Moderator LAURIE CLEVELAND
Laurie joined the Sourland Conservancy in 2015 to help fight the PennEast pipeline. An active member of the community, Laurie works to partner with local, regional and national organizations to implement education, advocacy and stewardship initiatives to Save the Sourlands. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum. In her spare time, Laurie enjoys photography, reading, gardening, and exploring the Sourland trails.
BRAD FAY, President of Stepping Stone Strategies
Brad Fay is a champion of the natural beauty and bounty of central New Jersey. He is the founder of the Discover Central New Jersey agritourism program, co-author of the award-winning Face-to-Face Book, co-producer of the Save the Sourlands SoloFest film, and President of the Millstone Valley Preservation Coalition.
JENN ROGERS, Director of Stewardship, Mercer County Park
Jenn began her professional journey as an interpretive naturalist, pursuing her passion for educating others about the natural world. Hired in 2008 as the County Naturalist, she revived the Park Commission’s nature programming, engaging people of all ages in their local outdoors. Building this role, she advocated for large scale habitat restoration to improve the ecological integrity of County parkland. Jenn's dedication to advancing both environmental education and stewardship culminated in the creation of the Naturalist Division of the Park Commission.
As the Director of Stewardship, Jenn focuses on raising awareness of, and enhancing stewardship efforts to create healthy ecosystems within and beyond the boundaries of parkland in Mercer County.
DIDIER JIMENEZ CASTRO (he/him), Leader for Our Revolution Hillsborough
Didier Jimenez Castro is a DACA recipient from Hillsborough, New Jersey. He is a local UFCW union member and most importantly the leader of the grassroots organization Our Revolution Hillsborough.
CLIFF WILSON, Emeritus Trustee, Sourland Conservancy
A resident of Princeton, Cliff Wilson is a graduate of Princeton University who lived on Sourland Mountain for 24 years. He is a musician and environmental activist, with former careers in information technology and political consulting.
MAYA VAN ROSSUM, the Delaware Riverkeeper and Founder, Green Amendments For the Generations
Maya K. van Rossum is the Delaware Riverkeeper and founder of the Green Amendments For the Generations movement. She is the leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, who works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation. van Rossum, who is skilled as an author, environmental attorney, strategist, community organizer, facilitator, coalition builder and manager, has led DRN for over 27 years.
Maya was appointed to NJ Governor Murphy’s 2019 transition committee on environment and energy, was named in 2019 as one of Philadelphia Business Journal’s Power 100, and was also named One Of The “10 Most Influential People of 2015” When It Comes to Energy Issues by SNL Energy. She has testified, by invitation, three times before U.S. Congressional committees and also founded the Environmental Law Clinic at Temple’s Beasley School of Law.
She is the author of the book, The Green Amendment, Securing Our Right to a Healthy Environment, which was selected as the 2018 Living Now Evergreen Awards GOLD Winner in the Nature Conservation category. She is currently seeking to inspire and secure constitutional protection for environmental rights across the nation, with amendments proposed in 13 states.
JOHN CIFELLI
For nearly a decade, John Cifelli has been at the forefront of the fine wine movement in New Jersey. As General Manager of Unionville Vineyards, John has driven several key initiatives to improve quality, authenticity, recognition, and sustainability of this 6,000 case winery with four unique vineyard sites planted from East Amwell to Princeton. He is a past executive director of the Garden State Wine Growers Association and current executive director of The Winemakers Co-Op, a coalition of New Jersey wineries promoting and encouraging fine wines from New Jersey grown grapes. He is also a certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Click here to learn more about the Sourlands and support the Conservancy's forest restoration efforts!
This program is a part of Hopewell Theater's ongoing series, The Art of Living Well, featuring inspiring films, speakers and interactive discussions exploring ways of cultivating serenity, meaning and a deeper connection to one’s self and the world.
