Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, MLS, LEED AP, cSBA, is executive director of the Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS), a cooperative public library system that serves more than 600,000 Hudson Valley residents via 66 public libraries. Rebekkah is a co-creator of The Library of Local Program, along with Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley, which is devoted to strengthening community resilience through partnerships catalyzed between public libraries and neighbors. Rebekkah is the co-founder and board president of the award-winning  Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) and principal author of the award-winning Sustainable Library Certification Program for public, academic and school libraries. Rebekkah was the principal author of the National Climate Action Strategy for Libraries and the companion implementation guide. For over twenty-five years, Rebekkah has worked with public libraries across the globe to ensure library services are relevant and responsive so that communities can thrive. A lifelong Hudson Valley resident, Rebekkah currently lives in Columbia County with her husband Adam.

Naomi is the founder of the Dept of Small Interventions (DoSI) and leads The Fullerton, a nonprofit organization focused on community-driven, place-based projects in Newburgh. Her work integrates arts, culture, and history into urban planning, with a participatory approach that amplifies local assets and builds social infrastructure. Projects range from Frederick Douglass in Newburgh (2018-2020), Newburgh Arts & Cultural Study (2020) to present day projects like Regional Connector and Archtober Newburgh. Naomi co-founded No Longer Empty, a NYC-based nonprofit known for transforming vacant sites into community art spaces, and has presented widely on adaptive reuse, cultural tourism, and creative placemaking.

She holds a Master’s in Urban Planning from Columbia University and has served on numerous boards and advisory groups, including the Institute for Public Architecture, Storm King Art Center’s Council, and the City of Newburgh’s Transportation Advisory Committee. Naomi is also a founding trustee of the Awesome Newburgh Foundation and an alumna of the Coro New York Leadership program.

I do the work that I do because I believe that we are each the social architects of our society. I see choice as the only force in the universe. I am an artist and though my work is only occasionally in tangible form, my life is my art. The way I walk, talk, move and breathe is my expression. I believe in living in possibility, and want to prove to my kids that anything is possible, even world peace. Anything is possible. I believe that we are moving towards oneness. I work to unify where there is division. I work selfishly to expand my own definition of self till I can act selfishly and towards the good of the universe simultaneously knowing that they are one in the same.

In seeking unity, I work to counter-measure the us vs. them paradigm. I do this as a Worker-Trustee at the Good Work Institute, as a workshop leader at TMI Project, as a mindfulness practitioner and facilitator and as much as I can as a human being working in my community and especially as a father.

Martin Ping is the CEO of Hawthorne Valley Association, a not-for-profit working to renew soil, society and self through the integration of agriculture, education and art on a 900-acre Biodynamic farm. Hawthorne Valley has provided Martin the opportunity to weave together his reverence for nature, love of community, and interest in food for nearly 40 years in a variety of roles. Martin has served as CEO since 2003, balancing his time developing synergies amongst the Association’s diverse enterprises with cultivating collaborative relationships between Hawthorne Valley and other mission-aligned organizations in the Upper Hudson Valley/Berkshire region and beyond. He also teaches economics at Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School.

As CEO, Martin has helped Hawthorne Valley launch a number of new initiatives within the Association as well as incubate several others within the region. In 2018, Martin’s passion for supporting the next generation in finding meaningful vocations led him to co-found Place Corps, a Hudson Valley-based educational institute dedicated to creating innovative solutions for regenerative, joyful livelihoods for all.

He is co-founder and storyteller for The Magical Puppet Tree, a founding member of the Slow Money Alliance, and has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations. The role Martin is most grateful for is being Poppy to his grandchildren.

I am a scientist, author, and advisor who leads efforts at the intersection of planetary health and community resilience. My work integrates science with the skills and wisdom cultivated through contemplative traditions.

As Director of the Pathways to Planetary Health initiative at the Garrison Institute, I convene leaders across science, policy, and practice to strengthen our capacity for resilience.
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My public work has appeared in The National Academy of Sciences, The Royal Society, journals like Sustainability Science, and outlets like the New York Times, The Hill, and Bloomberg Law. Currently, I serve as a co-author of United by Nature, a multi-year initiative producing the first national assessment of U.S. lands, waters, and wildlife to show how nature shapes our lives. 

