Executive Director
Lynn Werner
Executive Director
Lynn joined HVA in 1983, helping citizens respond effectively to local environmental problems. She assumed the Executive Directorship in 1995. HVA has since quadrupled in size and capacity, with staff working at all levels of public and private environmental decision-making in the region. Early on, Lynn helped form and then co-chaired the Clean Water Coalition, and served on the legislative Aquifer Protection Task Force. She now serves as co-chair of the Connecticut Highlands Coalition Committee, part of a four-state effort to preserve the last remaining large tracts of land throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and western Connecticut.
Lynn is a founding member and former president of the Rivers Alliance of Connecticut, a member and former chair of the Rivers Advisory Committee for the Department of Environmental Protection; and on the boards of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition, Earthshare New England and Earthshare National. In her hometown, Lynn serves as chair of the Kent Inland Wetland Commission, and is an appointed member of the Kent Land Acquisition Advisory Committee.
(860) 672-6678 ext.102
Water Protection
Michael Jastremski
Watershed Conservation Director
Mike joined HVA in March of 2013. His passion for natural history and conservation work comes from a lifetime spent outdoors hunting and fishing. Before coming to HVA, Mike was the Environmental Planner for Delaware County, NY. In his role with the Planning Department (and his concurrent volunteer service with the Delhi and Sidney, NY Fire/EMS Departments), he was part of Delaware County’s Response, Recovery, and Mitigation operations in the wake of four federally declared flood disasters that occurred over just three years. This experience allowed him to work closely with communities to understand and improve their relationship with their streams in a changing climate, which was excellent preparation for the work he does with HVA.
Mike leads HVA’s Watershed Conservation program. The Watershed Conservation team manages a wide variety of projects related to watershed and stream corridor management, water quality conservation, aquatic habitat restoration and recreation enhancement. In addition to his work with HVA, Mike also serves as the Coordinator of the Lower Hudson Coalition of Conservation Districts, is on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Chapter of the Native Fish Coalition and the Steering Committee for the Hartford Community Foundation’s Canton Greater Together Grant Program. He lives in Canton, CT with his son, River, and their dog, Tsuga.
Mike has a masters degree in Landscape Architecture with an emphasis in Conservation Biology and Ecosystem Management from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, and is certified as a Floodplain Manager through the Association of State Floodplain Managers.
(860) 672-6678 ext.109
Alison Dixon
Berkshire Watershed Conservation Manager
Alison joined HVA in March 2010. She manages HVA’s Berkshire river monitoring and education projects, and reviews river-corridor development proposals, and plays a major role in our river education and paddling trips. Alison worked for New Hampshire Audubon as a naturalist and facility and volunteer manager. She has also worked for the Center for Ecological Technology and the Appalachian Mountain Club in the Berkshires. She has an undergraduate degree in Ecological Economics from UMass and a masters in Elementary Education from Lesley University.
(413) 298-7024
Shannon Poulin
Berkshire Conservation Technician
Shannon joined HVA in January 2022. As an HVA volunteer, she assisted with road-stream crossing assessments and with completing water quality and stream assessment reports. Shannon will be leading school programs, directing water quality monitoring projects and assisting with road-stream crossing projects in the upper Housatonic Watershed. Shannon has a BS in Biology (2019) and a Master’s in Public Administration (2012) from Westfield State University. Shannon is a Clerk for the Egremont Conservation Commission and conducts cyanobacteria sampling and analysis for eleven lakes in Berkshire County.
413-298-7024
Matthew Conrad
Southern Valley Conservation Project Manager
Matt joined HVA in June 2022. He received his B.A. in Biology and Geology from the College of Wooster and his M.S. in Environment and Sustainability with a focus in Conservation Ecology from the University of Michigan. Prior to this position, Matt worked with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, conducting post-restoration monitoring of the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Saginaw, Michigan. He also spent several years conducting surface water quality assessments which included fish, bug, and freshwater mussel surveys. As a part of the water conservation team, he will be working on water quality enhancement and restoration in addition to some educational outreach programs. In his free time Matt enjoys fishing, birding, and watching hockey.
(860) 672-6678 ext. 108
Claire Wegh
Ten Mile River Watershed Manager
Claire joined the HVA in November 2022 after a term with the Student Conservation Association Hudson Valley Corps, serving as Community Projects Assistant with Scenic Hudson, where she worked with the Parks and Community Engagement team to manage volunteers and coordinate events and public programming. She received her B.A. at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, MA in 2018, and immediately began working with local food systems through farming and food service. Claire is part of the Watershed Conservation Team, with a focus on the Ten Mile River watershed, coordinating projects throughout Litchfield and Dutchess counties. She loves good food and the outdoors, and is a beekeeper, gardener, and avid hiker.
