Board of Trustees
Rockaway River, Montville
Photo Courtesy The Land Conservancy of New Jersey
- Sandy Batty, President
- Michele Byers, 1st Vice President
- Cindy Ehrenclou, 2nd Vice President
- David Budd, Treasurer
- Jean Rich, Secretary
- Candy Ashmun
- George Cassa
- Bill Cogger
- Robin Dougherty
- David Epstein
- Ron Farr
- Marion Harris
- Cinny MacGonagle
- Laura Oltman
- William D. Primus
- Ben Spinelli
- Elizabeth (Betsy) Stagg
- John Thonet
- Jeff Tittel
Candace Mckee Ashmun chairs the Coalition's Policy Committee. She serves as a private consultant to non-profit organizations on environmental matters and works with municipal environmental commissions and other organizations involved in land use decisions and legislation. Appointed to the original Pinelands Commission by then Governor Byrne, she was reappointed to ten additional terms by subsequent Governors and is currenly on the Pinelands Commission. She was the first Executive Director of the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC). She served three terms as the President of ANJEC and two terms as an At-Large member of the Sierra Club/NJ Chapter Executive Committee. She is currently Vice Chairman of the Board of the Fund for New Jersey and serves on the Board of the Coalition for Affordable Housing and the Environment. Candy lives in Basking Ridge.
Sandy Batty is the Executive Director of the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC). Previously, Sandy was ANJEC’s Assistant Director, editor of the quarterly ANJEC Report and supervisor of ANJEC publications. She is a current member and former Chair of the Mountain Lakes Planning Board, was a member of the Environmental Commission, and was elected to two terms on the Borough Council. She served on the Board of the regional Highlands Coalition. Sandy lives in Mountain Lakes.
Michele Byers is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. She currently serves as Advisor to the Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance, and on the Board of the the Center for Non-Profit Corporations. She has also served as Vice Chair of the State Planning Commission and on Governor McGreevey’s Highlands Task Force, was a former President of the Whitesbog Preservation Trust, former Chair of New Jersey’s Freshwater Wetlands Mitigation Council, and previously served on the Burlington County Agriculture Development Board and the regional Highlands Coalition Board. Michele lives in Pottersville.
David Budd is a Senior Managing Director with Griffin Financial Group, LLC, specializing in bank mergers and acquisitions. He has over 30 years experience in the banking industry and holds an MBA from Wharton and a BA in English and American Literature from Hobart College. He has served on the Harding Township Planning Board and the Harding Township Environmental Commission and served two terms as Chairman of the Great Swamp Watershed Association, as well as other officer positions on their Board, since joining them in 1988. David lives in Morristown.
George Cassa is a principal engineer with a naval architectural and marine engineering design firm in Scotch Plains. He is co-chairman of the Alliance for Historic Hamlets, and is a former board member of the Great Swamp Watershed Association, where he served as secretary and chairman of the Land Use Committee for several years. George lives in Tewksbury, and is a co-owner of a fly fishing shop in Califon.
Bill Cogger is Mayor of Chester Township, serving in his second term. Prior to being Mayor, he was Councilman for 8.5 years. He has served as Council liaison to Parks, Public Works, Police, Utility, Agriculture and Open Space. Bill also served as the Mayor's liaison to the Morris County Agricultural Development Board for more than 10 years and is a former member of the Township Board of Adjustment. He is a former Council Member and Treasurer of the New Jersey Highlands Council and a former executive board member of the Raritan Highlands Compact.
Mr. Cogger is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison where he earned a BA in anthropology and sociology. He holds a Masters in management and labor relations from Rutgers University, New Brunswick and post graduate work in Manpower Development from the New School for Social Research in New York City. He has been certified as a municipal zoning official by the Bloustein School Center for Government Affairs at Rutgers University. Bill is a life-long resident of New Jersey and lives in Chester Township with his wife and daughter. He currently owns and operates the Chester Antique Mall in Chester Township.
Robin Dougherty is the Executive Director of the Greater Newark Conservancy. She has led the team to create the environmental and ecological center in downtown Newark to educate inner city children on the importance of the natural environment. Previously, she was an educator of special needs students, and a school administrator. A Leadership New Jersey Class of 2004 graduate, and a 2007 Gustav Heningburg Fellow, Ms. Dougherty was a founding member and completed two terms as president of EarthShare of New Jersey. She serves on the School Leadership Team for the John F. Kennedy School for special needs and has been active in social justice issues for over 20 years.
Cynthia Ehrenclou became the Executive Director of Upper Raritan Watershed Association in February 2006, after over twelve years as the Association’s Development Director. She oversees all operations and program areas including a growing land preservation program. She established URWA’s Education and Outreach Program for children throughout the region and founded Wake Up Call, an environmental informational breakfast series for municipal leaders. She serves on the NJ Land Trust Council, Raritan Basin Watershed Alliance Steering Committee and is a member of Leadership New Jersey’s Class of 2007. Cindy lives in Bernardsville.
