Forest Health Task Force Lead

Eli Arnow is a dedicated ecological hunter, land steward, and environmental advocate serving as chair of the Forest Health Task Force at Partners for Climate Action. He has a masters degree from SUNY ESF in Environmental Science with a concentration in ecological restoration and lives in southern Columbia County. 

Municipal Support Program Director

Vanessa has worked for Partners for Climate Action since 2020, where she co-developed the Local Champions program, the Building Decarbonization Grants program, and the Funding Futures training and grant program. Vanessa served three terms as an elected official on the Board of Trustees for the Village of Rhinebeck, NY, where she still leads her Climate Smart Community Task Force and achieved silver certification. As a consultant, Vanessa has worked for The New York Times and clean energy companies. Previously, she worked at Etsy.com for over a decade.

Ecological Projects Manager

Avalon oversees PollinateHV and the Ecological Restoration Grant program. Prior to PCA, she directed a coastal climate resilience education initiative through NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Program. She co-manages a large landscape in Columbia County, focusing on native meadows, forest health, and deer management; she also has over a decade of farm work experience in New York and Canada. Avalon received an MS in ecosystem restoration from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and a BA in geology from Colgate University. She is completing a PhD in restoration ecology at Antioch University.

Founding Partner

Bob has dedicated his professional life to working at the intersection of economics, environmentalism, and culture with an eye toward locally owned business, resilient agriculture, and democratic participation in decision making. Bob also directs the Local Economies Project at the New World Foundation.

Prior to this, he served as executive director of the NoVo Foundation and director of the Rudolf Steiner Foundation’s East Coast Office.

Office Manager

Tambra brings extensive nonprofit experience to her role, previously serving as executive director and co-director of Hudson Hall from 2013 to 2025, where she oversaw administration, programming, and community engagement. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles at cultural institutions including the Cunningham Dance Foundation, the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, Temple Bar Properties in Dublin, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). A Hudson Valley resident for more than 25 years, she is glad to put her organizational skills to work for the region she calls home.

Communications Manager

Melynda Fuller has spent her career working in print and digital media and communications, often at the intersection of science, technology, and culture. She has worked as a travel and science editor, led communications for the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, and consulted on editorial and special events projects with various organizations. An ardent protector of the environment, she dedicates much of her current writing to essays and criticism, asking readers to take special care in noticing the world around them.

Administrative Coordinator

Lena is a Hudson Valley native whose life and work are deeply rooted in connection to land, materials, and craft. As an abstract oil painter and sculptor, she works primarily with handmade raw materials and found objects. Her creative practice is paralleled by her devotion to horses; her two boys, Holden and Gus, are central to her life. Lena's professional path has been multi-faceted: from artist fabricator to manager of horse farms, and most recently, as a client relations manager at STAIR, a fine art and antiques auction house.

Founding Partner

For nearly 30 years, Jack has been a writing and story consultant for independent films and online media, creating compelling content on science, history, and current events for mass audiences, NGOs, and advocacy groups. A distinguished instructor, he has taught documentary workshops throughout the US and Europe. He has also written and directed Emmy Award-winning films for National Geographic and PBS, with series such as Nature and Nova, focused on such topics as climate change in Peru, natural disasters in Haiti, and the opium trade in Afghanistan. Prior, he was a reporter with Time magazine, where he covered the White House and Congress.

Founding Partner

Paige co-founded the Integrative Medicine Foundation which focused on permaculture, renewable energy, and the protection of intellectual property rights of traditional healers in East Africa.

Holding a Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, she worked as a psychotherapist in private practice and an art therapist in the New York City public school system. Paige has written, produced, and hosted radio programs and podcasts that feature economic and collaborative solutions to climate change and inequity. She was also associate producer and outreach campaign manager for the Sundance feature film God Loves Uganda.

Founding Partner

Before co-founding Partners for Climate Action, Stinchcomb founded and led the Good Work Institute - a local organization committed to working towards a Just Transition in the Hudson Valley. Additionally, he is a co-founder of Place Corps, an educational program dedicated to cultivating a call to know, love, and serve our places. Prior to working in the non-profit sector, Matt was the VP, Values and Impact at Etsy.com.

Stinchcomb serves on the board of directors for the Schumacher Center for New Economics (chair) and the Hawthorne Valley Association (co-chair).

Founding Partner

Susan is a passionate environmental advocate, architect, and founder of Dirty Gaia, an organization focused on earth stewardship, environmental awareness, and home food growing. Her lifelong love of growing vegetables combined with a deep respect for living systems provides a unique platform from which to promote environmental sustainability. Along with launching a gleaning program to distribute excess produce from home and community gardens to local pantries, she leads the Rhinebeck Community Garden, co-founded Rhinecliff’s Morton Seed Library, and was a past Good Work Institute fellow.