Updated February 2021

Pinelands Preservation Alliance

Trustee Biographies

James Barnshaw, M.D. is a retired physician who has been a member of the board since 2012. After 12 years of volunteer work with the Adirondack Forty-Sixers and The Mercer Alliance to End-Homelessness Jim returned to volunteer in the Pine Barrens where he has spent many days hiking and canoeing, having resided as a youth in Merchantville, NJ. In 2014 Jim became Chair of the Board of Trustees and served for six years before stepping down as chair in 2020. Jim continues to serve on the board.

Robert L. Barrett joined the board in 2015. During his 42-year banking career he was a banking division manager and international large corporate banker to Fortune 500 corporations and financial institutions. He structured large syndicated loans, managed a municipal bond/public finance and other securities/investments sales force and was banking division liaison officer to Human Resources.

Patricia A. Butenis joined the Board in 2017 and was elected board chair in 2020. Raised in Atco, NJ and with an undergraduate degree from Penn and a master’s from Columbia, Pat retired back home after a 34-year career as a Foreign Service Officer which included assignments as ambassador to Bangladesh and to Sri Lanka and Maldives. She also served in Pakistan, Iraq, Colombia, El Salvador, India and Poland. Her favorite project in Sri Lanka was promoting the welfare of its wild and captive elephant populations. She serves on the Waterford Township Environmental Commission.

Timothy J. Byrne, a resident of Princeton, New Jersey, is an attorney in private practice in New York. He is the son of former governor Brendan Byrne and has a long-standing interest in Pinelands preservation. Tim joined the board in 1999.

Charles M. Caruso is a retired Patent Counsel who has been a member of the Board since 2016. During his 28-year career at Merck & Co., Inc. he was International Patent Counsel where he represented Merck at pharmaceutical industry trade associations around the world on intellectual property law and policy matters and was also a patent litigator engaged in the protection of patented medicines. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University School of Law and was a Master of Science candidate in Chemical Oceanography /Environmental Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a Master Naturalist and an active member of the Barnegat Bay Partnership.

Charles M. Chapin lives in Oldwick, Hunterdon County, NJ and serves on the Board of New Jersey Audubon, and the Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy in Tallahassee, Florida. He was a Trustee for many years of the Upper Raritan Watershed Association, serving for many of them as President. Charlie joined the board in 1997.

Emile DeVito, Ph.D. joined PPA’s board in 2002. Emile is the Manager of Science and Stewardship at the New Jersey Conservation Foundation since 1989. He received a doctorate in Ecology in 1988 for research on bird communities and vegetation landscapes in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens. Dr. DeVito develops management plans for NJCF’s 20,000 plus acres of holdings Updated February 2021 designed to protect and enhance biological diversity. Emile educates government officials, advocacy groups, land trusts, teachers and students on forest-interior habitat and migratory stopover needs of Neotropical songbirds. He is also a trustee of the NJ Natural Lands Trust. He serves on the Endangered and Non-Game Species Advisory Committee within the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, the New Jersey Invasive Species Council, and the Science Advisory Committee of the NY-NJ Trail Conference.

Bill Fisher retired in 2019 from Liberty Trust, where he was the Senior Project Manager- National Development, with over thirty-five years of hands-on experience in development, planning, design, and construction management both in the U.S. and overseas. His particular expertise is creating innovative, energy-efficient environments for commercial, industrial, medical and research clientele. Bill is currently furthering the implementation of the Navy Yard Business Center’s Master Plan, which covers 1,200 acres along Philadelphia’s Delaware River waterfront. Bill joined the board in 2014.

Michael Gallaway was the New Jersey Sierra Club's representative to the advisory committee established by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation that gave birth to PPA in 1989. He is a founding board member of PPA and has chaired numerous board committees. He serves as the NJ Sierra Club's representative on the PPA board and has been the chair of the Medford Lakes Environmental Commission. He is a pediatric optometrist with a private practice in Marlton, NJ, and is an Associate Professor at Salus University in Philadelphia.

