Hackensack Riverkeeper : Who Is The Riverkeeper?

Who Is Hackensack Riverkeeper?

Captain Bill Sheehan, the Hackensack River-keeper, is a lifelong resident of the Hackensack River area, having lived most of his life in Union City and Secaucus, New Jersey. He is a dedicated, active conservationist who founded Hackensack River-keeper in 1997 and serves as the organization's Executive Director. Captain Bill, as he is known to most people, holds a Master of Inland Waterways license from the US Coast Guard.

Captain Bill serves on the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program Citizens Advisory Committee, a bi-state agency that oversees federal management efforts in the region. He is a founding (and current) member of the Bergen County Trust Fund Public Advisory Committee and is the current Chair of the Meadowlands Conservation Trust; the latter being the agency charged with acquiring, holding and managing conservation properties in the New Jersey Meadowlands and throughout the Hackensack River watershed.

Captain Bill has been recognized for his work on numerous occasions by the media, the government and the environmental and business communities. Among these awards are:

2009 Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce Award
2008 EPA Environmental Quality Award
2004 River Network’s River Hero Award
2003 NJ DEP Environmental Excellence Award
2003 Bergen County’s Person of the Year
2002 US Fish and Wildlife Service Award for Meadowlands conservation
2002 Garden Club of America Award for Significant Contribution to Conservation
1999 Waterfront Center in Washington DC’s National Clearwater Award
1996 NJ Audubon Society’s Conservationist of the Year Award

When he is not conducting Eco-Cruises aboard the vessel Edward Abbey, chairing meetings, or otherwise advocating for the Hackensack River watershed, Captain Bill enjoys rock n’ roll music, movies and fishing for Striped bass in his favorite river.

Hugh Carola, Program Director, graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey in 1980 with a B.A. in Political Science. After a short stint in a Franciscan seminary and some postgraduate work at Siena College in Loudonville, NY, Hugh began a career in retail Management that lasted from 1982 until 1999. During those years he took up birding and nature study and in 1990, joined the Fyke Nature Association, Hugh was elected Fyke's President in 1993, a position he held until 2002, and currently serves as the Association's Land Trust Director.

Through the 1990s, Hugh joined a number of other conservation groups and, as Fyke President, he served on several environmental coalitions. He was a founding member of the Bergen Open Space Coalition (BOSCo), the group that successfully advocated for the establishment of the Bergen County Open Space, Recreation, Historic and Farmland Preservation Trust in 1998. From 1994 thru 2004, Hugh was an active member of the NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club. In 2004, he was named a Trustee of Garden State EnviroNet, New Jersey's only cyber-based organization whose mission is to provide daily environmental news briefings to thousands of subscribers.

In January 1999, desiring a career change, Hugh left the retail world and looked to the environmental field for opportunities. Fortunately, Hackensack Riverkeeper needed help and Hugh was able to spend the next six months volunteering, during which time he helped Capt. Bill develop the Eco-Walk Program. His career change came when he was hired in July 1999 as Coordinator of the Hackensack Meadowlands Preservation Alliance (HMPA). Under his leadership, the HMPA grew from twelve members to a coalition over one hundred groups by January 2001. During that time, Hugh continued to work closely with Capt. Sheehan to expand the community outreach of Hackensack Riverkeeper.

Hugh was hired in by Hackensack Riverkeeper in January 2001 as its Program Director and since then has overseen scheduling and reservations for the Eco-Cruise, Eco-Walk and Canoe Project among other duties. In Spring 2002, Hugh passed his Captain's Exam at the US Coast Guard station in lower Manhattan and became the organization's second licensed Captain. Since then he has taken on the responsibility of conducting virtually all Eco-Cruises for school and Scout groups aboard the vessel Robert H. Boyle. In 2004, Hugh was awarded the Outstanding Environmental Educator Award by the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education (ANJEE).

Hugh and his family spend their summer vacation each year in Maine and the Canadian Maritimes pursuing their three favorite hobbies: hiking, birding and .. what else? .. boating.