Previously, as Director of Policy and Partnerships with the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont, I helped form a U.S. Federal Center of Excellence on climate impacts and launched a new university-wide focus on environmental justice. I also led teams in producing the Vermont Climate Assessment 2020 and synthesizing research for the USDA Office of the Chief Economist. 

Based in northern Vermont and originally from Baltimore, Maryland, I received a B.S. in astrophysics, studied science education at Stanford University, and earned a Ph.D. in natural resources and ecological economics. Outside of work, I value time with family and nature in the Green Mountains. I continue to work with communities who share a vision for resilience and compassion in the face of planetary challenges.

Alexander (he/him) is the CEO and co-founder of Turtle Island Community Capital (TICC), a Native-led CDFI committed to economic sovereignty, climate justice, and cultural revitalization across Indigenous communities. With ancestral roots in the Ramapo Lenape Nation, Cuba, and the African diaspora and a deep commitment to relational finance, Alexander brings two decades of experience in clean energy, community development, and impact investing.

Prior to founding TICC, Alexander ran a private consulting firm in San Francisco and supported renewable energy projects from residential to utility scale in tribal, rural, and urban communities. He is a frequent speaker at RE+, SOCAP, and other national convenings on climate finance and Indigenous-led investing, driving attention and interest to build a capital ecosystem by bringing together philanthropy, investment , and Traditional Ecologic Knowledge. His leadership at TICC and beyond integrates policy advocacy, philanthropic engagement, and culturally grounded underwriting to serve first-generation entrepreneurs, tribal nations, and grassroots organizers.

Alexander is a proud father of 3, a student of Munsee and Lenape teachings, and a champion of community resilience. His current work has been supported by The Rhode Island Foundation, Oweesta, Boston Impact Initiative, The Grassroots Fund, The Center For Indigenous People’s Rights, The Just Economy Institute, and Native Americans In Philanthropy and supports the Native communities and individuals in the Northeast.

Alexander holds a degree from the University of Rhode Island, and serves on national advisory communities advancing equity in finance and environmental justice.

Dar has been a touring singer-songwriter for over thirty years, adding to her performance career with teaching about the history of people’s movements and music (Wesleyan, Barnard), a songwriting retreat, Writing a Song That Matters (since 2013), and presentations related to her book, What I Found in a Thousand Towns (2017), that explores the building of social trust and bridging social capital as seen firsthand from years of visiting, and returning to, places where she has witnessed the growth of what she has called Positive Proximity, “the state of being, in towns and cities, where living side by side with others is recognized as beneficial.” 

Ramsay is engaged in all aspects of Mountainkeeper’s work, including shaping programs and campaigns, guiding the team, and cultivating strong relationships with allies and strategic partners in the Catskills and across NY State. He is a member of NY State's Catskills Strategic Planning Advisory Group, which is charged with protecting the Catskill Park's natural resources while making sure the growing number of Park visitors have a welcoming, accessible, and inclusive experience. Ramsay sits on the Advisory Board of Hudson Riverkeeper, serves as a Trustee of the Catskills Fly Fishing Museum, and is a founding partner in the Catskill Brewery, which produces craft beer in a green building awarded the US Green Building Council’s LEED Gold Certification. He's also a film and television music supervisor, author, and educator. Ramsay received a BA in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and he lives with his wife and kids in the beautiful Sullivan County Catskills, where his family's history is many generations deep.

Avalon Bungee oversees PollinateHV and the Ecological Restoration Grant program at The Understory. Prior to The Understory, 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.

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.

Pia Ruisi-Besares is the Director of Science, Climate, and Stewardship at Scenic Hudson where she is responsible for the stewardship and management of over 30 preserves and parks in the Mid Hudson Valley. Pia is a forest ecologist and natural resource management professional by training and has worked in a variety of ecosystems across the United States, including Alaska, California, and Vermont. Prior to her role at Scenic Hudson, she spent 6 years on the Island of O’ahu working as a research coordinator and land manager. During that time, she completed her master's thesis, which studied various methods of in situ planting techniques to bolster populations of an endemic, endangered plant species. 

