Barbara Gomes has 20 years of nonprofit development experience with an emphasis on communications and donor development. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and serves on the board of the New Jersey Highlands Coalition. She earned her Bachelor's degree from Kean University.

Ben Spinelli is an innovative leader in environmental policy, land use practices, land preservation and strategic planning. His career spans both the public and private sectors, including two decades as a trial attorney, three terms as the elected mayor of Chester Township and several senior-level roles at the local, state and federal levels including his current appointment as the Executive Director of the Highlands Council. Ben is an active volunteer on community and non-profit boards and is a self-proclaimed “Jersey Guy” at heart, having visited each of the state’s 565 municipalities.

Beth has 24 years’ experience in river restoration, water quality monitoring, community outreach, and project management. At The Nature Conservancy, Beth leads development and implementation of major on-the-ground stream restoration projects, including dam removals,
from permit application to working with engineers, contractors, and partners for successful project completion. Beth leads the NJ Statewide Dam Removal Partnership. Beth previously
worked as executive director of the Musconetcong Watershed Association. She holds a
Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry from Rutgers University and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from Montclair State University.

An avid fly fisherman and clean water advocate, Bill served as Executive Director of the South Branch Watershed Association from 2005 until RHA was created in 2011. Bill graduated from United States Military Academy, served as an officer with the Army Corps of Engineers, earned his law degree from Syracuse University, and became an attorney specializing in environmental law. He is the former Chief of the Califon Fire Department and serves on the New Jersey Highlands Coalition Policy Committee and the Raritan Basin Watershed Alliance.

Bill Rawlyk, Open Space Institute’s Senior Program Manager for the Mid-Atlantic has worked to manage OSI’s grant programs in that regions for the last 13 years, overseeing over 195 grants and loans in five OSI Capital Funds for climate and water protection including the Delaware River Watershed Fund, Bayshore Highlands Fund and the OSI Revolving Loan Fund supported by the William Penn Foundation and the Northeast Resiliency and Appalachian Landscape Protection Funds supported by the Doris Duke and Richard King Mellon Foundations. Previously Bill was Director of Land Preservation for D&R
Greenway Land Trust in Princeton NJ, completing over 200 land acquisition projects over 12 years. On
his local Environmental Commission Bill oversaw design of an award-winning regional watershed plan.

Bill is a lifetime naturalist with a BS in Marine Biology from Farleigh Dickinson University and in his spare time, advises watershed associations and land trusts on conservation projects.

Carl Alderson is a Restoration Ecologist/Marine Resources Specialist with the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation at the JJ Howard Marine Science Lab at Sandy Hook. Carl provides technical expertise in service to programs seeking compensation and restitution for injuries to natural resources, as authorized under federal and state laws. Carl provides technical support to NOAA Grants Programs including congressionally authorized BIL/IRA grants. The Office of Habitat Conservation is engaged in a national effort to improve the overall health of coastal habitats and river systems. Prior to joining NOAA in 2002, Carl led a NYC team of scientists in a decade-long effort to combat the injurious effects of oil spills in the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary. Carl is a graduate of the Rutgers University School of Environmental and Biological Sciences with a BS in Environmental Design and is a practicing Licensed Landscape Architect and avid kayaker.

Charlie Laing, MS, is the Forestry Program Manager with NYCDEP’s Natural Resources Division overseeing a team of professional foresters charged with managing the City’s watershed forest holdings to maximize water quality protection. He has over 30 years of experience in land management and conservation for both non-profits and municipal government. He holds a BS in plant biology and geography from the University of St Andrews, and an MS in Forestry from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Prior to joining EELC, Chris was a partner at Maraziti Falcon, LLP, where he litigated environmental and land use cases on behalf of local governments throughout the State. Chris is a graduate of Vermont Law School where he earned a J.D. and a Master of Studies in Environmental Law cum laude, and served as a student attorney in the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic. Chris lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two sons.

Dean Blumetti is a former Conservation Chair and Board member of the Fred S. Burroughs North Jersey chapter of the non-profit conservation organization, Trout Unlimited. He currently serves as the Deputy Mayor of Sparta Township and is a past Chair and member of the township’s Environmental Commission. Dean is a 2023 recipient of the ANJEC (Association of NJ Environmental Commissions) Municipal Environmental Leadership award. He earned a BA from Drew University, an MBA from New York University, and more recently completed a Sustainability Certificate program at New York University, the FSA (Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting) Level 1 program, and the Climate Reality Leader program.

Deborah Kratzer is an Environmental Scientist at New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Monitoring, Standards and Pesticide Control, Bureau of Environmental Analysis, Restoration and Standards. She has a bachelor's degree in biology from Drew University and a master's degree in sustainability science from Montclair State University. At NJDEP, Debbie manages the Community Water Monitoring Program, leads the study and and strategy to address the impacts of winter salt use on surface water quality, and develops watershed restoration and protection plans and Total Maximum Daily Loads.

