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Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Staff & Directors

Jill Spisiak Jedlicka

Executive Director & Waterkeeper

Jill Jedlicka has been with Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper since 2003 and has served as the Executive Director since 2012. Throughout Jill’s career, she helped secure and implement over $150 million in investments towards local initiatives impacting Western New York that have contributed to the region’s waterfront and economic resurgence. Under her leadership, the organization has been recognized regionally, nationally, and even internationally through the International Riverprize for excellence in watershed and river system management.

Jill has been named one of Western New York’s “Power Women” for the last six consecutive years, and most recently she was named a “WNY Woman of Influence” in 2022. Jill has been recognized globally as a Waterkeeper Warrior, and also represents New York State on the board of the Great Lakes Protection Fund. She is a Western New York native, and along with her husband and two children, is dedicated to protecting and exploring the region’s natural resources.

Waterkeeper Staff

Kelly Mayer

DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & OPERATIONS

Kerrie Gallo

DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Brittni Anderson

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

Jeanne Beiter

SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER
Ecological Programs

James Bender

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Robert Coady

SENIOR PROJECT COORDINATOR
Community Engagement

Elizabeth Cute

SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER
Community Engagement

Emily Dyett

PROJECT MANAGER
Community Engagement

Jennifer Fee

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING DIRECTOR

Holly Kistner

PROJECT MANAGER
Ecological Programs

Joy Knowlton

DIRECTOR
Finance & Operations

Bonnie Majda

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Charles Oddo

PROJECT MANAGER AND SENIOR DESIGNER
Ecological Programs

Juliann Parker

ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER
Administrative Operations

Dani Priebe

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Emily Root

DIRECTOR
Ecological Programs

Sandy Smith

DIRECTOR
Community Engagement

Margaux Valenti, Esq.

LEGAL DIRECTOR

Katherine Winkler

SR. PROGRAM MANAGER
Waterway Revitalization

Adam Zaremski

MARKETING MANAGER
Digital Communications

Waterkeeper Board Members

Alyce Notaro

TREASURER
BNW Board of Directors

Principal
Tronconi Segarra & Associates LLP

Mary Ann Rogers

Secretary
BNW Board of Directors

Professor – School of Management
University at Buffalo

Keith Belanger

BOARD MEMBER
BNW Board of Directors

Sr. VP of Corporate Service
M&T Bank

Emmanuel Frimpong Boamah, PhD

BOARD MEMBER
BNW Board of Directors

Associate Professor – Department of Urban and Regional Planning
University at Buffalo

Rick Galas

BOARD MEMBER
BNW Board of Directors

Brand Mentor
Creo451

Deb Gondek

BOARD MEMBER
BNW Board of Directors

Former Director of Sustainability
Rich Products

Dennis Horrigan

BOARD MEMBER
BNW Board of Directors

Former President and CEO
Catholic Medical Partners

Michael Nowicki

BOARD MEMBER
BNW Board of Directors

Commercial Banking Market Executive
Bank of America

Kirsten Shelly

BOARD MEMBER
BNW Board of Directors

Consultant
Environmental Economist

Lauren Suttell

BOARD MEMBER
BNW Board of Directors

Senior Associate
Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP

Dawn Cody

BOARD MEMBER
BNW Board of Directors

Employment and Training Counselor- Youth Outreach
Niagara County Employment and Training

Brian Smith

BOARD MEMBER
BNW Board of Directors

Associate Executive Director
Citizens Campaign for the Environment

Chanel McCarthy

CHAIRPERSON
Partner, McCarthy Williams, PLLC

The Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Board of Directors works to advance our mission and steer the organization towards a sustainable future. Comprised of professionals from a variety of backgrounds, their collective skill and experience enables us to access a broad knowledge base and identify opportunities to restore nearshore environments, engage communities, and inspire a sense of shared responsibility to protect our freshwater resources.

Board Emeritus

Thomas DeSantis

BNW Board of Directors | Emeritus

Planning Department
City of Niagara Falls

Barry Boyer

BNW Board of Directors | Emeritus

Professor Emeritus
UB Law School

Lynda Schneekloth

BNW Board of Directors | Emeritus

Director of Landscape Architecture
The Urban Design Project