Introducing Our New Board Members |
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Three New Board Members Have Joined Us! |
John Cotter retired from a long year career in the financial services industry primarily at Chase Manhattan Bank and GE Capital Services. After receiving a business degree from Iona College, he began his career in public accounting and earned a CPA certificate in NYS. Moving into banking, John shifted his focus to finance in Chase’s derivatives trading unit and then to market risk management for GE in its global Treasury operation. At GE John was involved in advising business units on hedging strategies related to currency and interest rate fluctuations. In addition, he managed a large portfolio of derivative instruments used to hedge GE’s market exposures. He then led a team in constructing a company wide risk data warehouse and building models of the company’s balance sheet to better measure and manage those exposures.
John resides in Scarsdale where he and his wife Kathryn raised their family. He currently serves on Scarsdale’s Technology Advisory Committee. John is an avid runner and outdoors enthusiast who also enjoys hiking and backpacking.
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Rand Manasse is the Chief Operating Officer at Sunrise Solar Solutions in the Metropolitan New York region. He is a lifelong New York resident raising his family in Westchester county where he serves on the board of the Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB) of New Castle, NY. He is a managing partner at Green Lane Partners which is a private equity firm focused on Clean Tech companies. Rand is very active in his local community serving as the Vice President of the Chappaqua- Millwood Chamber of Commerce and currently holds or has held board memberships with many other non-profit organizations.
Rand volunteers his spare time mentoring startup firms in the clean tech arena working with the national incubator organization called “CleanTech Open (CTO)” which has trained over 1600 early-stage clean technology startup entrepreneurs in the pursuit to develop leading clean green technologies. Rand has an MBA in Finance from New York University and a BS in
Electrical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire. He is the author of several articles on business topics, such as integrated manufacturing solutions, financial systems for CPA firms, and business networking.
Rand through his involvement with Sunrise Solar Solutions companies has been instrumental in developing clean energy solutions for residential and commercial facilities in the Hudson Valley. During his tenure with these companies, they have created over 600 systems creating over 31 GWh of non-polluting energy.
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Colleen Ward has experience within the sustainability field from the United Nations, utilities, and environmental non-profits. Colleen received her Master of Science degree in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Diplomacy and World Affairs from Occidental College.
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A Message from FCWC Student Network |
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Hello Everyone! We are the co-chairs of the Student Steering Network Committee
and we are happy to share with you our brief introductions and what we are doing!
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My name is Bianca Jimenez and I am a Biology major at Mercy College located in Dobbs Ferry. I am the President of the Environmental Alliance and the Dobbs Ferry Campus Executive. In the future, I hope to become a Conservationist however, I am still deciding! |
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My name is Dylan Klein and I am a Political Science and Public Policy double major at the University at Albany, SUNY! I am originally from New Rochelle and I am the former Inaugural President of New Rochelle High School’s Student Advisory Committee. I hope to one day work in legislative proceedings as either a legislative aid or as an elected official.
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This year we are planning to host amazing events for the Steering Committee.
On April 17th, we will host a presentation on Senate Bill 3299 which “Requires the department of education to establish an education for environmental sustainability program to teach children the importance of conserving and protecting our environment.” Along with that, on April 24th, we are hosting a webinar for young students to learn about community gardens and the importance of soil and pollinator conservation. This event aims to promote conservation awareness for young students!
In the future, we are planning to host Town Hall Meetings where community residents can voice their concerns to our board members and in turn, we can enact change!
Lastly, we are planning to host mini forums in which students can teach other students about environmental issues and promote advocacy within our youth. As the Federated Conservationists of Westchester Student Steering Committee we are dedicated to environmental activism and advocacy for students in Westchester County. We commit to uplifting student voices in the field of environmental advocacy as well as provide adequate support systems for students to grow in the field of environmental activism. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to reach out to us at our email address Students@fcwc.org! We look forward to working with you all and can’t wait to enact real change in this County!
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Spotlight on Member Organization - WESPAC |
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WESPAC Annual Awards Gathering - May 13, 2021 @ 7 PM |
FCWC is honored to have our own Anne Jaffe Holmes recognized by WESPAC on Thursday, May 13 at 7pm. As one of FCWC's most venerable and effective member organizations, WESPAC has been uniting Westchester voices on social, racial, economic and justice issues since 1974. (see https://wespac.org/) WESPAC will be honoring Anne for her work on Environmental Justice, along with Ruby Olisemeka, a socially transformative educator and food justice organizer, and Delia Marx, long-time social justice organizer who is currently working with many Westchester human rights, criminal justice and workers rights issues.
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Climate Smart Community Workshop April 7th! |
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Legislation: State Gas Powered
Leaf Blower Bill Needs Support
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NYS Legislation for Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Regulation - Your advocacy needed!
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Dear fellow environmentalist!
I’m writing to you as someone in favor of restricting gas leaf blower use for any number of reasons (air quality, noise pollution, climate change, ecological damage) — and I have some potentially good news! There is a bill currently in the Health Committee of both the New York State Senate and Assembly to prohibit gas leaf blower use from May 1 - September 30 statewide!!!
The Bill is currently in the Health Committees of both legislative bodies, so if you have a health concern that is impacted by polluted air, or if you are stressed by noise, this would be a great time to talk about it and write a note to the Health Committee Chairs, Assemblyman Richard Gottfried and Senator Gustarov Rivera and copy your own legislators (you can find their contact info here.) For info about leaf blowers please click here.
Thank you! Here’s looking forward to a cleaner, quieter New York!
Fiona Mitchell
Healthy Yards
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April/May - Earth Day Events |
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Spring is Here! Let's Celebrate and Volunteer! |
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Please see below for many ways to support us! |
Below are a variety of ways you can help support FCWC now and in the future.
2. Help us with your purchases: If you're already planning on making a purchase through Amazon, simply use smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com. On your first visit, select FCWC as your organization to support. Amazon will then donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible Amazon Smile purchases to FCWC at no cost to you. Every bit adds up!
4. Consider making a charitable gift directly from your IRA. If you are 70 1/2 or older you can support FCWC and avoid paying taxes. To learn more about how to give through your retirement account, or add FCWC as a beneficiary, consult you financial advisor or call FCWC at (914) 422-4053.
5. If you are employed at a firm that matches charitable donations, please contact the foundation and fill out the matching form when you make your donation to FCWC.
6.Make FCWC a beneficiary in your will. Please consult your attorney and/or financial advisor before you do this.
7. Become a Member or Renew Your Membership. Our members are our strength, and to continue our work, we really need your support! Click on the button below for more information:
We hope you find the information contained within this E-News relevant and useful. As always, please keep in touch and let us know your thoughts and ideas regarding environmental issues throughout the County.
Sincerely,
Federated Conservationists of Westchester County
Anne Jaffe Holmes - Managing Director
Monika Kerschus Granholm - Membership Relations/Social Media
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