Pat Wilson Pheanious, Program Director

Pat Wilson Pheanious leads Stopping Stones’ national effort to engage communities in recovering history and honoring enslaved people, like her own ancestors, who built America and fought for its freedom before securing their own. A Connecticut native and attorney, Pat has served as Commissioner of Social Services and as a State Representative (2018–2021). In 2017, research by the founder of the Witness Stones Project uncovered five generations of her enslaved ancestors, reshaping her life and inspiring her leadership. She became the Witness Stones Project’s founding board chair in 2019 and executive director in 2024, coming to Historic New England in 2025 when the Witness Stones Project joined the Stopping Stones program.

Mikayla Harden, Assistant Director and Researcher

Mikayla Harden manages partner relationships for Stopping Stones and serves as its lead researcher. She holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Delaware and is currently completing her doctorate at the University of Delaware, where her research focuses on the lives of enslaved Black children in eighteenth-century New York. Before joining Historic New England, Mikayla served as a leadership consultant with a Black maternal health organization, where she advanced equity-driven initiatives. She joined Historic New England in 2025.

Liz Lightfoot, School and Youth Program Manager

Liz Lightfoot leads the implementation of Witness Stones’ award-winning curriculum, working with schools and community groups to engage in deep explorations of historical records and to remember and celebrate individuals their communities had forgotten. A journalist-turned-educator, she has spent her career working for news organizations, schools, and nonprofits. She previously served as operations manager for the Witness Stones Project. She joined Historic New England in 2025 when the Witness Stones Project became part of the Stopping Stones program.