Lamar Gore joined the board in 2021 and is the Refuge Manager at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia, PA. Lamar works with partners to connect the communities of the greater Philadelphia area to the refuge and brand the refuge as America’s First Urban Refuge. Previously, Lamar worked in the Northeast Regional Office of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as Assistant Refuge Supervisor and Chief of the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights. During this time, Lamar was responsible for the Career Discovery Internship Program, which was designed to introduce culturally and ethnically diverse students to the USFWS. Lamar has also worked as Assistant Regional Biologist, Assistant Refuge Biologist, and Biological Technician. His work during this time involved tidal saltmarsh restoration, non-breeding season bird monitoring (song birds), sea turtle protection, sea lamprey control, and wetland restoration from Vermont to Virginia. Ivette Guillermo-McGahee is the founder and CEO of Allies In Caring, Inc. a New Jersey nonprofit offering counseling as well as indoor/outdoor educational programs that foster resiliency, promote healing and bring people together in meaningful interactions. Ivette is also the founder of Con-Vivir Wellness Hub a center pursuing pioneering solutions that alleviate loneliness and social isolation, and other factors contributing to the rising behavioral problems that have become a major burden for our communities. Ivette's late work has been focused on generating collective impact by building coalitions among different sectors, strengthening communities form the inside out by addressing divides in our communities and mobilizing the talents of neighborhood residents.

Anne Heasly has served on the PPA board since 2007. Her admiration for the unique qualities of the Pine Barrens grew out her experience working as the Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Pine Barrens Field Office. Anne has a Master of Landscape Architecture and a Certification in Updated February 2021

Urban Design from the University of Washington. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources from Cornell University and is a certified Landscape Architect in the State of Maryland and New Jersey. She is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Joann Held comes to PPA through her vast experience in environmental science and policy and her leadership role in the League of Women Voters. Joann worked at the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for 26 years, specializing in air quality and site remediation issues. She is the author or coauthor of numerous scientific papers on these topics. She has a BS in Meteorology from St. Louis University and a Master’s Degree in air pollution control from the Harvard School of Public Health. Since retiring from NJDEP, Joann is involved in many civic activities. These include serving on the NJ Site Remediation Professional Licensing Board; the NJDEP Environmental Justice Advisory Council; and leadership positions in the Pennington Borough Environmental Commission and Hopewell Valley Green Team. In 2017, she was recognized as a Camden Environmental Hero by the Camden Collaborative Initiative in recognition of her advocacy for the City of Camden.

Ron Hutchison, Ph.D. joined the board in 2014. Ron is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Richard Stockton College and has been teaching there since 2005. He received a doctorate in plant Biochemistry in 1994 from the University of Illinois. His research involved studying the biochemical basis for cold injury in crop plants. Ron teaches courses in Plant Physiology, Cell Biology, and introductory Biology, as well as two general science courses called the “Nature of Cold” and “Cancer”. Ron and his undergraduate research students study diverse topics in plant and microbial molecular biology. His current research involves using design principles found in nature to create sustainable communities.

Chris Kosseff comes to PPA after a distinguished career in the field of behavior health. Chris retired in 2016 as President and CEO of University Behavioral Healthcare of Rutgers University (formerly the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey), where he was responsible for all aspects of the largest behavioral healthcare system in New Jersey. Prior to assuming the top job, he held several leadership positions in UMDNJ’s behavior health programs. He continues to serve as Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the New Jersey Medical School. Chris is an avid and adventurous traveler and an accomplished nature photographer. David F. Moore has served on PPA’s board since the organization was founded including 14 years as Chair (from 2000 to 2014). Dave became superintendent of Allaire State Park in 1962, and in 1964, the state's Chief of Natural Areas. He developed the state’s first comprehensive strategies for identifying, acquiring and interpreting natural areas. Prior to 1962 he worked for two paper companies as a forester in northern New England, after graduating from the University of Maine in forestry in 1958. In 1969, Dave became Director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, which he led until his retirement in 1999. Over 77,000 acres were preserved as public open space by the Foundation during his tenure. Dave helped to found the Pinelands Preservation Alliance in 1989 and has served on the board ever since.