646-596-6471
Land Protection
Tim Abbott
Regional Conservation and Greenprint Director
Tim Abbott has been a conservation leader in our region for over twenty years, working with The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land before joining the Housatonic Valley Association in 2008. As HVA's Regional Land Conservation & Greenprint Director, he has helped nearly three dozen conservation organizations and agencies secure more than $16,000,000 in public and private funding and protect more than 10,000 acres of family farmland, woodlands and other special places in Western New England and Eastern New York. He is a strong advocate for regional conservation partnerships, effective conservation policies at the local, state and national levels, and the many benefits that land protection provides to our communities. He is currently spearheading a new multi-partner initiative - Follow the Forest - which seeks to protect a North/South climate corridor of connected and protected habitat between the lower Hudson Valley and Canada. Tim serves on Connecticut’s Natural Heritage, Open Space & Watershed Land Acquisition Review Board, is a member of the RCP Network Steering Committee and of Senator Chris Murphy’s Conservation Advisory Council. He administers the Connecticut State Committee of the Highlands Coalition and is a past chair of the Connecticut Land Conservation Council. He received a B.A. in English from Haverford College in 1990, holds an M.A. in International Development from Clark University (1996), and was the recipient in 1996 of a J. William Fulbright Fellowship in Namibia, southern Africa. When not saving land, he is actively involved in researching and interpreting America's Revolutionary period and is president of a Revolutionary War reenacting nonprofit.
(860) 672-6678 ext.113
Connie Manes
Greenprint Director
Connie joined HVA in January 2016. She works with Greenprint Director Tim Abbott to expand the reach and impact of the land trust conservation partnership. She remains the Principal of Manes Consulting,LLC and part-time Executive Director of Kent Land Trust. In 2012 she pioneered the growing national Land Trust Alliance Circuit Rider program working with nonprofits throughout Connecticut to prepare for national accreditation. Through her work, Connie has directly represented nearly half of the Greenprint member organizations and has strong connections to them all. A graduate of Williams College, she earned her Juris Doctorate from New York University School of Law and her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Pace University.She is a member of the Steering Committee of the statewide Connecticut Land Conservation Council and chairs its Training and Education Committee.
Stacy Deming
GIS Manager
Stacy joined HVA in 2017 and brings extensive GIS and GPS skills and knowledge gained during 22 years of GIS work in both the public and private sectors. From 2002-2009 she was a Survey Technician and GIS Specialist with the National Park Service Alaska Region. She then worked for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection as a GIS Technician on its Protected Open Space Mapping or POSM project, and as a Naturalist/Interpreter in Connecticut State Parks. More recently, she was a GIS Project Manager with the engineering firm of Martinez Couch and Associates, LLC, working with clients ranging from the Department of Defense to the Metropolitan Water District Commission. Stacy has close family connections to southeastern Litchfield County and lives in Bristol.
(860) 672-6678 ext.111
Julia Rogers
Senior Land Protection Manager
Julia joined HVA in October 2021. She has a B.A. in biology from Colby College, and an M.S. in natural resources and the environment from the University of Connecticut. Julia has worked with land trusts in south-central Pennsylvania, northeastern Connecticut, and most recently the Hudson Valley of New York, where she managed their conservation portfolio and pursued new conservation opportunities. She also has extensive research experience - working on projects relating to invasive plant species, non-native earthworms, and tropical rainforest restoration. At HVA, Julia works with partners throughout the region to advance conservation projects and the Follow the Forest Initiative. Julia loves being outside and can often be found whitewater canoeing/kayaking, hiking, trail running, or exploring the Housatonic River Valley.
(860) 672-6678 ext. 118
Development
Communications, Education & Outreach
Jane Bakker
Special Projects Manager
Jane joined HVA in 1991 as Communications Director publishing its newsletter the Housatonic Current and developing public relations. She now works parttime for HVA and freelances as a graphic design consultant. In the 1970s, Jane was City Editor of the Winsted Evening Citizen. She launched The Northwest Hills magazine as publisher and editor in the 1980s and later was publisher of ConnStruction Magazine for the Connecticut Construction Industry Association. She is a former commissioner and secretary of the Torrington Inland Wetlands Commission and secretary of the Artwell Gallery board of directors in Torrington, Conn.
(860) 672-6678 ext.105
Financial
Susan Strano
Director of Finance & Administration
Susan earned her BS in Accounting from St. Michael’s College and her Master of Science in Accounting from Post University. She ran her own accounting, taxes and compliance practice in Torrington for more than 20 years, and during a recent stint living on the Cape, she worked at Bridgewater State University as the Assistant Comptroller. When Susan and her husband decided to move back to Connecticut last year, they settled in Goshen with their chocolate lab Katie to be “close to all the areas we love to explore.”
(860) 672-6678 ext.103
Patience Lindholm
Financial Director/Office Manager
Patience joined HVA in 1985. She prepares financial reports, government filings, and all treasury functions. Her background includes working at GD Searle and Touche Ross & Co. in Boston after receiving her MBA.
(860) 672-6678 ext.103
Office of Stress Relief & Moral Support
Vesta
Moral Support
Possessing a wisdom far beyond most other office mammals, Vesta is the spiritual leader and zen master of our Cornwall Bridge office.
Tsuga
Moral Support
Tsuga is a good boy. He specializes in romping, stream jumping, kid chasing and trash can inspections.
Enzo
Moral Support
Enzo is an energetic puppy who loves anything wet and muddy. Enzo is learning how to be a good boy and is adept at hole digging, tomato stealing and frisbee fetching.
Ganser
Moral Support
Ganser is a very good boy and the newest addition to the Moral Support team! He didn't get to spend much time at the office before everyone switched to working from home, but it is still one of his favorite places ever - because of all the smells, the treats, and the friends!
