100 Black Women Serving the Vineyard for 70 Years
100 Black Women Serving the Vineyard for 70 Years
Join us at the Museum for a powerful and celebratory conversation honoring seventy years of The Cottagers, Inc., a group of 100 Black women whose commitment to community, culture, and care has left an enduring mark on the Island.
This special program launches the celebration leading up to the June 24 grand reopening of Cottagers’ Corner (57 Pequot Avenue in Oak Bluffs), following an extensive renovation of this historic and deeply meaningful space. Moderated by Cottager Linda Moffat, the conversation will feature four Cottagers reflecting on the organization’s origins, its evolution, and the legacy it continues to build.
Through the panelists’ reflections and voices from the audience, the program will bring the building itself into focus. Once a fire station and long a place of fellowship and service, Cottagers’ Corner carries a layered history shaped by community engagement. You’ll also hear the compelling and little-known story of how the founding women were only able to purchase the building through an unexpected and pivotal act of allyship.
Taking place in the days leading up to Juneteenth, this program is both a celebration and a moment to pause and connect with a living history marked by resilience, determination, and the collective power of women working together across generations to improve the quality of life on Martha’s Vineyard.
Be part of The Cottagers’ story as it is shared and carried forward.
Panel discussion from 5-6pm, followed by a reception until 7pm with wine and light bites.
BIOS:
Patricia Bush is CEO and founder of Sustainable Facilities Management Services (SFMS), where she leads strategy, operations, and partnerships serving government and commercial clients. She previously held leadership roles at Polaroid Corporation and the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative, guiding major strategic initiatives for organizations including the FBI and U.S. Army.
She also served in the Obama Administration at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as Division Director in the Office of Strategic Planning and Management. Bush holds an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and an AB from Mount Holyoke College.
An Oak Bluffs homeowner, she has been a member of The Cottagers, Inc. for fifteen years and has served as President since 2023.
Jennifer Smith Turner is an award-winning author and retired executive with a distinguished forty-year career spanning the healthcare, financial services, insurance, and nonprofit sectors. She is the former CEO of Girl Scouts of Connecticut and has served in appointed government roles in both the State of Connecticut and the City of Hartford. A full-time resident of Martha’s Vineyard, Jennifer is an active community leader, serving on the board of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum and as a Trustee of Martha’s Vineyard Bank and its Charitable Foundation. She is also an active member of The Cottagers. Jennifer is on the advisory committee for Literary Arts at Featherstone Center for the Arts. She is the author of the award-winning novel Child Bride, along with two collections of poetry.
Linda C. Moffat is a veteran media executive with more than 25 years of leadership in sales, marketing, and affiliate relations at Turner Broadcasting, National Geographic Channels, and AmericanLife TV Network. She also served in public affairs with the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Her honors include the TARA Award for Sales Woman of Achievement and the Atlanta YWCA Women of Achievement Award. A dedicated civic leader, she is an active member of The Cottagers, Inc., and involved with several Island community organizations.
Leah Brown is a year-round Martha’s Vineyard resident, entrepreneur, and community leader with deep Island ties. She is an active member of The Cottagers, Inc. and has served on the boards of Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, the Oak Bluffs Zoning Board, and Martha’s Vineyard Mediation.
Nationally, she is recognized as co-founder of Diversity Alliance for Science, Inc., and as founder or former CEO of Acnos Pharma CTS and A10 Clinical Solutions. A licensed attorney, she brings extensive executive and board leadership experience.
Her honors include Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year® Award and recognition from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Jocelyn Coleman Walton, a retired educator/administrator and textbook author, was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. She received both a BS (Mathematics) in 1961 and an MA (Mathematics) in 1966 from Morgan State College (now University). In 2018, Jocelyn authored a memoir entitled The Place My Heart Calls Home. This memoir documents her family’s storied history from the busy streets of Roxbury to the quiet roads and beaches of Martha’s Vineyard. Jocelyn has spent summers on the Island since first arriving at age 1. She lives year-round in a house she and her husband built on property her grandmother purchased in the mid 1940s. Jocelyn is active with The Cottagers, Inc., is chair of “Deltas on the Vineyard”, and serves as co-chair of the Martha’s Vineyard Diversity Coalition (MVDC) Education Committee.
We have sold out and apologize for any inconvenience.
DETAILS
| Date | June 11, 2026 |
|---|---|
| From | 5:00 pm |
| To | 7:00 pm |
| Type | Talk |
| Venue | Martha’s Vineyard Museum |