Amber Lively

Amber joined CRC as the Connecticut River Steward in April 2026. Prior to joining CRC, Amber served as the Watershed Education Project Manager for the Big Sioux River Project in South Dakota, where she led water quality restoration efforts across agricultural and urban communities — translating complex data into action and representing the organization to audiences ranging from K–12 students to state legislators.

Amber earned both an MSc in Environmental Sciences and Policy and a Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems from Johns Hopkins University, completing her residency in Costa Rica examining water quality restoration in mountain and coastal environments. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Sciences with a minor in Geography and Geographic Information Systems from South Dakota State University.

In addition to her work with the Connecticut River Conservancy, Amber serves as an adjunct professor of Sustainability Leadership at Johns Hopkins University's Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. She resides in central CT, where she enjoys slow hiking, birding, and exploring with her partner and their rescue dogs.