Melissa Everett, Ph.D., Executive Director of Sustainable Hudson Valley, is a communications and consensus building specialist. She was trained in counseling psychology and group leadership at the Concord Institute in Massachusetts, and earned her Ph.D. through the International, Off-Campus Program of Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands focusing on the social psychology of community change. In the Hudson Valley she has managed fund development for Global Action Plan, creator of The Low Carbon Diet framework for household and neighborhood behavior change; directed Hudsonia, a research institute in ecology that produced the popular Biodiversity Assessment Manual to help communities protect their natural assets; and for the last six years has guided Sustainable Hudson Valley. She is author of the award-winning Making a Living While Making a Difference: Conscious Careers for an Era of Interdependence, and other books. She speaks widely on strategies to link sustainable communities with job creation, and the social psychology of climate change response.

Michael O’Hara, Director of Operations at Sustainable Hudson Valley, led the city of Hudson to be an early adopter of the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement while serving there as Commissioner of Public Works. An experienced consultant, trainer and technology product manager, he has worked internationally in program management and strategy. As a principal in The Goodbye Chain Group, he helped U.S. electronics companies prepare for more stringent environmental regulations in Europe. O’Hara is trained in the ZERI framework for zero-waste industrial development by Gunter Pauli. He ran a mayoral campaign in the city of Hudson that fell within 200 votes of victory, and has been a key figure in the local leadership coalition.

Laura Priscott, Outreach Intern, is a 2008 graduate of SUNY Potsdam in studio art and art history. Since then, she has worked in a variety of sales and retail management positions.  She brings talent in graphic design, writing, outreach and administration into her role as Coordinator of Administration and Outreach.   Laura ably multi-tasks to create presentations, exploit photo-ops, record meetings, and conduct research support.  In her free time Laura enjoys photography, cooking, and reading.

Henry Lowengard, Webmaster is an experienced programmer, web artist and grassroots media producer. He has served as Sustainable Hudson Valley’s webmaster since 2005.

Advisory Council

• Patrice Courtney-Strong, Mid-Hudson Energy$mart Communities
• Lea Cullen, Sustainability Coordinator, Westchester County
• Bob LaColla, Fishkill Town Board
• Barney Molloy, Riverfront Director, Historic Hudson River Towns
• Herb Oringel, Coordinator, Coalition of Northern Westchester Towns
• Mark Thielking, Bedford Energy Advisory Committee
• Leo Weigman, Mayor, Croton-on-Hudson and coauthor, The Climate Solutions Consensus