Meet CRWC's Staff
Our work could not be sustained without a highly talented and dedicated staff. They work tirelessly on behalf of the watershed, and make sure that work is leveraged in its effectiveness through partnerships with like-minded citizens, agencies, and groups.
Chelsea Gwyther, Executive Director. Contact Chelsea
Chelsea Gwyther joined CRWC in May of 2005. She's led the organization through a strategic assessment of its priorities, implemented a water quality monitoring program, and expanded existing programs including the annual Source to Sea Cleanup and its watershed-wide fisheries restoration work. Chelsea brought along with her a strong commitment to membership and community involvement, which has been evident at CRWC since her arrival.
Chelsea has a Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in nonprofit management from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and a B.A. in environmental studies from Prescott College. She has 15 years of nonprofit experience, including 8 years as a director of conservation organizations. Chelsea is on the Board of Earth Share New England. She has a background in professional theatre, and also has future plans to learn the two-step. Chelsea lives with her husband and two children in Pelham, MA. If you stop by to see her at CRWC’s Greenfield Headquarters, you are also likely to meet Toby, her black lab.
David Deen, River Steward, Vermont and New Hampshire. Contact David
David Deen began at the Watershed Council in 1998. David views his river steward work as “resisting the bad things that could happen to the Connecticut River and celebrating the good things about the river.” Much of David’s time is spent reviewing permits and answering calls about possible problems on the river—as well as catching up with normal work assignments. He’s spent 20 years as a Vermont legislator, focusing on public policy and advocating for river protections. For most of his legislative time he’s been on the Natural Resources/Water Resources committees.
David holds a M.S. from Antioch New England Graduate School. He’s been learning about water, rivers and aquatic species for decades. David has been a NH licensed flyfishing guide for 26 years, teaching people to fish while simultaneously teaching them the basics of healthy rivers. David likes to read everything from Shakespeare to trash mystery thrillers. His science reading interests range toward research, field reports, and quantum physics, with a particular interest in ecology and fishing worldwide. Whenever possible, David goes fishing.
Andrea Donlon, River Steward, Massachusetts. Contact Andrea
Andrea Donlon became CRWC's first River Steward for the Massachusetts part of the watershed in 2003. Prior to that, she was a nonpoint source pollution specialist at the NH Department of Environmental Services in Concord. She has worked at the Lake Champlain Basin Program; environmental consulting firms in MA and DC; and on several forest, water quality, and air monitoring studies in VT and NH. Andrea has a BS in math from Haverford College and an MS in forestry from UVM. Her master's studies focused on trace levels of mercury in soils and streams on Vermont’s Mount Mansfield.
As River Steward, Andrea advocates for the Connecticut and its tributaries in regulatory proceedings with hydropower facilities in MA. She comments on pollutant discharge permits; reviews development plans affecting the watershed, and works on state-wide regulatory issues with other non-profits. She enjoys canoeing and kayaking. Andrea coordinated CRWC’s Source to Sea Cleanup for four years. Currently she leads the volunteer water monitoring effort, including responsibilities for the Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP). Andrea and her partner Christopher live in Buckland MA with their baby daughter Ursula and corgi, Addie (one of the office mascots).
Jacqueline Talbot, River Steward, Connecticut. Contact Jacqueline
Jacqueline Talbot joins CRWC as River Steward for the Connecticut River portion of the watershed. Jacqueline has recently worked with Rivers Alliance of Connecticut and the Shepaug River Watershed Coalition, and has built grassroots support for climate change initiatives and fostering environmental leadership among youth. A long-time Connecticut resident, Jacqueline has also lived in South Africa. She will work full-time as our River Steward in Connecticut.
Jacqueline is a graduate of Fordham University in New York, where she studied International Relations and graduated Magna cum Laude, specializing in politics and sociology. She has worked on watershed initiatives with several Connecticut coalitions, and has compiled data on toxic metals and radionuclides in public water supplies, and monitored discharges and water quality contaminants in surface and groundwater in her home state. Jacqueline enjoys writing, kayaking, hiking, and photography and is currently learning the musical saw.
Richard Ewald, Director of Planning and Development. Contact Richard
Richard Ewald joined CRWC in July 2008. As the organization’s first Planning & Development Director, he focuses on all aspects of fundraising to support the CRWC and its many programs. His work will keep him in touch with members, donors, foundations, and government funders, and will draw on his background in municipal community development, non-profit downtown revitalization, and historic resource protection.
Richard’s relationship with the CRWC goes back to the mid-1990s when he helped nominate the Connecticut to the American Heritage River Program and wrote the text for the CRWC’s poster, “The River That Connects Us.” Richard has a Masters in Historic Preservation from the University of Vermont and is the author of Proud to Live Here in the Connecticut River Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire, an illustrated history of the natural and cultural landscape of the upper river. He and his wife Gaelen have lived in Westminster West, Vermont, since 1978.
Pat LaMountain, Finance Director. Contact Pat
Pat works to keep CRWC’s finances orderly and up-to-date – from daily bill paying, depositing receipts, payroll, and investment record keeping, to internal and external financial statements. She is a self-taught accountant who started out in high school helping do the books for her father’s apple and peach farm. During her career Pat has enjoyed developing “reporting systems” that enable managers to understand their businesses. She has a particular fondness for environmental organizations.
Pat has a BA in American Civilization from Brown University, during the time it was called Pembroke College. She later attended Boston University School of Law for two years, before deciding an artist’s life was more her calling. She’s been a sing-songwriter for many years, and has managed concerts and musical events. Pat is a former executive director of the Shea Theater in Turners Falls and was in a political/folk band with her singer-songwriter husband, Tex, for many years. Today, both are anchors in the folk band “Root Cellar”. Pat and Tex now live in Greenfield, where she brags that she can walk to work.
Alan Morgan, Regional Office Manager. Contact Alan
Alan has coordinated the office in our historic headquarters building since 2005, taking care of day-to-day details so the rest of CRWC’s staff can focus on the River and our programs. Recently, Alan has also maintained our website as it grows into a more inclusive and interactive part of CRWC’s work. Alan went to Haverford College.
After discovering that his B.A. in Philosophy did not offer a solid career path, Alan focused his efforts on nonprofit enterprises in the US and Asia that promote cultural, educational and environmental goals. A resident of Western Massachusetts since 1975, Alan is glad to be involved in local work that directly benefits his home town of Warwick, the river he crosses every day, and the community of concerned folks that make this region special.
Phil Tomlinson: CRWC Membership Assistant. Contact Phil
Phil Tomlinson began volunteering at the Watershed Council in 2004, just after CRWC moved its headquarters from Easthampton to Greenfield, MA. He completed organizing, sorting and cataloguing the over 6,000 books, documents and audio-visual materials in the Council’s extensive library collection, and brought the electronic data base up to date. Phil continues as volunteer librarian, and has joined the CRWC staff part-time as Membership Assistant, documenting income, including donations and sales. He holds an MS in plant physiology from North Carolina State, and an MA and Ph.D. in physiology and molecular and cell biology from Maharishi University of Management in Iowa. Phil lives in Greenfield, and enjoys bicycling and taking to the courts for pickleball.
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Photo credits (above): CRWC Staff, Dan Rous
Image Credits at Right - Illustrations: Bill Singleton; Photos: Elizabeth Leong, Megan Hearne, Ron Bouley www.ronbouleyphoto.com, Nancy Rich, Boating Guide cover photo © McConnell/McNamara, CRWC Archive.
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