The Hudson River Watershed Alliance is seeking committed people with diverse interests to join our board.
We would like to encourage dedicated, diverse, and passionate people to join the board of the Hudson River Watershed Alliance. We are an active and working board that focuses on uniting and empowering people to protect Hudson River watershed resources and their communities. We are seeking to diversify our skills, experiences, and membership, as well as strengthen our relationships with like-minded organizations across the Hudson Valley.
To strengthen our current board expertise, we are seeking people who have skills or experience with nonprofit or small business management or operations; watershed group or community organizing; and diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. We also welcome people with experience working with non-environmental organizations. However, anyone who is interested should submit their information, as we are continuously seeking new and diverse candidates.
If you would like to nominate yourself or someone you know (with their permission), please fill out some preliminary information here.
Our nominations process is rolling, so submit information any time. Once you have submitted, someone from the Hudson River Watershed Alliance will contact you via email within two weeks. We nominate candidates using a board matrix to ensure a mix of skills, backgrounds, geographic focus, etc., to find the best fit at any given time. Although you may not be nominated in any particular cycle, once you have submitted your nomination, you’ll remain a candidate.
About the Hudson River Watershed Alliance
The Hudson River Watershed Alliance’s mission is to unite and empower communities to protect their local water resources. We work across the Hudson River watershed to support community-based watershed groups, collaborate on water issues, and communicate as a collective voice. A watershed is the area of land from which water drains into a river, stream, or other waterbody. Our Hudson River watershed covers almost 13,400 square miles, including hundreds of tributaries and a diverse range of communities with different perspectives, values, and needs. We provide resources for healthy communities and waterways.
The 2023 Annual Report summarizes the Hudson River Watershed Alliance’s accomplishments and core programs, and our 2022 Strategic Plan establishes our goals for the coming years, and the vision and core values guiding our work. For an overview of our programs and activities, see this webinar presentation from Executive Director Emily Vail. The Work on Watersheds report compiles the excellent work of our local watershed partners.
The Board
Our board is active and engaged. We apply a range of skills from academia, law, activism, and the public and private sectors, to supporting and collaborating with our communities. There are many ways to support both the board and the alliance, but each board member commits to giving some time and labor every month. You can find information about our board here. Feel free to reach out to any one of us with questions.
Who We Are Looking For
We are eager to grow our board with representation from the diverse communities who live, work, and play in the Hudson Valley. We have taken seriously recent activism around anti-racism, and although we are early in the process, we are eager to take meaningful steps towards being a more open and inclusive organization. One of these steps is to ensure that a diverse group of people know about the opportunity to serve on our board.
We particularly encourage those who would not normally consider themselves typical board candidates.
Board Responsibilities
Hudson River Watershed Alliance board members should expect to be active and engaged with fulfilling our organizational mission. At a minimum, board members will be expected to:
- Serve a three-year term
- Attend at least 3 of 4 annual meetings
- Join and contribute to at least one committee
- Review and provide feedback on HRWA documents and guidelines
- Commit to being present, listening actively, and communicating clearly and honestly
- Remain open to diverse opinions and experiences
- Attend annual events, including the Toast to the Tribs awards benefit and Annual Watershed Conference
- Advocate for the organization and its partners
- Make an annual donation of money that is personally significant (there is no required minimum)
- Help raise funds to support our programming and operations (for example, approaching local businesses with event sponsorship materials)
If you would like to nominate yourself or someone you know (with their permission), please fill out some preliminary information here.
If you’re interested in supporting the Alliance, but not through board service, please consider making a contribution here. You can also get to know the Hudson River Watershed Alliance by joining our email list here.