A professional hydrogeologist at LaBella Associates, Russell Urban-Mead has supported numerous watershed projects in the region, including drinking water source protection and watershed planning. In addition to all of his professional work, Russell’s work as a volunteer has laid significant foundations for watershed-focused collaborations across the Hudson Valley.
Russell was part of the Hudson River Watershed Alliance’s original steering committee and became a founding board member in 2010 when the Alliance became its own nonprofit. He served for nine years on the board, supporting the organization’s growth through several stages until reaching term limits in 2019.
In 2007, Russell began coordinating a program at the Plaza Diner in New Paltz. With a tagline of “Save the Date and we’ll save a plate!”, the Watershed Omelette lecture series provided an opportunity for networking over eggs and coffee, with a different featured speaker each month. It brought together a unique mix of people to meet, share updates, identify collaboration opportunities, and learn together.
Russell organized monthly speakers for this program as a volunteer for 15 years – 12 years in-person and three years virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. Russell’s vision of sharing science-based information and regularly convening partners in casual conversation continues with the Hudson River Watershed Alliance’s programming, including our Breakfast Webinars.
Celebrate Russell Urban-Mead at our 2023 WaveMaker Awards Benefit on May 17!