Elizabeth “Beth” Brown is the Director of External Affairs and Communications at the DRBC, where she leads the Commission’s government relations, partnerships and communications. Prior to joining the DRBC in 2021, Beth led the National Audubon Society’s Delaware River Watershed program and held roles in communication and environmental law. She holds a B.S. in biology from Muhlenberg College and a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.

Bill Brown is a professional engineer with nearly 20 years of experience in the field of civil engineering, with a primary focus on municipal water and wastewater systems. His primary responsibilities include project planning, design, bidding, and construction management. He is responsible for designing, permitting and over-seeing drinking water projects, wastewater treatment plant projects, and designing and overseeing the construction of major municipal building projects.

Helen Budrock is a certified planner with nearly 30 years of planning, community development and grant administration experience. She has worked extensively with municipalities in Sullivan County and the greater Catskill Mountain region on a wide variety of projects including infrastructure planning, downtown revitalization, open space and trail planning, and creative placemaking. She has also helped secure and administer millions of dollars in public and private funding for various planning, historic preservation, parks and trails, and public infrastructure projects.

Jeremy L. Conkle, Ph.D. is the Delaware River Basin Commission's Senior Chemist/Toxicologist. Conkle holds a Ph.D. in Oceanography and Coastal Sciences from Louisiana State University, an M.S. in Environmental Studies from the College of Charleston, and B.S. degrees in Biology and Chemistry from Longwood University. Prior to DRBC, he was on faculty at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, with over 20 years of applied environmental research experience which includes extensive awarded grants.

Jeremy Dietrich is a principal aquatic ecologist specializing in stream ecology and aquatic macroinvertebrate taxonomy.  He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University.  With 20 years of experience as both an DNRE ecologist and a senior scientist with Ichthyological Associates LLC, Jeremy's work and research focus on impact assessments of aquatic communities - particularly with respect to aquatic macroinvertebrates.  He has investigated macroinvertebrate responses to invasive species, FERC hydropower re-licensing settlements, industrial development, and various stream restoration initiatives.  Currently with the NYS Water Resource Institute at Cornell University, Jeremy investigates the effects of small dam removals and aquatic connectivity improvements on stream biota and habitat quality.

Jessica Eckerlin, Program Associate: Jessica works to connect municipalities with funding resources and facilitates technical assistance to local government leaders on topics relating to Local Infrastructure, Leadership, Management and Finance. Jessica holds a Masters of Science in Water and Wetland Resources from SUNY-ESF specializing in Ecosystem-based Management, a Masters of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs with a concentration in Environmental Policy and is certified in Environmental Conflict Resolution and Mediation.

Chris Gazoorian is a Supervisory Hydrologist at the USGS, NY Water Science Center in Troy, NY. He is also the Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) Delaware River Basin project coordinator. Chris has served many different roles at the USGS NYWSC in Troy since 2002, where he began as a student volunteer researching biogeochemical cycle responses to acid deposition in the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains. In his current role, he leads a team of scientists in the Hydrology and Hydraulics Section of the NYWSC, including the UAS (drone) operations. As NGWOS DRB coordinator, Chris organizes USGS operations and personnel across the basin collecting data and conducting research to improve knowledge of water availability and quality, inform regional and national models, and develop new methods for improved efficiency and quality of USGS science and data.

Peter Kolesar, Professor Emeritus at Columbia University, is a member of the Water Center of Columbia’s Earth Institute. The author of more than 50 scientific papers, his research has been applied in diverse areas of industry and government including his prize-winning design of the FDNY’s computerized fire-engine relocation algorithm, his path breaking research on early glaucoma diagnosis, and research on counter-IED warfare strategies in Afghanistan. Peter is an internationally recognized expert on statistical process improvement. His research on water policy issues of the upper Delaware River, in partnership with Jim Serio, led to the 2007 Flexible Flow Management Program, contributed to the 2010 Joint Fisheries White Paper, and led to the incorporation of a thermal mitigation protocol in 2020. He is the recipient of the 2019 Lee Wulf Conservation Award. Peter is an avid fly-fisher, guitarist and photographer.

Avery Lentini is the DRBC’s first Community Engagement Specialist, and in this role, she develops and maintains relationships with community stakeholders including rural and environmental justice communities, executes DRBC-led events and DRBC participation in partner events, and educates partners and stakeholders about DRBC. Prior to joining the DRBC in 2023, Avery worked for Save Barnegat Bay in New Jersey. She holds a B.S. in environmental science from the University of Vermont.

Patrick Lynch works with local communities, regional governments and Native Nations to advance equitable water infrastructure projects. He has helped secure funding for communities in the Mohawk Valley, Catskills, and other regions of New York, having first started his career in the Hudson Valley as a Riverkeeper intern. Before moving back to New York, Patrick managed the Futaleufu Riverkeeper in Chilean Patagonia for eight years and served for two years as policy director for a watershed association in Massachusetts. He earned his Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School and a J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School. Patrick currently lives in Central New York, and is slowly completing his goal of paddling all 450 miles of the Erie Canal System. You can follow his adventures on Instagram/X/Threads @plynchrivers.

Peter Marx is a contractor who assists the Coalition with Federal affairs, working with both Congress and the Administration. Peter spent more than 20 years at EPA and was also a Committee staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives, and helped author several pieces of coastal legislation that became law. He also spent a few years at the Northeast-Midwest Institute in Washington, D.C. working with Congress on regional ecosystem issues. Peter earned a master's degree in Geography and Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island. Peter lives on Broad Creek, a tributary to the South River and Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis, MD, and also has a cabin on Batavia Kill near Margaretville, New York, in the Delaware River watershed. He fishes in both places as often as he can.

Laurie Ramie serves as Executive Director of the Upper Delaware Council, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created by an Act of Congress in 1988 to oversee the partnership of Federal, two States, and local governments to manage the 73.4-mile designated Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. Laurie is responsible for coordinating organizational and financial administration, intergovernmental coordination, strategic planning, staff supervision, communications, public outreach, event logistics, grants administration, fundraising, and maintaining an extensive knowledge of conservation and resource management issues. She also represents the Council in a variety of public capacities and memberships. Laurie joined the UDC in 1997 as Public Relations/Fundraising Specialist and was promoted to Executive Director in 2012. The Ogdensburg, NY native and SUNY Plattsburgh graduate formerly worked in community journalism. She has resided in the Town of Delaware, NY since 1992.

Steve Schwartz manages 20 acre of forested riverfront on Delaware River in Stockport, PA, farms ramps, fishes occasionally and consults on conservation matters from time to time.

Trey Talley has worked in land protection at Delaware Highlands Conservancy since 2018. He serves as an initial contact for landowners interested in protecting their properties, coordinates ongoing land protection projects, and works directly with landowners to design conservation easements that meet their goals. He has a master's degree in City & Regional Planning from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor's degree in Political Science from The University of Chicago.

Chris VanMaaren has worked for the DEC for 24 years and has been in his current role as the Region 4 manager since 2012.