Pia has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Skidmore College, and an M.Sc. in Natural Resources and Environmental Management for the University of Hawai’i- Manoa. She grew up in Kingston, NY and is happy to be working in her home region.

Dan Shapley is the senior director of Riverkeeper’s Advocacy, Policy and Planning Program. He has previously directed or managed Riverkeeper's Science and Patrol, Water Quality and Membership programs. His work has influenced state, regional, and local initiatives, including the Clean Water Infrastructure Act and the Drinking Water Source Protection Program. ‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‌

A lifelong Hudson Valley resident, Dan Shapley joined Riverkeeper in October 2011. He serves as a technical adviser to the Hudson River Drinking Water Intermunicipal Council (the "Hudson 7"), which he helped local municipal leaders to launch in 2018.

He also serves as Riverkeeper's representative on the DEC's Hudson River Estuary Management and Mohawk River Basin Advisory Committees, on various working groups of the NJ Harbor and Estuary Program, and as a board member of the Hudson River Watershed Alliance.

He volunteers to support various initiatives in his community, including the local Little League.

He started his career as a newspaper reporter covering environmental issues for the Poughkeepsie Journal.‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍

Keri VanCamp has worked at Vassar College for 20 years.   She is the Director of the Preserve at Vassar, a 520 acre Field Station for Vassar College and the largest publicly accessible open space in Poughkeepsie, NY.  As Preserve Director, Keri is responsible for the vision, development, planning, and oversight of the Preserve.  She also works to oversee the research, monitoring, and  stewardship efforts that occur at the site.  Keri played a leading role in the development and implementation of the Preserve’s Conservation Action Plan, which uses a science-based approach to conservation and land management. 

She works to integrate the ecological preserve into formal and informal education at the college by involving students in monitoring, management, research, and outreach efforts on our Preserve.  Keri holds her MS in Botany with a focus in Plant Ecology from the University of Maine in Orono and her BS from SUNY New Paltz in Organismal Biology with a minor in Environmental Science. 

Troy has been the President of the Columbia Land Conservancy since 2020. He has been studying and conserving the lands of the Hudson Valley, including Columbia County, since 1995. Over that time, he conducted multiple ecological surveys including a rare plant survey of the entire Hudson Valley and surveys of all State Parks across New York State, and has been involved in the conservation of thousands of acres of land. He had a long career with The Nature Conservancy in various roles including botanist, lobbyist, fundraiser, and forest carbon developer. A few career highlights include authoring the NY Flora Atlas, creating the NY PRISM Network, passing legislation to ban the sale of certain invasive species, and assisting with the creation two forest carbon credit programs. Troy now lives in Kinderhook on a small chicken farm and can be found biking or hiking some of his favorite spots in the Hudson Valley.

A life-long resident of the Hudson Valley, Justin Wexler has dedicated his life to learning everything he can about the lives, land management practices and ethnoecology of the Hudson Valley's original human residents. He has studied regional Eastern Algonquian languages, history and folklore since 2002, reconstructing the precontact landscape and sharing discoveries with other scholars and with tribal language departments.

He has a BA in History and Anthropology from Marlboro College in Marlboro, VT; a Professional Certificate in Environmental Policy from Bard College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Bard College. He is currently in contract to publish a history of Native land management in the Catskill Mountain region by the end of 2026.

Through his organization, Wild Hudson Valley, Justin regularly hosts Lenape/Mohican visitors on ancestral homeland visits from their contemporary displaced communities, and he and wife Anna Plattner work to connect the area’s current residents to nature through guided walks, boat tours, presentations and workshops.

Jack Algiere is the founding farmer of Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture since 2003, currently Chief Agroecology Officer. He is a thought leader, trainer & advisor, partnership builder and innovator in support of transformational change in bioregional food systems. Jack represents Stone Barns Center at the local and global level through programmatic partnerships and initiatives, overseeing the Agroecology Advisory Program in support of a national network of emerging and transitioning regenerative projects.  

