Team

Eli Arnow is a dedicated ecological hunter, land steward, and environmental advocate serving as chair of the Forest Health Task Force at Partners for Climate Action. He has a masters degree from SUNY ESF in Environmental Science with a concentration in ecological restoration and lives in southern Columbia County. 

Vanessa works as a consultant for Partners for Climate Action, where she co-developed the Local Champions program and the Building Decacarbonization Grants program. Vanessa is an elected official on the Board of Trustees for the Village of Rhinebeck, NY, where she led her Climate Smart Community Task Force to bronze certification. As a consultant, Vanessa has worked for The New York Times and clean energy companies. Previously, she worked at Etsy.com for over a decade.

Avalon oversees PollinateHV and the Ecological Restoration Grant program. Prior to PCA, she directed a coastal climate resilience education initiative through NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Program. She co-manages a large landscape in Columbia County, focusing on native meadows, forest health, and deer management; she also has over a decade of farm work experience in New York and Canada. Avalon received an MS in ecosystem restoration from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and a BA in geology from Colgate University. She is completing a PhD in restoration ecology at Antioch University.

Bob has dedicated his professional life to working at the intersection of economics, environmentalism, and culture with an eye toward locally owned business, resilient agriculture, and democratic participation in decision making. Bob also directs the Local Economies Project at the New World Foundation.

Prior to this, he served as executive director of the NoVo Foundation and director of the Rudolf Steiner Foundation’s East Coast Office.

A recent graduate of Siena College, Jessica is currently pursuing her masters degree in Climate Science and Policy from Bard College. She is conducting research for the Forest Health Task Force on potential solutions to the deer overabundance crisis in New York. With 10 years of hands-on sustainability leadership, Jessica strongly believes in the power of local action to fight global problems. She is proud of her many past projects, including establishing a $65,000 Green Revolving Fund at Siena College, building a tool for Ulster County to effectively incorporate equity into their Community Climate Action Plan, managing the YouthBuild USA Green Jobs Pathways Discovery Project, and various research projects.

Paige co-founded the Integrative Medicine Foundation which focused on permaculture, renewable energy, and the protection of intellectual property rights of traditional healers in East Africa.

Holding a Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, she worked as a psychotherapist in private practice and an art therapist in the New York City public school system. Paige has written, produced, and hosted radio programs and podcasts that feature economic and collaborative solutions to climate change and inequity. She was also associate producer and outreach campaign manager for the Sundance feature film God Loves Uganda.

Before co-founding Partners for Climate Action, Stinchcomb founded and led the Good Work Institute - a local organization committed to working towards a Just Transition in the Hudson Valley. Additionally, he is a co-founder of Place Corps, an educational program dedicated to cultivating a call to know, love, and serve our places. Prior to working in the non-profit sector, Matt was the VP, Values and Impact at Etsy.com.

Stinchcomb serves on the board of directors for the Schumacher Center for New Economics (chair) and the Hawthorne Valley Association (co-chair).

For nearly 30 years, Jack has been a writing and story consultant for independent films and online media, creating compelling content on science, history, and current events for mass audiences, NGOs, and advocacy groups. A distinguished instructor, he has taught documentary workshops throughout the US and Europe. He has also written and directed Emmy Award-winning films for National Geographic and PBS, with series such as Nature and Nova, focused on such topics as climate change in Peru, natural disasters in Haiti, and the opium trade in Afghanistan. Prior, he was a reporter with Time magazine, where he covered the White House and Congress.

Susan is a passionate environmental advocate, architect, and founder of Dirty Gaia, an organization focused on earth stewardship, environmental awareness, and home food growing. Her lifelong love of growing vegetables combined with a deep respect for living systems provides a unique platform from which to promote environmental sustainability. Along with launching a gleaning program to distribute excess produce from home and community gardens to local pantries, she leads the Rhinebeck Community Garden, co-founded Rhinecliff’s Morton Seed Library, and was a past Good Work Institute fellow.