Alan Hunt, PhD, is a Community Planner with the National Park Service in the Partnership Wild and
Scenic Rivers and Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance programs. Since joining in the NPS in February 2024, he has focused on improving recreational access for underserved communities in New Jersey and New York. Prior to joining NPS, Alan worked with non-profit organizations for nearly 20 years on river restoration, cultural and historic resources, healthy food access and local food systems. A native of New Jersey, Alan lives on a farm with his wife and daughter in rural northwestern New Jersey.

Emile has been the Manager of Science and Stewardship at the New
Jersey Conservation Foundation since 1989. He received a doctorate in Ecology in 1988 for research on bird communities and vegetation landscapes in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens.  Dr. DeVito directs field research on NJCF preserves, partnering with faculty and graduate
students at nearby universities. He assists in developing and implementing management plans for NJCF’s 25,000+ acres of holdings designed to protect and enhance biological diversity. He is a trustee of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, NJ Natural Lands Trust, the
Rancocas Conservancy, and the Rahway River Watershed Association,
and he co-chairs the Highlands Coalition Natural Resource Committee.

Kristi holds a Ph.D. in ecology from Rutgers University, and has focused her scientific research on learning how species respond to human-caused stressors. As a conservation scientist at RHA, she directs a team of talented fellow-scientists and practitioners to monitor, study and understand the impacts of land use and climate change on stream ecosystems. Her program works closely with municipalities and other partners to implement green infrastructure, riparian restoration, and other best management practices to restore and protect ecosystems in the Upper Raritan River Watershed of New Jersey, USA. Prior to joining RHA in 2015, she held positions at NJ Fish and Wildlife – Endangered and Nongame Species Program, the Wildlife Conservation Society, Hudsonia, and NY/NJ Baykeeper, and taught AP biology at a rigorous science magnet program for Newark Public Schools. Kristi has studied wildlife as close to home as the New Jersey shore and as far away as islands in the Indian Ocean while serving as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer. She co-authored and recently published the book “Urban Biodiversity – the Natural History of the New Jersey Meadowlands.”

Elliott Ruga is the Director of Policy & Communications at the NJ Highlands Coalition. He is the founding chair of the Boonton Trails Committee, which is developing the Boonton segment of the 102-mile Morris Canal Greenway and is the vice chair of the Boonton Historic Preservation Commission. Elliott has served on the Morris County Open Space Committee and the Morris County Heritage Commission. Last year Elliott served on the Boonton Town Council, filling the unexpired term of a Council member who had resigned. Recently, Elliott wrote, produced, directed and edited a documentary about the Native American experience in northern NJ, The Way of the Ramapough, which has had several public showings and is available on YouTube.

Erin Stretz has specialized in New Jersey water quality and participatory science for 15 years, having trained, accredited, and tested thousands of community scientists in freshwater monitoring. Erin is the Assistant Director of Science at The Watershed Institute, where she has led a variety of water quality, stormwater management, and watershed education programs since 2011. In 2018, she received funding and a strong partnership from NJDEP to re-launch the NJ Watershed Watch Network to build capacity for community-based freshwater monitoring programs through standardized guidance, technical support, training, and small grants. Erin began her career in water with the Americorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassador Program. She holds a P.S.M. in Environmental Science from Oregon State University and a B.S. in Geographic Science from James Madison University.

Gabriel Levitan is an Outdoor Recreation Planner with the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program.

Since joining NPS in October 2023, Gabe has supported locally led conservation and outdoor recreation projects assisting communities and public land managers in developing or restoring arks, conservation areas, rivers, and recreation opportunities with a specific focus on social capital and climate resilience. He is a recent Summa Cum Laude graduate of Ithaca College, graduating in the top 3% of his class with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a B.A. in sociology.

Harvey Klein has an extensive background in environmental and food chemistry, microbiology and public health. He is recognized as an expert witness in both state and local courts, and has given expert testimonies and lectures in the public and private sectors, incorporating years of experience in chromatography and mass spectrometry, atomic absorption spectrometry, wet chemical analysis and bacteriology.

Heather Desko is a Principal Watershed Protection Specialist for the New Jersey Water Supply Authority. She joined the Authority in 2009, after serving as an AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador. Heather manages the Authority’s water monitoring programs, aquatic invasive species and harmful algal bloom projects, and River-Friendly Business and School certification programs. She is a Certified Lake Manager and member of the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS), the Mid-Atlantic Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species (MAPAIS), the Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society (NEAPMS), and the New Jersey Water Monitoring Council, where she serves as the co-chair of the Decontamination Protocols Workgroup.

Heather received both her BA in Environmental Science and MA in Energy and Environmental Analysis from Boston University.

Heather became a citizen scientist in response to the urgent need to address Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and their impact on lake use. She directs a volunteer water monitoring program designed to be an early detector of HABs and inform lake management decisions. She oversees projects to improve water quality and enhance community knowledge about nutrient reduction and lake friendly living. Heather served multiple terms as an elected school board member, public library trustee and currently serves as a board member of the Lake Owassa Community Association and delegate to the NJ Coalition of Lake Associations. She’s completed trained through the Rutgers Water Resources Program, Rutgers Continuing Education and the Montclair University NJ Center for Water Science and Technology.