Jack and his wife Shannon have shared life and work for 30 years and have raised their two sons together on the farm.  Jack is also active as a board member for several mission-based organizations including Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Northeast Organic Farming Association, Lexicon of Food, Hudson Valley Bioregional Steering Committee, Synergos, and Pocantico Hills Board of Fire Commissioners.   

Michelle Hughes has more than 20 years of experience building programs to support more just and resilient food systems working at the intersection of agriculture, racial equity, economic justice, and community health. As a Director of Regional Food Programs at the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming, her work focuses on building multidisciplinary coalitions that center regional farms as a cornerstone of solutions to food insecurity and food apartheid, while strengthening the health and vitality of both urban and rural communities.

Previously, Michelle was the Co-Director and Head Buyer at Rolling Grocer 19, a food justice initiative anchored by a full-line grocery store with a tiered pricing system that intentionally prioritizes access for households experiencing food insecurity. She also served as Director of Investments and Partnerships at the National Young Farmers Coalition, and for a decade directed GrowNYC’s New Farmer Development Project and FARMroots programs, where she supported 20 immigrant families in launching independent farm businesses that now steward more than 400 acres collectively.

Michelle holds a BS in Conservation Ecology and Agroecology from Rutgers University. In addition to her nonprofit leadership, she is also a practicing farmer and co-owner of Reclamation Herb Farm in Germantown, NY, where she and her husband produce medicinal herbs for the Hudson Valley community.

For almost 20 years, I've been a passionate food access advocate. In my role as Food Security Program Manager at Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County, I build connections between local food producers and food access programs in the Hudson Valley.

One of my key initiatives is the GleanMobile, a highly successful program that recovers and distributes over 400,000 pounds of fresh, local fruits and vegetables annually. I've also fostered a food purchasing program that creates lasting relationships between agencies and farms, ensuring access to nutritious local produce for our communities. Working directly with food inspired me to take supporting roles with others working in the same field, such as Glynwood’s Food Sovereignty Fund and the Hudson Valley Food System Coalition. It also led to me taking larger roles in food system projects such as the Newburgh Food Project’s Community Food Assessment.

My dedication to this field has led to the implementation of creative solutions that address the challenges faced by farms, agencies, and communities in achieving food security. The impact of this work has been recognized locally by Mohonk Consultations and nationally by PBS.

Julianne Schrader Ortega is the Managing Director of the Hudson Valley Farm Hub. Julianne is focused on deepening and expanding the HV Farm Hub’s efforts to foster a resilient food system in the Hudson Valley. From Guatemalan forests to neighborhoods in New York and Philadelphia, Julianne has worked to transform land use and empower communities to move towards sustainable and just food systems.  

As Vice President and Chief of Healthy Neighborhoods at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) since 2015, she led partnerships across 250 neighborhoods to use gardening to improve health and wellbeing by increasing food access, economic opportunities, social connections, and improving the livable environment. Prior to joining PHS, Julianne was the Director of the Citywide School Garden Initiative at GrowNYC.  In this capacity, she cultivated partnerships to connect New York City public schools with the funding, training, and materials needed to start and sustain learning garden programs. Julianne also worked for over a decade at the Rainforest Alliance, supporting efforts to drive market-based solutions for measurable benefits to forest conservation and for farmers and forest communities around the world. 

Steffen finished his agricultural university studies in Giessen, Germany in 1982. He has been a Biodynamic practitioner since 1983, first in Wisconsin, and from 1989 until 2020 at Hawthorne Valley Farm. He loves working with the livestock, especially the dairy cows and his passion for Biodynamics continues to grow. He is convinced that a spiritually grounded agriculture is a major lever for societal transformation. He has given workshops and lectured at numerous national and international conferences. Through the Institute for Mindful Agriculture, he is currently engaged in food justice projects in the Hudson Valley of New York and supports food systems change in collaboration with several agricultural ventures, locally and nationally. Presently he serves on the Board of Demeter USA as treasurer. He lives with his partner Rachel in Columbia County, NY and is grateful to be able to spend more time with his two sons and three granddaughters.

