At March’s quarterly Management Committee (MC) Meeting PREP voted to welcome five new members. The MC is PREP’s principle governing body and charged with development and implementation of Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). The MC defines and advises on watershed problems and the issues and needs communities are facing that PREP can address, and develops strategies and programs to solve them that are consistent with implementing the CCMP. For 2018 the Management Committee will also lead (with staff support) the CCMP update efforts to ensure that PREP’s guiding document is inclusive and comprehensive in addressing the issues in the watershed. More on the Management Committee HERE. Help us extend a warm welcome to our new members. Below you can learn a little more about each of our new members.
Melissa Paly is the Conservation Law Foundation’s Great Bay – Piscataqua Waterkeeper, working to advocate, engage, and inspire people to protect and restore the rivers, bays, and coast that make the Seacoast such a spectacular place to live, work, and play.
Before joining CLF, Melissa was a principle of CrossCurrent Communications where she provided communications strategy, PR and media production services to state agencies, businesses, and non-profits focused on environmental and social issues. Prior to founding her own firm, she worked for USEPARegion 1, Natural Resources Defense Council, and World Resources Council in water management capacities. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts in geology from Yale College and a Master of Forest Science from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She currently serves on the boards of the Kittery Land Trust, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and Yale School of Forestry Alumni Board.
Jim Chase first joined the Seacoast Science Center team in 1997 as the Public Outreach Coordinator for the New Hampshire Estuaries Project (now the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership). After leaving in 2013 to become Operations Director at the Access Fund in Boulder, Colorado he rejoined the Seacoast Science Center in 2017 as President. Jim earned a Master’s Degree in Hydrology from the University of new Hampshire and a Bachelor’s of Arts in biology with a concentration in marine science, through the Boston University Marine Program. Additionally, he has studied at the University of Massachusetts-Boston (graduate work in chemical oceanography), Sea Education Association (phytoplankton investigations), and Shoals Marine Lab (chemical oceanography). He is an avid outdoorsman whose passions include technical rock climbing and fly fishing.
John Jones is the Senior Environmental Specialist for the NextEra Energy Seabrook Nuclear Plan. In his role, John is responsible for environmental compliance and stewardship for the power plant’s many environmental permits and plans. He firmly supports NextEra Energy’s environmental stewardship program and has spent his career helping various companies with their stewardship and compliance programs. He has a degree in chemistry from the University of Tennessee.
Peter Kinner is a marine scientist with 40 years’ experience as a research scientist and environmental consultant. He worked for Normandeau Associates for 35 years initially managing the marine facility in Portsmouth and ultimately becoming Senior Vice President before retiring. Following retirement Peter worked part time for five years at the UNH Coastal Response Research Center, a joint UNH-NOAA center tasked with supporting NOAA’s spill research program. Peter served as the Town of Greenland representative to the New Hampshire Coastal Risks and Hazards Commission. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees and Governance Chair of the Great Bay Stewards.
Tim Roache became the Executive Director of the Rockingham Planning Commission (RPC) in August 2017. He is responsible for the overall management of the agency and works with the Commission’s highly experienced staff, its Executive Committee, and community representatives on policy and strategic planning initiatives. Prior to joining the RPC team, Tim worked 11 years with the Nashua Regional Planning Commission (NRPC) where he also held the position of Executive Director. Tim holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts.