Our board members and staff bring varied talent and professional expertise to the table: pro-environmental lawyer, two mayors, business analyst, electrical engineer, elementary school teacher, environmental engineer, Hazmat response specialist, accountant, photographer, environmental health specialist, GIS consultant, biologist, financial planner, historic preservation expert, British diplomat, college professor, nonprofit executive director, and rocket scientist.

Dante DiPirro, President – Dante is a pro-environmental lawyer, with over thirty years of experience in sustainable energy and the environment.  As a Deputy Attorney General, Assistant State Environmental Prosecutor, Counselor and Legal Policy Adviser to the Commissioner of the NJDEP, and Executive Director of the Highlands Council, he enforced the state’s environmental laws (including wetlands, tidelands, pollution and solid waste) and handled regional planning and land use issues.

Cliff Wilson, Vice President – Cliff is now a full-time musician, having retired from a career in information technology. He served as president of the Sourland Conservancy’s Board of Trustees for four years, leading the organization’s transition from an all-volunteer organization to one with full-time staff. A 22-year resident of Sourland Mountain, he now lives in Princeton.

Joanna Fiori, Secretary – A retired business analyst and system manager at Citibank and INVESCO. Joanna is a longtime member and former president of the Sourland Conservancy. She and her husband, Clem, are active in several community organizations including Montgomery Friends of Open Space and New Jersey Conservation Foundation. Joanna serves on the Conservancy’s Development, Sourland Spectacular, and Mountain Fest Committees.

Lynne Oleski, Treasurer – An accounting and finance executive, Lynne worked as a CPA in the financial services industry leading teams in financial reporting, controllership, forecasting, and internal control. She also led strategic transformation initiatives with a focus on operational efficiency, organization design, change management, and continuous improvement. Lynne serves on the Conservancy’s Budget & Finance and Governance Committees.

Michelle Baker – Michelle moved to Montgomery Township in 1984 and currently resides in Skillman with her husband, Nick. In April 2019, she founded Michelle Baker Design LLC, a boutique design agency specializing in branding and identity, print collateral, and packaging design. Over the past few years, she has become a member of the Montgomery Township Open Space Committee, is an Ambassador of the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber, and serves on the Conservancy’s Spectacular and SoloFest/Mountain Fest Committees.

Paul Gehris – Paul is a Marketing and Sales executive with over 30 years of experience and has held senior roles for various organizations with U.S., Europe and Global responsibilities.  He is an active hiker and has participated in and led numerous backwoods backpacking adventures. Paul and his wife live in Bucks County Pennsylvania and are frequent visitors to Ted Stiles Preserve at Baldpate Mountain, which has contributed to his interest in the success of the mission of the Sourlands Conservancy.

Steven Hall – Steven grew up in Mercer County and recently returned to the area. He has held roles in legal, financial services, and business operations. He currently works as a director of business operations for a mid-sized New Jersey-based real estate company as well as a small, local business consultant. Steven brings his past and present board experience from the Arc of Northern Virginia, FCKLL, and Bowman’s Wildflower Preserve, and his current advocacy work with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Boomer Esiason Foundation with him to the conservancy. Steven has a passion for hiking and the outdoors which lend themselves to joining and helping on the board. As a long-time New Jersey resident he understands the need to preserve and protect the Sourlands.

Joe Kazimierczyk  – Joe has lived on the Sourland Mountain in Hillsborough Township since the year 2000.  He serves on the Sourland Stewardship Committee, and is actively working on a forest restoration in his own back yard.  Joe is an artist and gets much of his inspiration from the Sourland region.

Jim Linnehan– Jim is a Financial Advisor with Morgan Stanley and has lived in and around the Sourlands for 25 years.  He has served on the Board, and was Treasurer, of the Pennington Montessori school for 13 years.  Over the years, Jim has played the drums in numerous bands in the area and is currently in the Gravity Hill Band.  He serves on the Budget and Finance Committee.  He and his family have enjoyed hiking and protecting the Sourlands for many years and look forward to doing so for future generations.

Dan Pace – A retired professional planner who managed the Mercer County Farmland Preservation Program seventeen years. A resident of Pennington Borough, Dan is active in the Station at Pennington HomeOwners Association, the Hopewell Valley Historical Society, the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space, the Pennington Borough Open Space Committee, the Pennington Borough Democratic Committee, and the Hopewell Valley Open Space Advisory Committee. Dan serves on the Conservancy’s Stewardship Committee.

Jessica Paolini  –  Jessica is Division Head, Life Sciences & Food Innovation, Office of Business Engagement, Middlesex County. Jessica sits on the Board of Directors of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the largest professional association for economic developers worldwide. She received a MA in Political Science from Villanova University and earned BA degrees in Environmental Studies and Political Science at East Stroudsburg University. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.

Julia Purtill – A resident of Hunterdon County and the Sourlands, is an active member of the Sourland Conservancy and has been exploring trails through the Sourlands for over ten years. Passionate about protecting wildlife and nature, she’s dedicated to enjoying, preserving, and caring for a healthy environment for future generations. Growing up involved with the beauty of the Colorado Rockies, she was an environmental activist in college, graduated with a BFA in both Art History and Printmaking, and made her way to New York City working as a “jack-of-all-trades”. She is currently working with and supporting local farmers in various capacities.

Lucy Sandler – Lucy is a Hillsborough native who grew up near the Sourlands. She owns the flower shop House of Blooms in Raritan, NJ which she opened 7 years ago after graduating from Rutgers University. Lucy is passionate about volunteering, strengthening the small business community, and conservation. She works with local flower farms in Somerset County to shorten her shop’s supply chain, and only sells American-made products in her shop. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Somerset County Business Partnership, and the Bridgewater-Somerville YMCA Board of Trustees.

Alan Wills – Alan studied Zoology at Oxford University, UK. He came to the US to get an MBA at Harvard and decided to stay. He became a US citizen and has lived in the central NJ area for over 20 years. During that time he has worked as Global Head of Strategy and/or Business Development for both big and small pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Auxilium, and CSL Behring. Alan and his wife Eva are passionate about supporting environmental causes and love birdwatching and hiking in the Sourlands.