Board & Advisory Council

David Naidu is a Partner at K&L Gates, a global law firm. He has more than 20 years of experience advising clients on environmental and land-use issues and has been recognized as a New York Metro Region Super Lawyer and by Chambers.  He has written a book on biotechnology and nanotechnology published by Oxford University Press and Lexus/Nexus. He served on Summit Common Council – including two years as Council President–  as well as on the Planning Board and Environmental Commission in Summit. David graduated from Vassar College, Cornell University and Georgetown Law School. He is the President of The Summit Conservancy and serves on the Reeves-Reed Arboretum Board.  He has lived in Summit for 20 years with his wife, Andrea, and two sons.

Clark retired in 2022 from Foresters Financial where he served as Chief Investment Officer.  He has over 35 years of experience in financial markets in senior management and portfolio management positions.  Prior to Foresters Financial, Clark worked for General Electric and American Express in investment management roles.  He graduated from Williams College with a B.A. in History and a Masters in International Relations from Columbia University. Clark joined the GSWA board in 2020.

In addition to the Great Swamp, Clark is involved with various non-profit organizations on Nantucket.  Clark has lived in Chatham with his wife, Andrea, for over 30 years.

Reed has been a GSWA member since 2000. He became a Trustee in 2019 and prior to that, he served on the GSWA Advisory Council. Reed served as a Trustee for his Alma Mater Franklin & Marshall College and currently serves on its Board of Visitors. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and was recently named to its Executive Committee. In addition, Reed recently completed his tenure on Columbia University’s Alumni Trustee Nominating Committee and served as its chair for the last two years. Professionally, Reed serves as the global leader of the structured transactions group at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in New York City.  He is recognized as one of the nation’s leading structured finance lawyers and is co-author of the Fourth Edition of the legal treatise entitled Offerings of Asset Backed Securities. Reed and his wife reside in Bernardsville.

Born in Morristown and raised in New Vernon, Kate graduated from The College of Charleston then attended graduate school at University College London where she pursued a degree in Environment and Sustainable Development. Passionate about her home state, she moved back to New Jersey and worked in environmental policy in New York and New Jersey. She earned her real estate license in order to work in her hometown with her father, Jim Barry. Kate currently lives in Harding with her husband and family, which includes a cat, donkey, and two goats.

Lydia Chambers, Co-Chair of Friends of the Drew Forest, has worked as an environmental organizer in the Chatham-Madison area for 20 years. Her involvement with GSWA began at her childrens’ school where she organized the the watershed demonstration for third graders. She also initiated GSWA’s successful native plant sale and has assisted since its inception in 2021. Lydia served on the Chatham Township Planning Board and Open Space Committee for over a decade. In conjunction with the Environmental Commission, she led several environmental campaigns that were later used as models for communities around NJ. In 2008, Lydia co-founded a social business called Back2Tap working with schools, non-profits, and corporations nation-wide to raise awareness about bottled water and promoting reusable bottles. With a BA in Earth Science from Dartmouth College and an MS in Geological Sciences from the University of Colorado, Lydia worked in the oil industry for 9 years as a geological engineer and hydrogeologist.

Ryan is a licensed New Jersey Real Estate Salesperson and has worked for Weichert, Realtors for over 20 years. He is a member of the Weichert, Realtors Chairman of the Board Club and has achieved dozens of performance awards throughout his career. Born in Morristown and a lifelong resident of Morris County, Ryan is deeply involved in his community, serving on several boards and committees including Morristown Partnership, Washington Association of New Jersey, The Morristown Club (current Vice President), Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Morris County, and more. In 2023, Ryan served as the Grand Marshall of the Morris County St. Patrick’s Day Parade, where he had been a board member for the 10 previous years. Ryan enjoys gardening/Koin pond, genealogy, and RVing with his wife and dogs.

Marilyn Dee, a long-time supporter of GSWA, lives in Harding Twp. As a former 30-plus year resident of Bernardsville, Marilyn served that community as a member, co-chair and chair of the Town Board of Adjustment for 7 years, and as a 12 year member of the Open Space Committee.  She currently serves on the the Board of the Bernardsville Garden Club as co-chair of civic improvement. Marilyn has a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She enjoys gardening with her husband, Michael, and reading with her book group friends.

Michael first joined GSWA’s Board of Trustees in the 1990s. He served as Board Chair 2014-2015, and as Vice Chair in 2012, 2013, 2018, and 2019. He has been an avid supporter of the organization and our annual Gala. Michael is a Vice President of Smarties Candy Company, his family’s business now run by the next generation. He cut his activist teeth and breathed a lot of teargas with Peace marches and precursors of BLM Marches in the 60’s and 70’s. He continues to passionately support important causes like GSWA. He is a strong proponent of eradicating invasive plants and landscaping with natives, principles he demonstrates on his own properties. Michael earned his Bachelor of Arts from Yale College, as well as a Master of Letters and Doctor of Letters from Drew University. He is very active with a wide variety of environmental, animal rights, and other non-profit groups, from Trustees of Reservations to Mercy for Animals. He also serves on the Board of the Ethos Farm Project, a regenerative organic farm in Long Valley in Long Valley, NJ. Michael and his wife Marilyn (also a Board member) now split residence between homes in Harding Township and Stockbridge, MA. They enjoy their play time with daughters and grandchildren, as well as gardening. Michael is also an avid adult hockey player.

