Connecticut Chapter, The American Chestnut Foundation: Directors

Directors

		Bill Adamsen has been elected and serves as the President of the Connecticut Chapter of TACF, and is a Director of The American Chestnut Foundation. He has served as President of the CT Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation since 2006 and served previously as Chapter Treasurer and on the Nominations Committee. Bill received a Bachelors Degree from SUNY Purchase in Environmental Sciences. Bill has worked in Information Technology Consulting for more than twenty years specializing in user experience and interactive web application development. Mr. Adamsen resides in Wilton, and his term as Director expires in Spring 2011.
		John P. Anderson, Jr. has been elected and serves as the Vice-President of the Connecticut Chapter of TACF. He is the Executive Director of the Aton Forest, a scientific conservation non-profit organization and 1100 acre research station in northwestern Connecticut. John received his BS in Natural Resources Conservation and his MS in Geography from the University of Connecticut. He has served on the Norfolk Conservation and Inland Wetlands Agency, the town's Open Space Committee and the Norfolk GIS work group. He has volunteered for the Norfolk Land Trust and Norfolk Coalition for Sound Growth, and serves on the board of the Connecticut Conservation Association. His research interests include vegetation management, plant community dynamics, wildlife ecology and GIS (geographic information systems). He has served as a Director of the CT Chapter TACF since 2006. Mr. Anderson resides in Norfolk, and his term as Director expires in Spring 2011.
		Dr. Philip Arnold has been elected and serves as the Secretary of the CT Chapter TACF. He was a Board Certified Physician for 38 years specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and retired in 2004. He received a BA from Yale University and M.D. from Tufts. Philip is active as a Director of the Woodbridge Land Trust and as a member of the American Chestnut Foundation. He feels a synergy between the goals of the organizations and is committed to the goals of restoration of a resistant American Chestnut. Under Dr. Arnold's tutelage, the Woodbridge Land Trust planned and created one of the first CT TACF back-cross research chestnut orchards on property with a long term lease from the Town of Woodbridge. Dr. Arnold is the manager of that orchard. Dr. Arnold has served as a Director since 2006, and previously served as Vice-President of the CT-TACF. Dr. Arnold resides in Woodbridge, and his term as Director expires in Spring 2010.
		Jim Gage was elected and serves as Treasurer of the CT Chapter of TACF, and has done so since 2006. He brings extensive experience from service as Director and Treasurer of the Northern Connecticut Land Trust. He has also served as a preserve monitor for The Nature Conservancy (Poquetanuck Cove) for approximately 8 years. A member of long-standing in the American Chestnut Foundation (12 years), Jim brings the strength of his partnership with one of the most active Land Trusts in the State. He also served on the Ellington Conservation Commission for 3 years, and was Director and Treasurer of the Scantic River Watershed Association for 3 years. Jim retired from Pratt & Whitney Division of United Technologies in 1993. Mr. Gage resides in Ellington, and his term as Director expires in Spring 2010.
		Gayle Kida majored in Art at Smith College, but science and nature have been equally strong interests since childhood. She eagerly completed a two semester Horticulture lab and ecology-related courses at Smith, and Hampshire College. She joined TACF in 2003 after finding a nearly dead 10.5 inch DBH American chestnut with burs. Gayle has served as a Director of the CT Chapter TACF since 2006. After supervising one of CT-TACF's first backcross pollinations in 2005, she agreed to serve as Tree Breeding Coordinator. Along with self-directed study of chestnut literature, she has recorded observations of a native chestnut population over five years as individuals have grown, became blighted and re-sprouted. Gayle is employed in advertising insert printing and is a member of local land trusts and a birding club. Ms. Kida resides in Sufdield, and her term as Director expires in Spring 2011.
		Dr. David Bingham is a retired physician from Norwich who specialized in OBGYN. David ran for election to Congress in 1994 focusing on both fiscal and social responsibility to assure a sound environment. He has been active with the Sierra Club, NARAL, Audubon Society, the national League of Conservation Voters and the Salem Planning and Zoning commission, where he is working to develop the town?s Conservation and Development Plan. His most recent emphasis has been with The Nature Conservancy and the Salem Land Trust to ensure land preservation. David is a member of long standing in TACF (15 years+) and has served as a Director of the CT Chapter TACF since 2006. In addition, he manages a back-cross research orchard of about 500 American Chestnut on his property in Salem. For more information see David's article on Farming for Biodiversity. Dr. Bingham resides in Salem, and his term as Director expires in Spring 2010.
		Dr. Robert Gregg is a Director of the Woodbridge Land Trust and was instrumental in the acquisition of land for the Trust's chestnut plantation. He has been a member of the CT Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation since 2001. Born in Dundee, Michigan, he received his MS and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Michigan. He joined what was to become Uniroyal, where he worked in various research and production capacities until his retirement in 1984. Throughout his career Dr. Gregg has been named as inventor on several patents, and authored or co-authored a number of scientific papers. He was a pioneer in establishing the mechanism of free radical polymerization now used to make billions of pounds a year of polymers. He was the inventor of the first commercial spandex and devised the rubber to wire adhesion system for steel-belted radial tires that keeps the rubber on the tire and off the road. Dr. Gregg has served as a Director of the CT Chapter TACF since 2006, and currently serves on the Nominations Committee. Dr. Gregg resides in Woodbridge, and his term as Director expires in Spring 2010.