David Epstein is the President of The Land Conservancy of New Jersey. He currently serves as Treasurer of the Keep It Green Campaign, and is a former Trustee of Morris Tomorrow. He also served on Governor McGreevey’s Highlands Task Force and the Garden State Preservation Trust, was President of the Environmental Fund for New Jersey, and was a founding Trustee of the Garden State Environet. David lives in Ramsey.
Ron Farr is a Certified Forester who works at the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission and operates a private consulting firm, Farr Forestry Services. He is currently a board member of the American Chestnut Foundation Pennsylvania Chapter. He received a B.S. in Forest Management from the University of Maine and a Masters in Environmental Management from Montclair State University. Ron resides with his family in Newfoundland.
Marion Harris currently serves as a trustee and Treasurer of Preserve Greystone, is the current chairman and a trustee of the Morris County Trust for Historic Preservation, and is on the Board of Preserve Historic Hackettstown. In addition, she serves as Vice-Chair of the Highlands Coalition Cultural Resources Committee and is an active member of the Policy Committee, as well. Recipient of the Preservation New Jersey lifetime achievement award in 2003 and the Schuyler-Hamilton chapter, NJ DAR, national preservation award in 2006, Marion holds a BA in English from Wellesley College and an MA (equiv.) in linguistics from Columbia University. She currently resides in Morristown
Cinny MacGonagle is a former Westfield social studies teacher, where she received a Governor's Teacher of the Year Award. She received grants to participate in Dodge-Earthwatch rainforest expeditions and National Geographic Alliance wilderness and technology workshops. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and an M.A. from Rutgers. She serves on the board of the Musconetcong Watershed Association, ANJEC and the Musconetcong Mountain Conservancy. She is a Master Gardener and heads up the native planting project at the MWA's River Resource Center. Cinny lives in Bethlehem Township where she was chair of the Environmental Commission and a member of the Open Space Committee.
Laura Oltman is a member of the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo and teaches at the Princeton University Department of Music. She is a member of the Phillipsburg Riverview Organization’s (PRO) Pohatcong Projects Committee and has served on the Township of Pohatcong Open Space Committee. She is also the Management Coordinator of PRO’s Pohatcong Grasslands Eastern Tallgrass Prairie Bird Sanctuary, Founding Director of the Raritan River Music and Artists-in-the-Community Cultural Outreach Program, and Founding Director of the New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes International Festival. Laura lives in Pohatcong.
William D. Primus, former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Morris County, received his Bachelors Degree, Political Science & Sociology from Livingstone College, Salisbury, NC, and received his Masters Degree, City & Regional Planning and Design from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY. His many accomplishments include: Associate Administrator, DC General Hospital, Washington, DC; Senior Vice President Health Corporation Archdiocese of Newark, NJ; Deputy Executive Director, Regional Health Planning Council (Essex, Morris, Sussex, Union, Warren Counties); Director, Program Planning and Development, Division of Human Rights (Rockefeller Administration), State of New York; Research & Land Use Planner (Cahill Administration), Department of Community Affairs State of New Jersey; Chairman of Governors Commission on Discrimination in Employment, Purchasing and Contracts (Whitman & DiFrancesco Administrations); Vice Chairman (Board of Health, Madison); Commissioner/Chairman (Housing Authority, Madison; Board Chairman (Partnership for Housing, Washington, DC; Board of Directors (United Way); Board/Executive Committee (Newark Museum); and Borough Council (Madison, NJ). Bill lives in Ledgewood.
Jean Rich is a former trustee of the Great Swamp Watershed Association and former president of the Washington Valley Community Association. She holds a doctorate in History. Jean lives in Morris Township.
Ben Spinelli recently served as Executive Director of the Westchester Land Trust responsible for overall organizational management and operations as well as providing leadership and vision for the land trust. A graduate of Seton Hall University-School of Law, he served as a trial attorney for private firms, Assistant County Prosecutor for Essex County, and Chief Counsel and Director of Policy at New Jersey's Office of Smart Growth, where he also served as Executive Director. In addition, he has held numerous public positions including serving three three-year terms as Mayor of Chester Township. Ben also holds a BA in History and Political Science at Muhlenberg College in PA and currently lives in Chester.
Elizabeth (Betsy) Stagg, P.E., P.P., is a licensed professional engineer and planner. She owns her own Environmental Engineering firm and is a full time PHD Candidate in the Environmental Management Program at Montclair State University. She has also been an elected official (Councilwoman) in her hometown of Oakland for the past nine years. her research is in the area of flood mitigation techniques. She was a contributing writer in "Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Sustainability," edited by Robert W. Taylor; McGraw Hill, 2011.
John Thonet is the President of Thonet Associates, Inc., an environmental planning and engineering design consulting firm. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and professional Planner and has had over 30 years experience working in the NJ Highlands. He serves on the Board of the New jersey Environmental Lobby and is the recently retired Chairman of the Board of Henley Industries, Inc., an international manufacturer of defense components. John lives in Pittstown.
Jeff Tittel is Director of the New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club and is a prominent environmental leader in New Jersey. He co-founded Skylands CLEAN, and was instrumental in forming the Highlands Coalition. He currently serves on the Board of the Work Environmental Council, and is a member of the Environmental Summit. Jeff lives in Lambertville.