2025 NY-NJ HEP Conference

Laura Kerr is a Senior Research Engineer in the Coastal Engineering Research Group at Stevens Institute of Technology where she oversees field operations on numerous projects across New Jersey and beyond. Working with the NJDEP, Stevens created the first set of engineering guidelines for living shorelines in NJ and continues to be involved in the design, monitoring and assessment of projects while maintaining updated engineering guidance.

Laura also serves as the Coastal Resilience Specialist for New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC) and has been a Managing Director of the NJCRC (New Jersey Coastal Resilience Collaborative) since 2019. The NJCRC is network of more than 100 diverse partners established to foster sustainable and resilient coastal communities and ecosystems through informed action.

Laura holds a M.Eng. in Coastal Engineering and B.S. in Applied Math and Natural Sciences with a Geology concentration and holds NJ teaching certifications in Physics, Mathematics and Earth Science.

Katherine (Katie) Cann (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography at Rutgers University. Her research interests include climate justice, co-production of knowledge, and adaptation interventions in urban environments in the Northeastern United States, with a focus on coastal areas in the New York City metropolitan region. Katie works as a research assistant for the Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast (CCRUN), a NOAA CAP team, and recently served as a review editor for the Fifth National Climate Assessment. Before beginning her PhD, Katie was Manager of Sponsored Projects and Initiatives at the American Geographical Society, where she coordinated the EthicalGEO Initiative and assisted in the development of the Locus Charter. Katie holds an M.S. in Geography and B.A in International Affairs and Geography from The George Washington University.

Karen Appell has been working across the engineering, ecology, and landscape architecture fields for over 25 years to integrate resilient and sustainable design across infrastructure projects. She specializes in employing a comprehensive approach to addressing climate change impacts, as well as developing and executing climate resilience and adaptation strategies. Karen is experienced in managing large, multidisciplinary teams, including AECOM’s current Cloudburst Design contract, part of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s Cloudburst Program to implement innovative and adaptive methods of absorbing, storing, and transferring stormwater in flood-prone communities. She led the design phase and serves as the Engineer-of-Record for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Rebuild By Design – Hudson River Project, a coastal flood risk reduction project, currently under construction, that will secure a more resilient future for one of the country’s densest and most transit-oriented areas. Karen earned a Bachelor of Science in agricultural and biological engineering from Cornell University with a concentration in environmental systems engineering, and a graduate certificate in water resources engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology.

As Deputy Commissioner for the Bureau of Coastal Resilience, Laurian leads the coastal resilience efforts for New York City’s 520 mile shoreline. She has worked in the private, public and philanthropic sectors for 24 years, is a water resources engineer, has a master’s degree in landscape architecture and centers equity in her practice. She moved to the United States from Toronto, Canada in 2019 to join the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities and served as a Global Director at the Resilient Cities Network, where she developed a deep, international understanding of the challenges facing ultra-urban coastal cities.

Dr. Philip Orton is a Research Associate Professor of ocean engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. He earned his PhD in physical oceanography from Columbia University in 2010, and specializes in coastal physical oceanography, storm surges, flood risk assessment, air-sea interaction, and coastal meteorology. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles and several Op-Eds in newspapers such as the New York Times Sunday Edition. He has served as a member of the New York City Panel on Climate Change, the New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance Science and Technical Advisory Panel, and as a contributing author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report. Professor Orton has directed research projects funded by the National Science Foundation, NOAA, NASA, USGS and the National Parks Service, as well as state, city and NGO funding sources.

Amanda Thackray is a community-engaged multidisciplinary ecofeminist artist-educator based in Newark, NJ. Her work pulls on the tenuous threads between nature, industry, and human experience, evoking strong themes of speculative fiction, labor, and the entwinement of human bodies with nonhuman kin. Thackray’s work is known for its meticulous detail and layered compositions that draw inspiration from organic forms and industrial structures, creating art that evokes both beauty and a sense of unease. She is the recipient of multiple Creative Catalyst Fellowships, a Puffin Foundation Grant for Environmental Art, and a NJ State Council Artist Fellowship. She has held residences through The Arctic Circle, Svalbard; Center for Book Arts, NYC; and Museum of Art and Design, NYC, among others. Thackray earned a BFA from Mason Gross at Rutgers University and an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). She is currently the inaugural EPA Lower Passaic River Artist-in-Residence.