Linda Tarrant-Reid is an author, historian, freelance journalist, photographer and community advocate. She was appointed in 2024 to the 9-member NYS Community Commission for Reparations Remedies by President Pro Tempore and Majority Leader Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins. In 2022, Linda was appointed by Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousin and confirmed by the NYS Senate as Commissioner of the NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commission for the Taconic Region. The Region includes state parks and historic sites in Westchester, Dutchess, Putnam and Columbia Counties.

Ms. Tarrant-Reid’s advocacy work with NYS has elevated her commitment to preserving the history of those who have been erased and those who are unheard. Although most of her career, Ms. Tarrant-Reid focused on literary pursuits, she has turned her attention to urban farming, food justice and food insecurity. Ms. Tarrant-Reid has been the garden administrator for grow! Lincoln Park Community Garden since 2011. The garden was created to memorialize the 50th anniversary of the struggle by the parents and students to desegregate Lincoln Elementary School in 1961. The 10,000sf urban farm is located on the former campus of the elementary school at Lincoln Park in the heart of the historic African American community in the Lincoln Avenue Corridor.

Ms. Tarrant-Reid’s current project is The Lincoln Park Conservancy, Inc. The Conservancy is a 501c3 with a mission to preserve, educate, and celebrate the rich history of the Black community in New Rochelle and address food insecurity in marginalized and disadvantaged communities. Linda is the Executive Director of the Conservancy and has established The Lincoln Park Conservancy History & Culture Center in a community benefit space located in the Arts’ District in downtown New Rochelle

Steph is dedicated to ensuring that every New Yorker can access healthy food through the worker-owned food distribution cooperative, Brooklyn Packers. His focus is on creating neighborhood owned food hubs that connect BIPOC farms and aggregators with communities in need. These hubs improve health and economic outcomes while promoting better nutrition.

By envisioning worker-owned hubs encompassing wholesale, retail, and agriculture businesses, he works to create abundant job opportunities and ensures year-round access to fresh, local, affordable, and culturally relevant food for all New Yorkers. By addressing basic needs and fostering community connections, he believes these hubs can foster more resilient neighborhoods that thrive.

Kaija Xiao is a Taiwanese/Chinese American farmer and organizer. Kaija believes in non-hierarchical organizing, mutual aid and Cooperatives; and that our relationships to each other and to land form the basis for all systemic change, including revolution. She is a worker-owner of Gentle Time Farm, a trans and queer 3 acre no-till cooperatively owned diversified vegetable farm growing culturally relevant East Asian crops for Asian community and diaspora in New York. She is also a worker-owner of Choy Commons, a cooperative of Asian-led farm projects in the Northeast engaged in culturally rooted food sovereignty and mutual aid. 

Al Bellenchia is Executive Director and CEO of Columbia-Greene Habitat for Humanity in NY, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023. In 2024, the organization expanded to service Greene County, NY. Under his leadership, CGHFH is evolving to build more often and to provide a greater diversity of homes and services to average wage and lower-income residents.

Al has global experience in strategic planning, marketing, management, and organizational development. He has worked with for-profit and not-for-profit organizations of many sizes and specializes in driving growth. 

He has served on numerous non-profit boards, and frequently speaks on housing, organizational development and management issues. You can find “What Fresh,” his writing on housing and organizational leadership, at albellenchia.substack.com.

Monique Clarke is a Mortgage Officer with the Community Preservation Corporation, where she finances affordable and multifamily housing across New York State, with a focus on the Hudson Valley. She partners with developers, municipalities, and state agencies to structure deals that blend traditional lending with subsidy and climate-friendly programs. 

With over 20 years of experience in real estate, Monique began her career in property management and investment in the Bronx before joining CPC, first in asset management and later in originations. She is also an Associate Broker with Keller Williams, leveraging her expertise in both finance and brokerage to expand housing opportunities.