Julia has been the Executive Director of the New Jersey Highlands Coalition since the launch of the organization in 2006. Julia provides the comprehensive strategic direction and financial management for the Coalition. Julia’s enriched experience includes having been the first Executive Director of the Great Swamp Watershed Association, a not-for-profit environmental organization founded to preserve and protect the 36,000 acres of the Great Swamp watershed. Julia is Chair of the Board of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, a Board member of the New Jersey Environmental Lobby, and recently was appointed by the Governor to serve as a Public Member of the New Jersey State Planning Commission.

Kerry Kirk Pflugh is the Executive Director for the New Jersey School of Conservation. She is responsible for developing policy and implementing the educational objectives developed by the Board of Trustees set forth in the Friends of NJSOC’s strategic plan. The NJSOC has been providing students and teachers with environmental education experiences and training for more than 75 years. The NJSOC is internationally recognized as a leader in teaching the four curriculum areas using unique methods of experiential learning and learning through discovery.

Ms. Pflugh is responsible for spearheading the successful effort to save and reopen the historic environmental education field center and is now working to restore the former CCC campus. Working with the environmental and education community and champions in the state legislature, Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation in 2022 assigning the Friends of NJSOC legal responsibility for the management of the historic environmental education center. Previously, Ms. Pflugh had a 35 year career as a social scientist in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection focusing on strategic communication planning to ensure citizen participation in environmental management decision-making, and where she served as the Director for Local Government Assistance at the New Jersey for six of those years.

Kristine works to organize watershed restoration projects and educational events that inspire residents to take action to protect water quality. Prior to being hired by the SCMUA-WRWMG, Kristine completed a year-long term of service with the AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassadors’ Program and is currently serving on the Sparta Township Environmental Commission. Kristine holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Sustainability from Drew University and a Sustainability Science with a concentration in Sustainability Leadership master’s degree from Montclair State University.

Sandra LaVigne is the Director of Water Quality Programs at GSWA.
Sandra oversees the water quality monitoring program at GSWA including collecting data in the field at over 40 different sites along local streams and the length of the Passaic River. She also organizes the Stream Team volunteers who assist in collecting various data sets.  Sandra attended Cook College, Rutgers University where as an undergraduate, she studied Ecology, and as a graduate student, she studied wetland restoration. While at GSWA Sandra developed and implemented a microplastics sampling protocol for small headwater stream systems. In 2023, she
established a sampling protocol for collecting data on PFAS chemicals in surface waters.

GSWA - The Great Swamp Watershed Association protects and improves the health of the Passaic River through science, education, land preservation and stewardship, and advocacy. We support a “One River, One Community” vision for the many rural, suburban, and urban communities along the Passaic River, for a future in which all the region’s citizens understand that the health of the watershed is integrally connected to the quality of their daily lives and work to protect it for current and future generations.

Sandy Urgo joined The Land Conservancy of New Jersey in 2003 after spending the previous two decades pursuing her interests in open space preservation and sustainable land use in Northern New Jersey. Sandy oversees all components of TLC's land preservation program and manages its Land Preservation Team. She is TLC's lead negotiator for acquisition of land for open space, farmland preservation, conservation and recreation purposes. Sandy and her team
have written hundreds of grant applications to obtain open space and farmland funding. Sandy also leads our Stewardship Team and develops concepts and funding for our land and water restoration projects and oversees each restoration.

Prior to joining TLC, Sandy served on the Roxbury Township Council between 1998 and 2005 and served as Roxbury’s Mayor in 2000 and 2001. She was a charter member and Chair of the Township’s Open Space Committee from 1994 through 2001 and served 8 years on
the Township’s Planning Board. Sandy was honored to receive the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award for Land Conservation in 2018 and was the first individual to receive this award.

Tenisha serves as the Director of the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey Girls Leadership Center in Newark. She also leads TNM Consulting, LLC, and is the Founder & Chief Outdoor Experience Officer of Outdoors On Purpose (OOP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to dismantling systemic racism within New Jersey's natural and built environments. She previously served as the Director of the Urban Mayors Policy Center at the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University. Before her tenure at the Watson Institute, Malcolm-Wint made significant contributions to a range of national and community-based nonprofits. She spearheaded large-scale, innovative programs, led successful fundraising campaigns, and drove strategic development initiatives, all while fostering positive social change. Her dedication to social causes extends beyond her professional roles, demonstrated by her active involvement as a board member for organizations such as New Jersey Future, Urban Agriculture Cooperative, Boys & Girls Club of Union County, National Association of Double Dutch Organizations, and New Jersey School of Conservation.

Thomas Bodolsky holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree with honors from Stevens Institute of Technology and a Master of Civil Engineering degree from Newark College of Engineering (now NJIT). He has practiced in the civil engineering profession since 1973 and was licensed as a Professional Engineer (NJ) in 1976. In 1979 he formed Pequest Engineering Company in NW New Jersey offering engineering, surveying, and environmental services relating to residential and commercial land development. He served as a founding member and Vice-President of Citizens for Sustainable Development which gained unprecedented success in defeating a 2.8 Million square foot warehouse proposal in rural Warren County.