Alethea Pace is a Bronx-based multidisciplinary performing artist committed to creating work in and with her community. Through embodied practices, she draws on collective memory, shared imagination, and a strong connection to place and history. She is a 2024 MAP Fund Recipient, a 2023 2025 Civic Practice Partnership Artist in Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and was a recipient of the 2021 Dance Magazine Harkness Promise Award. Her work has been presented by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, BAAD!, Works and Process at the Guggenheim, Pregones Theater, Dancing While Black, Danspace Project, New York Live Arts and the 92Y, to name a few. Alethea trained at Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center in the Bronx, and has a BA in Urban Design from NYU and an MFA in Digital and Interdisciplinary Arts from the City College of New York. She has worked as guest teaching artist at DanceLab NY, Manhattan College, Hunter College and Rutgers University, and is an adjunct professor at Lehman College.

Evelyn Powers serves as Interstate Environmental Commission (IEC) Executive Director. Originally joining the staff in 1998 as an Environmental Chemist, Evelyn oversees all aspects of the Commission’s day-to-day operations, including overseeing staff and coordinating IEC’s water quality activities with IEC’s member states (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) the EPA, regional and local partners. Evelyn serves as IEC’s Lead Technical Director of IEC’s environmental laboratory, ensuring the Commission’s laboratory maintains accreditation in the National Environmental Laboratory Approval Program. Evelyn represents IEC on the Management Committees of regional programs including the NY-NJ Harbor and Estuary Program, the Long Island Sound Study, the New Jersey Water Monitoring Council, and related committees and workgroups, as appropriate ensuring a coordinated, regional approach to water quality issues. Evelyn earned a B.A. in Biological Sciences from Wellesley College and an M.S. in Environmental Science from the College of Staten Island (City University of New York).

Adrienne Wheeler is a multi-media artist, lead curator of artistic initiatives at Newark Arts, arts educator, and advocate for social justice. Wheeler is from a family whose history spans 200 years in Newark, NJ. Her works blur the lines between spirituality, ancestry, oral history, and social engagement. The materials that she works are varied; wood, glass, textiles, still and moving images are all explored. Wheeler has exhibited locally and internationally including Cuba and Australia.

David loves urban spaces and nature. He loves creativity and collaboration. He loves theatre and music. In his life and work he has practiced in all of these as, in various moments, a scientist, a climate change researcher, a land steward, an ecological practitioner, composer, a playwright, a musician, an actor, and a theatre director. In 2012, he founded The Nature of Cities, an international non-profit that curates conversations across science, art, and practice. David’s dad told him once that he needed a back up plan, something to “fall back on”. So he bought a tuba.

Sarah Neilson has served as the Chief of Policy and Long-Range Planning in NYC Parks' Division of Environment and Planning since 2016. Her team works on citywide greenways planning, waterfronts and resiliency projects. In 2022 they released Destination: Greenways!, a conceptual plan for two greenways connecting parks to other parks, within Brooklyn and Queens. With Destination: Greenways! as proof of concept, along with NYC DOT and EDC, her team is partnered on a federally-funded citywide greenway planning program. Her team also works to ensure the city's public parklands remain open to the public and accessible while adapting for sea level rise and other climate threats. Recent projects include reconstructing and elevating the Battery Wharf and the East Side Coastal Resiliency project. NYC Parks recently broke ground on Manhattan Greenway Harlem River, which will provide seven acres of new parkland in East Harlem and --by adding seven blocks of waterfront greenway on the east side — will create waterfront greenway access from 145th Street down to 53rd Street. She has a background in urban planning and has been part of NYC Parks since 2010, including roles at the Capital division and in Operations. She first met HEP Director Rob Pirani at RPA in 2009 and remains grateful for his kind and thoughtful mentorship.

Tiffany holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and Public Policy from Boston University, a foundation that fuels her commitment to transformative, community-centered mobility solutions. As Trails Network Manager for the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition, she leads efforts to develop and enhance trail systems, advancing mobility as both a climate solution and an economic catalyst. She also serves as the Coalition’s lead for the North Jersey Trail Network Initiative, which is creating a cohesive regional system of shared-use paths spanning six counties.

Beyond policy and infrastructure, Tiffany embraces movement as a form of storytelling and change-making—whether walking, cycling (often on three wheels), or designing experiences that inspire communities to explore, connect, and reimagine their streets. At the heart of her work is a simple belief: it’s about the people—their journeys, their safety, and their right to move through the world and return home without incident.

Having grown up in Jersey City, Francesca attributes her upbringing to her initial interest in urban planning. She earned her undergraduate degree from American University and Master's from Rutgers Bloustein School of Planning. She has spent the majority of her career in Hudson County and past major projects include the project manager on a County Bike Share Study and a 2016 Reexamination effort, Planning Board Secretary, lead on Census 2020 outreach for the County, and creating the Hackensack Riverfront Working Group. In her role as Deputy Director, she focuses on the Hudson County Open Space Trust Fund and serves as the County Executive’s designee for the Vision Zero Task Force. Francesca continues to reside in the County she’s passionate about with her husband and two young daughters, who have strengthened her conviction and drive to protect green spaces and make our streets safer.