In addition to her professional work, Monique serves on the Advisory Board for the Westchester County Department of Probation, where she contributes to community-focused strategies and public service initiatives. 

Jules Farr is the Director of Growing Homes at Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming. Jules brings a background in land conservation, agriculture, farmworker justice and housing to this role. Jules is the former Executive Director of the Kingston Land Trust. There, they established the foundations of what would become Taproot Community Land Trust for permanently affordable housing. Jules also co-led two land reparations initiatives, the protection of the Pine Street African Burial Ground and the development of Land in Black Hands. As a trailblazer for socially responsible conservation, they served on the Land Trust Alliance’s National Leadership Council. Jules’ previous work was in communications at the Hudson Valley Farm Hub where Jules co-built the language justice program. Most recently they were on the development team at Sweet Freedom Farm, a Black-led abolitionist farm. Jules holds a Masters in Landscape Architecture, a certificate in Permaculture Design and a certificate in English-Spanish translation. They currently serve as an advisor for land rematriation at the Native Food Hub Alliance. Jules has called Kingston home for the past eleven years.

Rebecca Gillman Crimmins has worked on the financing and development of affordable and supportive housing, as well as planning and policy in government and nonprofits for nearly 15 years. She is currently the Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Development at the Institute for Community Living and a co-convener of the Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing & Conservation. Previously, she was an Assistant Vice President at New York State Homes and Community Renewal financing affordable housing across the State and a Senior Policy Analyst working on housing and zoning policy within the Land Use Division at the New York City Council. In her spare time she enjoys powerlifting, live music, hiking, and gardening.

Javier Gomez is the Vice President of Operations for Hudson River Housing. He coordinates the development of housing projects throughout the Hudson Valley, and provides oversight to various community development and resident services programs, local partnerships, and advocacy efforts for the agency. Prior to his current role, Javier held previous positions within the agency as Director of Real Estate and Community Development, Director of Community Development, Manager of Real Estate Development, and Real Estate Development Program Coordinator. Before joining Hudson River Housing in 2018, he completed a one-year service term as an AmeriCorps VISTA for the Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative in the City of Newburgh sponsored by the United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region

Javier has a deep interest in the issues of regional community and economic development as demonstrated by his other professional experiences as a Pattern for Progress Fellow, Good Work Institute Fellow, and as a cohort-member of the Community Preservation Corporation’s ACCESS program. He graduated from Roy C. Ketcham High School in Wappingers Falls and holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Marist College.

Steve Rosenberg is co-convener of the Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing and Conservation. For many years he was SVP of Scenic Hudson and ED of the Scenic Hudson Land Trust and also served for nine years on the board of the Land Trust Alliance. He's led efforts bringing land, equity and conservation together at the regional scale, including authoring the NYC/Hudson Valley Foodshed Conservation Plan, launching Scenic Hudson’s River Cities program, and transforming multiple former industrial Hudson River waterfronts into more ecologically-healthy and people-friendly public spaces. 

David is a regenerative development guide—part teacher and facilitator, part designer and strategist, part community developer and reverent placemaker. He’s been an educator for over 25 years and a real estate professional for over 20 years. He’s consulted and guided developers, investors, founders, and built environment entrepreneurs through the adventures of aspirational projects and business transformations.

David has been a pioneer out on the fertile edges of regenerative real estate. It’s never been purely transactional–-always relational, aspirational, and rooted in wholeness. He's collaborated on residential Living Building Challenge and Passive House projects, cottage clusters and cohousing developments, and years of systemic community engagement to initiate the market transformation needed to support these efforts.

David’s work is devoted to field building, community development, and placemaking. He designs and initiates ecosystem partner engagement that cultivates strong, networked relationships across leading edge practitioners, aligned capital, and development partners.

At the heart of it all, David helps people, communities, and organizations develop culture, capability, and consciousness that honors life and enables flourishing.

Here in the Hudson Estuary, he’s a board member of TapRoot Community Land Trust, a co-founder of Belltower Commoning, a member of Rosendale Heart & Soul, and a co-founding board member for Deep Hole Nature Sanctuary.