Kirk Barrett, Ph.D - President
Dr. Barrett has been working to restore the Rahway River since he moved to South Orange in 1999. In fact, Dr. Barrett was named “Man of the Year” by the South Orange Lions Club in 2003 for initiating improvements to the East Branch of the Rahway through the town. He helped start “River Day” in South Orange in 2002, which is going stronger than ever more than 15 years later. An expert in water quality and hydrology, Dr. Barrett is a registered Professional Engineer in New Jersey and holds certifications as a Professional Wetland Scientist and a Certified Floodplain Manager. He has over 25 years' experience in the fields of water resources engineering and surface water quality, specializing in stormwater management using green infrastructure, watershed hydrology, and environmental monitoring and assessment. He previously served on the NJ Water Monitoring Coordinating Council and the Water Quality and Quantity Committee, of the NJ Department of Environmental Protection’s Science Advisory Board. Kirk's professional experience includes founding director of the Passaic River Institute at Montclair State University and research director of the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute of Rutgers University.
South Orange NJ
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirk-barrett/
Emile DeVito Ph.D – Vice President
Emile is Manager of Science and Stewardship at the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, and has been since 1989. He received a doctorate in Ecology in 1988 for research on bird communities and vegetation landscapes in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens. Dr. DeVito develops management plans for NJCF’s 20,000+ acres of holdings designed to protect and enhance biological diversity. Emile educates government officials, advocacy groups, land trusts, teachers and students on forest-interior habitat and migratory stopover needs of Neotropical songbirds. He is a trustee of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance and the NJ Natural Lands Trust. He serves on the Endangered and Non-Game Species Advisory Committee within the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, the New Jersey Invasive Species Council, and the Science Advisory Committee of the NY-NJ Trail Conference. We are proud to have Emile Devito as the Rahway River Watershed Association’s Vice President.
Jennifer S. Duckworth, CFM– Treasurer
Jennifer Duckworth is a Senior Environmental Engineer with Tetra Tech, specializing in stormwater management and green infrastructure. She writes and edits hazard mitigation plans and technical documents; manages contracts supporting federal, state, and local clients; supports workshops, trainings, and meetings; and designs outreach and education materials.
Ms. Duckworth serves as an adjunct professor at Kean University, on the Essex County Environmental Commission, on the Essex County Transportation Advisory Board, as the Chair of the Millburn Pedestrian Advisory Board, on the Millburn PTOC School Safety Committee, on the Jersey Water Works Green Infrastructure Subcommittee, as trustee of the Rahway River Watershed Association, and as a New Jersey Certified Master Gardener.
Ann Turalski – Secretary
Ann is an educator in New Jersey and a member of New Jersey Learns, a Sustainable NJ program, which has teamed up with the Cloud Institute and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. New Jersey Learns’ mission is to educate and lead schools and communities toward a sustainable future by infusing school curriculum with Education for Sustainability standards (EfS).
Ann is a recent recipient of an Earthwatch Fellowship having taken part in the Songbirds of the Rocky Mountains Expedition this past July. Most recently, she was the administrator of a federal Learn and Serve Grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service which promotes service learning as a teaching methodology. She was also a member of NJ Senator Richard Codey’s Community Service Pilot Program tasked with formulating guidelines to implement a service requirement for high school graduation in New Jersey.
Ann is a member of the Rahway River Watershed Association Board of Trustees and the Maplewood Rahway River Greenway Task Force.
She resides in Maplewood, NJ where she enjoys spending time with her family. Her other interests include tennis, skiing, hiking and reading and most recently birding.
Marian Glenn Ph.D – Trustee
Dr. Glenn is an ardent native plant enthusiast specializing in miniforests and hedgerows. As Chair of Summit's Environmental Commission she organized the city's first Environmental Resource Inventory. When Sustainable Jersey was established, she was active in achieving Summit's initial certification and later organized dozens of volunteers to plant hundreds of native trees in its Roots for Rivers program. In 2021she was recognized as one of Union County's Women of Excellence for her environmental activism. Now retired from Seton Hall University, professor Glenn continues to champion native miniforests as ecological restoration in her new home in Ithaca, NY.
David Schwartzberg – Trustee
David has been a Trustee since 2003. He's a chemical engineer and has a wealth of experience in local and national environmental matters having served as the Chief Environmental Officer of a major corporation before he retired.
Dave is also a commissioner on the Fanwood NJ Environmental Commission and serves on the Waterways/Environmental Committee of his HOA in Tampa Florida.
Laura Pangallozzi, PhD - Trustee
Adjunct Professor, Graduate Program in Landscape Architecture, Spitzer School of Architecture, City College.
Robert McIntosh - Trustee
Robert McIntosh is a long-time resident of Springfield Township. He received an undergraduate degree in geography from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, a post-graduate degree from New York University and pursued resident study at the Faculty of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Reading, England. He was the vice-chairman of the Philippine American Cultural Foundation at Seton Hall University. Retired from the United States Department of State, his primary regional areas of responsibility included Africa, Central and Southeast Asia.
Jordan Parham – Trustee
Jordan Parham is a recent graduate from Delaware Valley University and majored in conservation and wildlife management. He is an avid birder and amateur wildlife photographer who is currently pursuing a career in wildlife conservation, photography and education.
Lois Kraus – Trustee
A retired risk manager and middle school science teacher, today her days are filled educating others about sustainability and resiliency. In addition to joining the Rahway River Watershed Association board in 2024 Lois is a Climate Reality Leader, Rutgers Tree Steward, Master Gardener, Rutgers Green Infrastructure Champion and Environmental Steward where she implemented the Adopt-A-Drain program in her community. In 2023 she co-founded the New Jersey Chapter of BeyondPlastics, a national organization focused on legislation to reduce the use of single-use plastics at the state and local level. In 2020 Lois co-founded Advocates for Transforming Landscaping in New Jersey ATL-NJ), a volunteer cooperative seeking to transition away from use of gas-powered landscaping equipment in NJ.
Staff
Clea Carchia – Executive Director
Besides being Executive Director for the RRWA, Clea is a commissioner on the Rahway Environmental Commission. She is also on the Steering Committee for the New Jersey Coalition of Watershed Associations. She is former Political Chair for the Loantaka Group of the NJ Sierra Club, and former Marketing Chair and Trustee for the Rahway Chamber of Commerce.
Clea graduated with a BA from New York University with a major in Film and Television.
Cell: 908-472-6152 • cleacarchia@outlook.com
Advisory Board
Jeff Jotz
Jeff was a longtime board member and President of the Rahway River Watershed Association who grew up along the banks of the river in Rahway. He presently serves as the City Clerk of his hometown of Rahway.
Jeff has hiked and kayaked hundreds of miles in the Rahway River watershed, usually with his son, Patrick. He holds degrees from the University of Notre Dame and Rutgers University.
Steve Jandoli
Steve is a Supervising Program Specialist with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres Program. Steve manages the Land and Water Conservation Program, and the Pinelands, Planning Incentive, technical assistance and open space tax programs and is responsible for preparing New Jersey’s open space and recreation plan. He is responsible for the evaluation of Green Acres state land acquisition projects and local government and nonprofit land acquisition and park development funding applications. Steve is a member of the New Jersey Trails Council and the New Jersey Scenic Byways Advisory Committee.
Prior to Green Acres, Steve was with the Essex County Department of Parks and Recreation as an Environmental Specialist and worked on a variety of park and recreation and natural resource projects.
Steve has a Bachelors degree in Biology from Montclair State University and is a member of the Cranford Township Environmental Commission.
