Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories

Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper announces new executive director

by jmaloni
Thu, May 24th 2012 11:00 am

The board of directors of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper has announced that, effective immediately, Jill Spisiak Jedlicka takes the lead as the new executive director of the environmental non-profit organization.

"Jill has over 15 years of extensive experience in environmental protection, policy and clean water advocacy that has contributed to the improvement of our local waterways," stated Gregory Stevens, Riverkeeper board chairman and member of the executive director search committee. "Through our exhaustive search process, it was evident that Jill's strong record of success, unique ability to form non-traditional collaborations, and her reputation as a highly respected environmental leader in this region were values our board believes are critical to continuation of our progress at Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper."

Jedlicka is a native of Western New York and has been serving as Riverkeeper's director of ecological programs for the past nine years. She holds a BS in environmental studies and a master's degree in business administration, both from the University at Buffalo. Her extensive background also includes serving as the federally designated coordinator of the Buffalo River Remedial Action Plan, as well as five years with the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning.

"I am both honored and humbled by being selected as the new executive director and 'riverkeeper,' Jedlicka said. "I was born and raised in Western New York and understand that the revitalization of our community is directly linked to the protection of our greatest natural asset, our fresh water. Riverkeeper has a both a talented board and dedicated staff whom I am eager to work with as we enter the next phase in the evolution of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper."

In addition to the new executive director, Riverkeeper has also hired a new advancement director: Alexandra McPherson. McPherson has worked nationally and internationally for the past 15 years on environmental campaigns advancing solutions to toxic pollution, global warming and resource scarcity.

After 20 years of making significant progress on cleaning up local waterways and improving the opportunities for public access to the water, Riverkeeper is charting the course for the next stage of organization, the organization said.

The Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the Buffalo and Niagara River watersheds. Riverkeeper partners with community organizations, government, business representatives, and preservationists to improve access to ecologically diverse and healthy waterways.

Hometown News

View All News