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
Dennis Regan
Berkshire Director
Dennis joined HVA in 1999. He oversees HVA's programs along the Housatonic River and its tributaries throughout Berkshire County, continuing PCB remediation discussions, responding to environmental threats in the watershed, creating awareness programs to help ensure better river protection and management, and collecting up-to-date data on the health of the watershed. He is currently on the board of the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, the Berkshire Fish Hatchery, the Advisory Committee of Massachusetts Environmental Trust/Eco-system Grants, and has served as the president of the Massachusetts Watershed Coalition.
(413) 298-7024
Michael Jastremski
Watershed Conservation Director
Michael joined HVA in March 2013. He coordinates the Stream Team program, organizes cleanups and educates the community on river issues. Mike comes to us from New York's Delaware County Planning Department where he has served as the Environmental Planner since 2010 (before that serving as their Stream Management Planner). Mike's on-the-ground experience includes extensive work with communities on such things as stream corridor management, water quality protection and planning, environmental regulation, natural hazard mitigation, habitat restoration, storm water management and site plan review.
860) 672-6678 ext.109
Maria Grace
New York Watershed Manager
Maria Grace joined HVA as the New York Watershed Manager in May 2017 after serving as the River Adventure Coordinator for HVA’s 2016 Source to Sound Paddle Trip. Before relocating to the northwest corner in 2014, Maria worked in New Jersey for several conservation organizations including the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of N.J., the South Branch Watershed Association, and the Passaic River Coalition. She has spent most of her professional career connecting people to the natural world through innovative education and outreach programs. Maria supports the Ten Mile River Watershed Collaborative, engaging community leaders and stakeholders in finding new ways to conserve the Ten Mile River Watershed's outstanding land and water resources.
860) 672-6678 ext.110
Lindsay Keener-Eck
Conservation Projects Manager
Lindsay joined HVA in January 2018. She received her B.S. (Wildlife Ecology) from the University of Maine in 2009 and her M.S. (Natural Resources & the Environment, with a focus on Human Dimensions) from the University of Connecticut in 2017. Prior to this position, she worked in a variety of seasonal wildlife jobs (i.e., fish, bats, desert tortoises, timber rattlesnakes), and spent several years on an organic vegetable farm in the Housatonic Valley. Lindsay is part of the Watershed Conservation Team, with a focus on projects related to road-stream crossings.
(860) 672-6678 ext.112
Courteny Morehouse
Conservation Projects Manager
Courteny joined HVA in September 2017. Previously she worked as a Field Technician at the Hamilton Wetlands Restoration Project in Novato, CA and an Operations Manager for a number of years at nonprofits focused on food, farming, and sustainable design throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Courteny has an undergraduate in Biology and a MBA in Sustainable Business from Pinchot University. Having grown up in Maryland, she is returning to the East Coast after twelve years on the west coast. She works on HVA’s Watershed Conservation team mainly focused on the Still River Watershed and manages the Still River Watershed Connections Program.
(860) 672-6678 ext. 108
Land Protection
Tim Abbott
Regional Conservation and Greenprint Director
Tim joined the Litchfield Hills Greenprint Program in 2006. Under his leadership, the Greenprint has facilitated more than 3,300 acres of protected land and leveraged more than $10,800,000 in public and private funding for these projects. Tim also led the team that earned HVA first-time accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission in 2014.
Tim has been a conservation leader in New England since 1998, with prior positions as Director of The Nature Conservancy’s three-state Berkshire Taconic Landscape Program and as a Program Director with the Trust For Public Land in Connecticut. He is on the RCP Network Steering Committee representing Connecticut's Regional Conservation partnerships. He administers the Connecticut State Committee of the Highlands Coalition and is a past chair of the Connecticut Land Conservation Council.
He serves on the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's Natural Heritage, Open Space & Watershed Land Acquisition Review Board and the State Forestry Committee that vets and proposes Forest Legacy projects. Tim holds an MA from Clark University in International Development (recipient of a J. William Fulbright Fellowship to Namibia in 1996) and a BA in English from Haverford College (1990).
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 18 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 Specialist/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
Development
Richard C. Sears
Development Director
Dick joined HVA in 2008. He is in charge of HVA's development activities and grants program. Dick has 33 years of executive and management experience. He served as Washington's First Selectman from 2003 to 2007. Before that he was Director of Development of the Devereux Glenholme School from 1996 to 2003. Dick served as minister of the First Congregational Church for 10 years. Dick was Founding Trustee and President of the Washington Community Housing Trust, Inc. that attracted more than $3 million in private support to create housing for families, individuals and senior citizens. Dick served on the boards of the Housatonic/Shepaug United Way, HOMEConnecticut and Governor Rell’s Housing Advisory Board. Sears is Chaplain to the Washington Volunteer Fire Company and an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.
(860) 672-6678 ext.104
Kelly Parker
Membership Manager
Kelly joined the HVA team in June 2018 as the Annual Giving & Grants Manager. She brings more than 10 years of experience in the non-profit sector, working specifically in philanthropy and special event management. Prior to joining HVA, Kelly worked with two local nonprofits to help build their capacity through new donor acquisitions, grants, and by creating additional donor engagement opportunities. From 2008-2014 she worked as a Resource Educator for Cornell University Cooperative Extension, focusing her efforts on the 4-H Program, which is designed for youth in agriculture.
Kelly holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Marist College, as well as two Bachelor’s Degrees from the University of Rhode Island. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outside in the garden, or with the animals on her farm where she lives with her husband and two children.
(860) 672-6678 ext. 106
Communications, Education & Outreach
Rob Wallace
Communications Director
Rob joined HVA in January 2017 as Communications Director. He’s served as the VP of Communications at national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful, as a communications consultant and strategist for businesses and nonprofits of all sizes, and brings agency creative and production experience as well. A graduate of the University of Baltimore (BS Communications / MA, Communications Design), Rob has served on the boards of the Bethel Land Trust, Bethel Chamber of Commerce, Preservation Advocates for Terre Haute and Bethel Arts. He’s been elected to the Bethel Inland Wetlands Commission, and been appointed to several land use and open space committees (most recently the Bethel Transit-Oriented Development task force). He’s an avid hiker, backpacker, kayaker, amateur photographer and dad of two.
(860) 672-6678 ext.115
Jane Bakker
Communications 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 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
Alison Dixon
Berkshire Outreach Program 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
Nick Giordano
Connections Crew Leader
Nick joined the HVA team in 2018 as the Still River Connections Crew Leader after just graduating from SUNY ESF with a B.S. in Wildlife Science. He is experienced in invasive species removal and and interested in birds (especially waterfowl) and getting to know more species of plants and animals. Nick is a cross country runner, originally from in Armonk, NY and is looking forward to getting to know the Still River Watershed.
Financial
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
Tsuga
Moral Support
Tsuga is a good boy. Good boy, Tsuga! He specializes in romping, stream jumping, kid chasing and trash can inspections.
Sadie
Moral Support
Sadie is a good girl (usually)! Good girl, Sadie! Doubling as office security director, Sadie specializes in greeting visitors at the front door, tennis ball chasing and occasional mischief.
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.
Benny
Moral Support
Benny is a good boy! Good boy, Benny! He's an expert at napping, mooching food and fending off Tsuga's roughhousing.
Samson
Moral Support
Samson is a good boy! Good boy Samson! As the youngest team member (still a baby, really), he instills energy in everything he undertakes. He especially enjoys inspecting the toys of his counterparts in the department and shaking up the status quo.