Hunter Armstrong is the Executive Director of the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative where he calls on nearly two decades of experience improving public spaces and the public realm in New York City. For more than 20 years, BGI has focused on planning, advocacy, and community engagement for greenways in Brooklyn. In 2016, BGI created the Naval Cemetery Landscape public space, historic site, and pollinator meadow which it fully funds, operates and programs as a green space on the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. BGI, a non-profit, is the founding convener of the NYC Greenways Coalition, which includes 45+ greenway-aligned groups. Previously, Hunter worked at the Natural Areas Conservancy, a NYC park conservancy, and CIVITAS, a community-based planning organization on Manhattan's East Side where he organized multiple environmental and open space programs, including an ideas competition to improve and reenvision the East River Esplanade. He has a masters degree in urban and environmental planning from the University of Virginia.

Sofia Barandiaran is the New Jersey & New York Greenway Manager at the East Coast Greenway Alliance, where she leads regional efforts to develop, advocate for, and maintain the 3,000-mile walking and biking route connecting cities from Maine to Florida. An urban planner with a focus on sustainable transportation and environmental justice, Sofia supports communities across New Jersey and New York in building transformative greenway infrastructure. She previously worked at AECOM and the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition and holds degrees from Williams College and Rutgers University. Sofia also serves on the Steering Committee of the NYC Greenways Coalition, co-chairing its equity and outreach subcommittee, and is a member of the North Jersey Trails Network Initiative.

Dr. Ana Luz Porzecanski, Ph.D., is a conservation scientist and director of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC) at the American Museum of Natural History, a center focused on transforming knowledge—from diverse sources and perspectives, spanning scientific research and traditional and local knowledge—into conservation action. Ana grew up in Uruguay and Brazil surrounded a large family of European immigrants who nurtured a love of nature and culture, a deep curiosity about the workings of the planet and society, and a commitment to social justice. She has a biology degree from the Universidad de la República in Uruguay, and graduate degrees in Environmental Policy, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Columbia University in New York City, where she lives with her husband and two daughters.

Ingrid Haeckel is Manager of the Hudson River Estuary Program at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, working with partners to conserve and ensure a resilient estuary and watershed. She oversees the program’s interdisciplinary outreach, technical assistance, and research focused on watershed management, conservation and land-use planning, climate resilience, and river access, and coordinates education and habitat restoration programs with the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve. She manages the Hudson River Estuary Grants Program, which offers competitive grants to government entities and non-profit organizations for local stewardship planning, river education, river access, and tributary restoration projects, with funding through the NYS Environmental Protection Fund. Previously, Ms. Haeckel worked for 10 years in the program on conservation planning and land-use policy. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Biology from Columbia University and an M.A. in Geography from the University of Texas at Austin.

Charles Jenkins is the Assistant Director of the Municipal Finance and Construction Element, part of NJDEP’s Division of Water Quality. Charles manages the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Programs. He started his career at NJDEP as an SRF engineering project manager and has over 38 years of experience in a variety of roles. Charles has a BS in Chemical Engineering.

Cameron Robello is Director of Institutional Giving and Special Campaigns at City Parks Foundation. Cameron leads his team in developing a $5.8 million portfolio to support the Foundation’s work in NYC, including $2.6 million for the NYC Green Fund—a pooled regranting program that supports an equitable and resilient network of parks and open spaces to benefit all New Yorkers. In 2024, Cameron was instrumental to City Parks Foundation’s success in raising nearly $1.8 million to support the organization’s contributions to NYC’s inaugural Urban Forest Plan. Prior to City Parks Foundation, Cameron led efforts to develop foundation and government funding portfolios at the Steven Myron Holl Foundation. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Baruch College’s Marxe School of Public and International Affairs and a Bachelor of Music degree from Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.

Rupu Gupta leads the development of a social science research program and an organizational evaluation framework at the Hudson River Foundation. Her expertise is in conservation psychology, mixed methods research, and culturally responsive evaluation. She has studied equitable practices in the environmental and climate sectors, community engagement processes in climate resilience contexts, and E-STEM learning pathways in informal and formal education. Her publications highlight the diverse perspectives in the environmental sector and approaches to build inclusive partnerships. She is Program Chair of the American Evaluation Association's Environmental Program Evaluation Topical Interest Group.