		Ellery (Woods) Sinclair has lived in Falls Village since 1947 and began his professional career at the Housatonic Valley Regional High School, where he taught English and was that department’s chairman until his retirement in 1992. With a life-long interest in the environment, Woods has lectured on turtles and tortoises as well as whales and occasionally makes presentations on ecology. He is partially responsible for the high school horticulture program’s being involved with the American Elm project. He also serves on Housatonic’s Arboretum and Landscape Committee, and works with the Nature Conservancy’s Northwest Highlands Project. Woods is chairman of the Falls Village Inland Wetlands/Conservation Commission and is the town representative on the Housatonic River Commission. Simply, Woods reveres the American Chestnut. Woods has served as a Director of the CT Chapter TACF since 2007, and currently serves on the Nominations Committee. Ellery is the Manager of the Great Mountain Forest back-cross chestnut research orchard where he cares for 300 plus back-cross trees. He welcomes the opportunity to be of service to an American icon, the American chestnut. Mr. Sinclair resides in Falls Village, and his term as Director expires in Spring 2011.
		Will Kies of Greenwich is the Director of Education at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center and believes strongly in the importance of teaching environmental stewardship and sustainability to both children and adults to help people appreciate the natural world around us. He also runs the maple sugaring operations at the Museum. Will received his undergraduate and Masters degrees from the University of Vermont, where he worked with the US Forest Service looking at conservation easements throughout the Northern Forest. Mr. Kies resides in Greenwich, and his term as Director expires in Spring 2011.
		Micheal McGee enjoys the outdoors, and is an avid hiker and bicyclist. He became aware of theAmerican chestnut blight when researching the lumber used to frame his 1819 house. Like most structures built in the area before the chestnut blight, it was framed with chestnut. Since becoming aware of the tale of the American chestnut Mike became a member of the Ct chapter of TACF and was then elected to the board. While exploring the Tolland area he has identified a number of American Chestnut specimens for pollination. Chestnut was once plentiful in the area so there are still many small sprouts and trees to be found. Mike is currently works as an Electrical Engineer and he holds a Masters in Management Degree from Albertus Magnus. He has been accepted to the UConn School of Law and will begin his studies there this fall. Mr. McGee resides in Tolland, and his term as Director expires in Spring 2011.
		Jane Harris is a Connecticut licensed arborist, specializing in plant health care, landscape consultation and appraisals. She has worked for Allan’s Tree Service in Middlefield, CT for the past five years. Jane is an active member of the Middletown Garden Club, Garden Club of America and the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut. Jane serves on the boards of The Rockfall Foundation, the Connecticut Tree Protective Association and the Middletown Urban Forestry Commission. Jane has been a central figure in the creation of the TACF Middletown Chestnut Research Orchard. Ms. Harris resides in Middletown, and her term as Director expires in Spring 2011.
		Dr. Jack Ostroff has been a member of TACF since the millenium, having been intrigued by a display at one of our local agricultural fairs. He received his BS from Yale University, MD from Rutgers Medical School, and MS in Computer Science from Rutgers University. Dr. Ostroff has attempted to use his medical knowledge to make better use of computers in the pharmaceutical industry. He has lived in Connecticut for fifteen years, is a member of a number of environmental groups, and has participated in several CT-TACF work parties, and now wishes to take a more active role as a member of the CT- TACF Board of Directors. Dr. Ostroff resides in Old Lyme, and his term as Director expires in Spring 2011.
		Bill Moorhead is an independent consulting field botanist based in western Connecticut. He has specialized for 20 years in the search for populations of rare plants and their habitats, and the study of plant communities and the factors determining their species composition and distribution. He has worked in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia. His clients include the Farmington River Watershed Association, Connecticut Dept. of Environmental Protection, The Nature Conservancy, National Audubon Society, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, Northeast Utilities, and various local land trusts. Highlights of his work include the rediscovery of 26 plants species resumed extirpated in CT, and the discovery of over 600 new populations of rare plants. Mr. Moorhead resides in Lichfield, and his term as Director expires in Spring 2011.
		Dr. Jennifer Allcock graduated as a physician from St Mary's Hospital Medical School London University and served as Director of Covenant House Health Services in Philadelphia for 25 years. Dr. Allcock also has an MA in Landscape Design. She serves in a volunteer capacity on the Guilford Conservation Commission where she has taken an active role in land use related planning helping to create Guilford’s first Natural Resource Inventory, Municipal Environmental Goals, and an updated version of Guilford’s Coastal Area Management Plan. Dr. Allcock took an active role in establishing the TACF Guilford back-cross research orchard for which she currently serves as manager. Dr Allcock has served as a Director of the CT Chapter TACF since February 2008 and she serves as Chair of the Nominations Committee. Dr. Allcock resides in Guilford, and her term as Director expires in Spring 2010.
		Garrett Smith has lived in Avon for nine years and hunts American chestnut stump sprouts while on walks in the woods. Earlier, he lived in central Pennsylvania, where he learned of TACF hybridization work and trial orchards . Education: University of Rochester B.A. 1961, Non-Western Civilizations; Columbia M.Phil. 1972, Geography. In retirement, he travels part-time for the US Environmental Protection Agency assisting Indian nations and tribes with recycling and management of solid waste. Garrett has served as Director of the CT Chapter TACF since 2002.Nominations Committee. Mr. Smith's term as Director expires in Spring 2010.