and Mark have worked in Cape May on and off for many years.