Raised in Nebraska, Carolyn graduated from the College of William & Mary with a degree in Russian/Soviet Studies and Spanish. She turned down an opportunity for a career in covert operations for the CIA for a career in the performing arts, a lifelong passion, based in NYC. Carolyn and her husband, Brian, moved their young family to Chatham in 2001 where she currently works teaching music and Spanish. She has been very active volunteering in Chatham through the public schools in various roles, and in her church, serving as Assistant Minister, and being elected to serve two terms on the church council. She was later elected to two terms on the Chatham Borough Council, then elected Mayor in 2023, and currently serves in that capacity. Two of her most rewarding efforts on Borough Council are co-founding the Chatham Community Food Distribution in April 2020 which still serves 50-60 families weekly, and her work on the Passaic Riverside Trail, which she is working on expanding and enhancing. She looks forward to serving the GSWA, and expanding their reach and environmental missions all along the Passaic and beyond.

An attorney at Schenck, Price, Smith & King, Eric is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney. He co-chairs Schenck, Price, Smith & King’s Litigation Department and its Commercial Litigation Practice Group. Additionally, he is the past president and current board member of the Morristown and Morris Township Library Foundation and past president of the West Morris Soccer Club. Eric resides in Mendham with his wife.

Ralph is a retired insurance executive. Among other notable companies, he worked for Chubb Insurance. He recently stepped down as president of the Mars Essex Horse Trials, an annual event taking place in Far Hills, NJ that benefits the Greater Newark Life Camp. Ralph and his wife Lynn live in Tewksbury and have many ties to the Great Swamp watershed. They are avid equestrians and supporters of a clean and healthy  environment and the preservation of open space.

Susan Kessel, General Manager and Sales Manager of Chatham Print and Design, is the second-generation owner of this family business. A graduate of Cook College, Rutgers University (now known as the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences) Susan’s personal passions include the environment and animals. She is a member of the North American Butterfly Association and the Native Plant Society of NJ and is knowledgeable about and planting vegetables and native flowers, using organic growing methods for the health of her family and the environment. Susan also volunteers with her husband, Scott, at the Mount Pleasant Animal Shelter fostering special needs cats and kittens. As a personal creative outlet, Susan is a knitter and handweaver, and a member of the Jockey Hollow Weavers guild. She has several looms and enjoys the practice and creativity of weaving.

Ian is a principal and portfolio manager at Cannell & Spears. Prior to that, he held senior positions at Klingenstein, Fields & Co., LLC., and J. & W. Seligman & Co. He sits on several boards including Emma Willard School, Charles & Marjorie Holloway Foundation, Presbyterian Church of Chatham Twp., and the Morristown Club (current Treasurer). Ian and his wife reside in New Vernon.

Adam is currently Director of Strategic Initiatives and a Relationship Manager for Glenmede. Prior to joining Glenmede, Adam was Principal, Team Leader and Senior Client Advisor at Bessemer Trust Company in New York.
Adam has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Franklin & Marshall College, a Bachelor of Arts degree in creative writing studies from Brown University, and a Master of Arts degree in liberal studies and economics from New York University. He is a graduate of the Canon Trust School and the ABA Bank Officer’s Compliance program.
Adam is an active participant in several community and charitable organizations including a Trustee and former President of the Board for  SAGE Eldercare, and a member of the Strategic Planning Committee and former Trustee of The Discovery Orchestra. He is also an active member of Vistage.
He and his wife Celia recently moved from Summit to Far Hills.

Dr. David A. Robinson is a Distinguished Professor of Geography at Rutgers University and New Jersey’s State Climatologist. He has expertise in the collection and archiving of accurate climatic data and is interested in climate change (particularly state and regional climate issues), global snow cover dynamics, and interactions of snow cover with other climate elements. As state climatologist, he works with a wide array of user communities who require climatological expertise to solve problems.  Dave has been a member of the National Academy of Sciences’ Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, is past president of the American Association of State Climatologists, has received the Lifetime Achievement award of the American Association of Geographers, and is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society.

Dot is a returning GSWA board member who has served several terms on the board in the past, most recently from 2012-2017. A member and active volunteer since 1995, Dot offers her institutional history of the area and the organization. In addition, Dot serves as Chatham Township Environmental Commission Chair. During the summer she works in the nature program of the Silver Bay YMCA on Lake George in New York. With a B.S. in mathematics from the University of Rochester, an M.S. in mathematics from Yale, and additional computer science coursework at NYU, Dot enjoyed a 40-year career as a computer systems consultant at Bell Labs before retiring in 2000. Dot resides in Chatham Township with her husband, Frank, who is also an active GSWA volunteer.

Stacey is the managing partner at Avelino Law, LLP, and focuses her practice on trusts and estates. A graduate of Colgate University and Washington & Lee University School of Law, Stacey assists individuals and families in achieving their wealth planning goals. She handles income, estate, inheritance, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax issues, and helps clients maximize the benefits of charitable giving. Stacey also serves on the Board of Estate Planning Council of Northern New Jersey, the Board of the Women’s Association for the Morristown Medical Center, and the Board of the Morristown Club.

Meisha is an experienced digital strategist and social impact advocate who supports commercial and nonprofit organizations as their DEI and marketing expert with her firm Phase One Strategy, LLC. Over the last 20 years, she has honed her skills working with companies and brands such as Sports Illustrated, FOX, American Idol, Bloomberg, MySpace and United Way. A tireless women’s rights advocate, Meisha serves as Board Member for UN Women USA’s New York chapter. She firmly believes in the power of paying it forward – allowing everyone from all backgrounds to reach for their full potential.

Brett is currently a Vice President at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. where he manages the financial crimes risk associated with the Commercial Banking Group’s merger, acquisition, divestiture, and strategic investment activity.  Brett is also a Co-founder of golf clothing startup, foregood clothiers. Prior to these roles, Brett worked as an Associate Director at Standard Chartered Bank where he co-led the Controls Operations Group. He holds a Master of Arts in International Business and Policy from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Finance from Ramapo College of New Jersey.  Brett, his wife Stephanie, and their two children currently reside in Pinehurst, NC.