Lisa G. Ryan, Operations Director, initiated Hackensack Riverkeeper's river cleanup program in 1999 and coordinated it for five years on a volunteer basis, picking locations, contacting volunteers, gathering supplies, procuring permits and dumpsters, and showing up with breakfast, lunch and her dog, Thelma! Lisa received the Governor's Award for Volunteerism in 2004 for these efforts. Hackensack Riverkeeper hired Lisa in October 2004 to replace her friend Kathy Urffer, who moved to Vermont. Lisa continues to coordinate the river cleanups, along with all volunteer activities at Hackensack Riverkeeper, and is also responsible for all bookkeeping and office administration for the organization.
Lisa received her BA in French and Political Science from Rutgers University, studying in France for one year and developing a lifelong interest in international relations and developing countries. Upon returning to the United States, she began volunteering and later became the Rutgers chapter coordinator for the human rights organization CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador).
Since graduating from Rutgers, Lisa has worked as a graphic designer, bookkeeper and office manager in various industries. This time in the corporate world taught her that she is most productive and effective when working on something meaningful, and is grateful for the opportunity to utilize her skills promoting a cause that she really cares about.

Nicholas Vos-Wein, Project Manager first learned about Hackensack Riverkeeper and the Waterkeeper movement in 2003 when he joined the New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program, an AmeriCorps program operated by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection.

After completing his AmeriCorps term, Nick interned with the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association (SBMWA) as a teacher-naturalist, leading programs for students and families. While employed at SBMWA, he continued working for Hackensack Riverkeeper part time at the Paddling Center in Secaucus.

As he was finishing his internship at SBMWA, the HRI project manager position became available, and Nick was hired. His primary responsibility is managing the Paddling Center. The Paddling Center now boasts a total of 12 canoes, 8 solo kayaks and 4 tandem kayaks and is slated for expansion in 2010. Several guided tours are offered each month and a membership in the frequent paddler discount program is free. The Paddling Center continues to be the fastest growing recreation program in the HRI repertoire.

Nick's other responsibilities include talking to school and scout groups, coordinating with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection on the Urban Watershed Education Program, and managing Hackensack Riverkeeper's Oyster Study. He also sits on NJDEP’s internal advisory committee of the Water Watch Network.

Nick earned his degree in environmental geochemistry from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. He is certified as a coastal kayak instructor by the American Canoe Association, holds a Boating Certificate from the United States Power Squadrons and has completed several environmental education trainings including Project Wet, Project Wild, Project Learning Tree, NJWATERS, Healthy Waters Healthy People and Wild School Sites.

Diane Saccoccia, Development Director, grew up in Ridgefield Park, NJ, where the Hackensack River and the Overpeck Creek converge. Except for a brief time away at school she has continued to live in Bergen County and now resides in Park Ridge NJ, in the northern section of our Watershed.

Several years ago she took an introductory class in bird watching, and was “bitten” by the birding bug. Diane realized that she would have to learn more about the great outdoors in order to enjoy her new-found hobby, and began going on birding trips, nature walks and other outdoor-related programs as often as possible. Her love of birding soon expanded into other activities and a genuine concern for our environment and for conservation.

A natural outgrowth of her expanded interest was a desire to help protect our natural resources. Like many local individuals, she was frustrated by the decline of open space and wildlife in our area and the increases in pollution. Diane began working with Hackensack Riverkeeper as a volunteer several years ago, participating in cleanups, joining Hugh Carola on Eco-Walks, and assisting the Riverkeeper at various events. She became committed to HRI’s mission to preserve, protect and restore the Hackensack River Watershed and occasionally would represent HRI at events when the staff was otherwise occupied. For the last few years Diane helped to plan and execute HRI’s Annual Awards Dinner as a member of the Awards Dinner Committee.

After a 25-year career in International Transportation and Freight Forwarding, Diane wanted to turn her passion for the River and the Watershed into a full-time occupation. In December of 2006 she was lucky enough to make her dream a reality when she began working for Hackensack Riverkeeper as their new Development Director. Diane hopes to use her years of corporate experience in her new position to support and expand the work of HRI.

Diane tries to get out birding often, but when it's not possible, she enjoys reading, watching old movies and spending time with friends. She is a volunteer at a local nursing and rehab facility, where she assists with activities and always looks forward to visiting with the residents of the facility.