Land Trust AllianceLand Trust Alliance

New York Advisory Board

The New York Land Trust Advisory Board was established in 1991 by New York land trust leaders to create a stronger and more cohesive land trust community in New York. In the early 1990s, the Advisory Board invited the Land Trust Alliance to launch a New York Program. This became the Alliance's first field office (the Alliance now has four regional program offices across the country.)

While the New York Advisory Board is not a formal board of directors and has no formal fiduciary duty to the Land Trust Alliance, its advisory function has been vital to the New York Program. The Advisory Board helps to shape the programming for New York by addressing land trust needs and emerging issues, reviewing and evaluating Alliance policies, and recommending programs and public policy initiatives to the Alliance.

The Advisory Board is comprised of leaders from across New York's land conservation community. Advisory Board members are executive directors or board presidents New York land trusts or other members of the community with land conservation experience and expertise. Advisory Board members are volunteers and participate as individuals and not as representatives of their organizations.

Current Officers and Members

Chair

Linda Garrett, Executive Director, Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust

Vice Chair

  • Ben Gajewski, Executive Director, Genesee Valley Conservancy

 

  • Judy Anderson, Community Consultants
  • Tally Blumberg, Chief Program Officer, Open Space Institute
  • Lori Ensinger, Executive Director, Westchester Land Trust
  • Ben Gajewski, Executive Director, Genesee Valley Conservancy
  • John Halsey, President, Peconic Land Trust
  • Elliott Hillback, Board President, Indian River Lakes Conservancy
  • Seth McKee, Land Conservation Director, Scenic Hudson
  • Gay Mills, Executive Director, Genesee Land Trust
  • Lisa Ott, Executive Director, North Shore Land Alliance
  • Jessica Ottney, Director of Government Relations, The Nature Conservancy
  • Peter Paden, Executive Director, Columbia Land Conservancy
  • Teri Ptacek, Executive Director, Agricultural Stewardship Association
  • Nancy Smith, Executive Director, Western New York Land Conservancy
  • Carter Strickland, Executive Director, Trust for Public Land
  • Becky Thornton, President, Dutchess Land Conservancy
  • Jake Tibbles, Executive Director, Thousand Islands Land Trust
  • Andrew Zepp, Executive Director, Finger Lakes Land Trust

Committee Members Only

  • Andy Bicking, Director of Public Policy and Special Projects, Scenic Hudson Land Trust
  • Samantha Levy, New York Policy Manager, American Farmland Trust