John Murphy John Murphy joined the Board in 2020 after a 38-year career as a partner at the Stradley Ronon law firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During his tenure at the firm, he served as Chairman of Updated February 2021 the firm’s 70 attorney litigation department and specialized in civil litigation involving securities, employment, property and commercial disputes. John is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where he served as an editor on The Daily Pennsylvanian. He subsequently attended Rutgers Law School where he served as Projects Editor of the Rutgers Law Review. John has paddled the rivers and lakes and hiked the forests and trails of the Pinelands for over 25 years. An avid cyclist, John regularly participates in charity rides for a wide array of organizations like the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Society, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine and World Team Sports. He resides in Medford, New Jersey with his wife Mary and daughter Erin.

Loretta Pickus, member of the board since 2010, has over 28 years of experience as an executive in the casino entertainment industry with broad expertise in strategic corporate planning, administration of legal affairs and governmental compliance. Loretta was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Ocean Casino Resort until 2020. Loretta has also been an adjunct instructor at Atlantic County College in the hospitality division, served on the Atlantic County’s Child Placement Review Board for Department of Youth and Family Services cases, been company chair and organizer of the United Way Campaign, Shirley Mae Breast Cancer Walk/Run and Red Cross Radiothon. Before joining the board Loretta served on PPA’s advisory committee.

Sarah Puleo lives in Philadelphia and grew up on a farm in Southampton, New Jersey where her family has worked to preserve meadows and wetlands to provide natural habitats for wildlife. They are currently working to reforest Eastern White Cedars and to create a Pollinator Garden. She works as a Multimedia Developer at the U.S. General Services Administration and is acting as the Fine Arts Officer, managing the Mid-Atlantic Region's Fine Arts Collection. She also freelances as a Documentary, Travel, and Fine Arts Photographer. She had a show on the Pine Barrens at Gravy Studio + Gallery in 2014. Sarah joined the board in 2015.

Jessica Rittler Sanchez, Ph. D. is a regional planner specializing in water resources policy and management. A Rutgers graduate (MCRP, Ph. D.) and Pinelands resident, the water resource issues of New Jersey, especially the relationship between human development and the natural environment, have been a major focus of her career. Jessica joined the board in 2007.

Bill Rodio joined the board in 2017. Bill is an attorney and a life-long resident of Hammonton, where his legal practice is located. Bill has been exploring the Pine Barrens since childhood and has followed his parents’ example by introducing his two children to the woods from an early age. Bill’s legal practice of 20 years is focused on transactional matters, including real estate and commercial transactions.

Barbara H. Trought, member of the board since 2012, has been active for over 60 years in numerous community service and political activities. She was appointed by Gov. Thomas Kean to the Department of Environmental Protection’s Tidelands Resource Council and served from 1987-2011. Barbara has also moderated candidate forums for the League of Women Voters throughout the state, served as Government Director for NJ State League in the 1990’s as well as being an advocate for affordable housing. Barbara has served as a Trustee for the Forums Institute for Public Policy, been a docent at the Alice Paul Institute in Mount Laurel and a member of the Institutional Review Committee for the Cooper Health Systems, 2001-2003. Updated February 2021

Amy Vasquez joined the board of trustees in October 2020. Amy has represented children and parents in child welfare matters for 20 years through her law practice in Burlington, NJ. She co- authored a report on the overrepresentation of children of color in segregated special education classrooms entitled, "Segregated and Second Rate, II." As the recipient of the Inaugural Haywood Burns Fellowship for Civil Rights, Amy worked at the Innocence Project led by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld. She is proud of her work there, where, in cases where she was charged with locating and preserving physical evidence, three clients were eventually exonerated by DNA evidence and freed after decades of imprisonment. Amy received the Democratic nomination for Congress NJ-4 in 2004. Prior to law school, Amy was a teacher and currently teaches legal studies to middle and high school students on an online platform. Amy has a 12- year-old daughter and together they enjoy hiking, geocaching, exhibiting annually at the Philadelphia Flower Show, and rescuing terrapin and horseshoe crabs. Paula Yudkowitz worked in Camden for 30 years as a Public Health Nutritionist with the Federal Women's, Infants and Children's Program. Paula serves on the Zoning and Planning Commission in Oaklyn and has held many volunteer positions in the town. For 40 years, Paula has backpacked extensively throughout the U.S. She has acted as a hiking and backpacking leader. Since moving to New Jersey from Northeastern Pennsylvania, Paula has been devoted to preserving the Pinelands Reserve.