Partners, Steering Committee & Advisors

Sponsoring Partners

The Northern Forest Center and the North Country Council of New Hampshire jointly managed the Sustainable Economy Initiative. North Country Council (NCC) is an economic development district and regional planning commission serving Coos, Carroll, and Grafton counties in New Hampshire. NCC encourages effective community and regional planning for the development of economic opportunity and the conservation for natural, cultural and economic resources.

The Northern Forest Center is a non-profit organization founded in 1997 to mobilize people across the region to build a sustainable economy, conserve the landscape and revitalize the region’s communities. The Center has offices in Concord, NH, and Bethel, Maine.

Steering Committee

The project was directed by a four-state steering committee jointly appointed by the four Northern Forest governors and the project managers, and assisted by numerous advisors.

Maine

Peter Beringer

Support Services Director, Maine Forest Service

Keith Bisson*

Project Developer, Rural Resources & Policy, Coastal Enterprises, Inc.

Sandra E. Brawders

Executive Director, Professional Logging Contractors of Maine

Robert P. Clark

Executive Director, Northern Maine Development Commission

Warren C. Cook

Sugarloaf Global Partners

Tom Doak*

Executive Director, Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine

Alec Giffen

Director, Maine Forest Service

Bruce Hazard

Director, Mountain Counties Heritage, Inc.

Mary Ann Hayes*

Executive Director, Maine Rural Partners

Bruce D. McLean

Executive Director, Millinocket Area Growth & Investment Council

Sandra Neily

Communications Coordinator, University of Maine Forest Bioproducts Research Initiative

Matt Polstein

President, New England Outdoor Center

Andy Shepard

President & CEO, Maine Winter Sports Center

John Simko

Town Manager, Town of Greenville

Robert Thompson

Executive Director, Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments

Everett Towle

President, Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine

Stephen Wight

Owner and Manager, Sunday River Inn & Cross Country Ski Center

Robin Zinchuk

Executive Director, Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce

 

 

New Hampshire

George Bald

Commissioner, New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development

Stephen Barba

Executive Director for University Relations, Plymouth State University

Stephen D. Blackmer*

Past President, Northern Forest Center

Paul Bofinger*

Chairman, Northern Forest Center

Phil Bryce*

Director, New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands

Doris Burke

Community Development Manager, Public Service of New Hampshire

Thomas Deans

The Neil Tillotson Trust

Cleve Kapala

Director of Government Affairs and Relicensing, TransCanada

Michael King*

Executive Director, North Country Council

Cathy McDowell

Executive Director, Family Resource Center at Gorham

Frumie Selchen

Executive Director, Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire

Racheal Stuart

Senior Program Director, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation/ Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund

Henry Swan

Chairman, Wagner Forest Management

James Tibbetts

President, First Colebrook Bank

Jim Wagner

Androscoggin Valley Economic Recovery Corporation Economic Development Director,
Northern Community Investment Corporation

   

New York

John Bartow

Director, Tug Hill Commission

Tom Both*

Adirondack Harvest

Cali Brooks

Executive Director, Adirondack Community Trust

John Collins*

Residents Committee to Protect the Adirondacks

Robert K. Davies

State Forester, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Linda Gibbs*

Natural Resources Specialist, Tug Hill Commission

Steve Erman

Special Assistant for Economic Affairs, Adirondack Park Agency

Brian Houseal

Executive Director, Adirondack Council

Elizabeth Lowe

Region 5 Director, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Art Lussi

President, Crowne Plaza Resort and Commissioner, Adirondack Park Agency

Katie Malinowski*

Associate Director of Natural Resources, Tug Hill Commission

Terry Martino

Executive Director, Adirondack North Country Association

John W. Mills, Ph.D.

President, Paul Smith's College

J.R. Risley

Business Director, Adirondack Economic Development Corp.

Ann Ruzow Holland

Community Planning Advisor

Francis E. Sheehan, Jr.

Assistant Director, Division of Lands and Forest, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Zoe Smith

Program Coordinator, Wildlife Conservation Society, Adirondack Communities & Conservation Program

Lani Ulrich

Founding Director, CAP-21 and Commissioner, Adirondack Park Agency

Ross Whaley

Chairman, Adirondack Park Agenc

   

Vermont

Michele Boomhower

Executive Director, Lamoille County Planning Commission

Jim Davis

Northeastern Vermont Development Association

George Gay

Executive Director, Northern Forest Alliance

Kay Henry

Founder, Northern Forest Canoe Trail

Jolinda LaClair

State Director, USDA Rural Development

Tim Maker*

Senior Program Director, Biomass Energy Resource Center

William Sayre

Treasurer, A. Johnson Lumber

Steven Sinclair

Director of Forests, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

David Sleeper*

Executive Director, Hubbard Brook Research Foundation

Stephen Webster

Attorney

Jonathan Wood

Commissioner, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation

* Steering Committee Alternates and Project Advisors