Jack Fritsch (he/him/his) joined the Nantucket Book Festival in 2013, served two years as Co-Chair, and also served as the Nantucket Book Foundation Treasurer. He came to Nantucket as a research biologist in the fields of Animal Behavior, Evolution and Salt Marsh Ecology. After studying and teaching at the University of New Hampshire, the Institute of Marine Science at the University of Alaska and at the University of Massachusetts, his love of history and New England culture quickly led him to the antiques trade. He co-founded the Antiques Depot on Nantucket in 1989 with Howard Chadwick, and continues now in partnership with Nantucket House Antiques and Interior Design. He has also been active in the community, serving as a former Chair and perennial volunteer with the Nantucket Historical Association's Festival of Trees, as well as serving on the Nantucket Arts Council (former Vice President), the Nantucket Center for Elder Affairs, and the Two Union Street Preservation Trust, as well as volunteering with the Artist’s Association and the Nantucket Animal Hospital.