Board of Directors
Friends of Rye Nature Center’s Board consists of dedicated representatives and community leaders. They represent the diversity of our membership and contribute significant amounts of time, talent, and energy to ensure the growth of the Rye Nature Center as a non-profit organization, environmental education facility, and public park.
Frank Luciano
Director
bryan mcardle
director
bill meyer
director
jessica o’mary
director
ABOUT ME
Maria Tigre-Barbosa
Director
board BIOS
DAN ALLEN
director
Daniel Allen has been a Board Member since 2018. His architectural firm, Allen + Killcoyne Architects, often works on sustainability projects, and after working with the Town of Rye Sustainability Committee for some time, he was invited to join the Friends of Rye Nature Center Board. He brings his passion and skill for architecture to his work, helping establish a master plan for the Nature Center property, and he appreciates that the Board of Directors includes of so many diverse professions and skillsets.
Dan loves to spend time in nature, especially on the water. He is a member of American Yacht Club and the New York Yacht Club, and he often competed in ocean sailboat races when he was younger. He also enjoys hiking, biking, and adventuring.
Subcommittees: Building and Strategic Planning
MELISSA BELLEVILLE
VICE President
The Rye Nature Center has held a special place in Melissa Belleville’s heart since her son joined its classes several years ago. When her experience with nonprofit work sparked an interest in FRNC’s Nature Access Fund, Melissa decided to join the Board of Directors. Melissa has worked in non-profits for much of her life, including her current work with 5 Steps to 5, a bilingual parenting program for Port Chester parents of children under 5 years old. She deeply appreciates the resources Rye has to offer, and she is dedicated to bringing those resources to neighboring underserved communities.
It was this appreciation for Rye’s access to nature that originally brought Melissa to Rye, where she lives by the water. Melissa loves spending time on the water, from casual boating excursions to SCUBA diving trips with her family.
Subcommittees: Executive, Fundraising, and Strategic Planning
Natasha Cholerton-Brown
director
Natasha Cholerton-Brown loves nature and spends as much time as possible outdoors, from climbing mountains to simply mowing the lawn. She has lived and travelled all over the world: she climbed Kilimanjaro, hiked the Himalayas, and completed an Ironman Triathlon. She is also an avid bike rider, and first joined the Board after biking with other Board Members and learning about the FRNC mission. Outside the Rye Nature Center, Natasha works as Chief Operating Officer at the news publisher Insider, Inc.
Subcommittees: Conservation and Staffing
James Engerran
vice president
James Engerran is a partner at the professional services firm Deloitte. He joined the Board in 2020. His wife, Julie, previously served on the Board for six years as well. James’ favorite ways to spend time in nature are hiking, camping, mountain biking, paddle boarding, and skiing.
Subcommittees: Finance and Executive
BRETT HARSCH
DIRECTOR
Brett Harsch joined the FRNC Board in 2023. His son and family have been avid users of the Nature Center and its programs since they moved to the area 5 years ago. The Harsch Family loves to take leisurely weekend hikes on the trails and search the forest for hidden salamanders and wildlife.
Before becoming a full-time dad, Brett worked as a litigation consultant and project manager. He enjoys getting involved in the community by volunteering at local food pantries and being active in local politics. Brett’s can often be found fishing in fresh and saltwater, skiing with his family in winter months, and enjoying a round of trivia or college football game.
Brett strongly believes in supporting the mission of the Center and is excited to get more involved at the Board level.
Subcommittee: Conservation
emily ivers
director
Emily Ivers joined the FRNC Board in 2023, but her ties to the Nature Center began long before that. Emily’s childhood is filled with memories of Rye Nature Center because both of her parents were such active members -- her mother even served on the Board in the late 90s. Since moving back to Rye, the Center has become an important part of her life again. The Ivers Family frequents the trails on the weekends and her sons began attending preschool classes several years ago.
Emily currently works as the Director of Marketing at William Grant & Sons, the company known for its signature spirits brands: Henrick’s Gin, Glenfiddich, and Tullamore D.E.W.
As an active community member, Emily volunteers her time with the Milton PTO and Christ’s Church Nursery School. She loves to run or hike outdoors and enjoys walking on the beach in Rye in any and all seasons! Emily feels fortunate to live in a community with such wonderful access to nature and looks forward to bringing nature opportunities to the community.
Subcommittees: Fundraising and Staffing
mary julian
director
Mary Julian has been a member of the Rye Nature Center family since the 1990s when her children began attending programs here. She joined the Board just as the City of Rye divested from the Nature Center, cancelling all environmental programming. Through the efforts and investments of the Board, RNC stayed open and continued to offer classes and camp. Mary formerly served as President of the Board, and under her leadership in 2008, Friends of Rye Nature Center partnered with the Inner-City Scholarship Fund to bring underserved students from New York City to attend summer camp at the Nature Center. This program is still active today.
Mary is a passionate and devoted gardener. She spends hours cultivating her garden at home and is a member of the Little Garden Club of Rye. She has a particular love of nurturing native plants, which she does in a native meadow-border on her property. Additionally, Mary loves to work with children both in the classroom and in the garden. She believes that teaching children about the beauty of our world, and encouraging them to be outdoors learning about nature and gardening, is the best way for them to appreciate, and ultimately protect, our planet.
Subcommittees: Conservation, Building, and Strategic Planning
JEN LAMBERT
Treasurer
When Jen and her family moved to Rye from New York City, her kids started attending FRNC’s educational programs such as Forest Preschool and June Bugs. She has also volunteered on the Oktoberfest planning committee since 2021. Jen works as the Head of Investor Relations for a venture capital firm based in NYC.
The Lamberts love spending time outside as a family, particularly going for hikes and taking walks on the beach. As an avid skier since childhood, Jen also treasures the uninterrupted time in nature skiing provides.
Subcommittee: Finance, Education, Executive
caitlin layng
President
Caitlin is an active member of the Rye community, having served on the Auxiliary Board of the Rye Free Reading Room, as a fundraising chair for several events at Rye Presbyterian Nursery School, and as a member of the PTO Executive Committee at Midland School. She is currently the treasurer of the Rye Squash Club and coaches Rye Youth Lacrosse for elementary girls. Caitlin’s five children have long been active participants in FRNC programs, and she co-chaired Oktoberfest two years in a row, prior to joining the Board.
In addition to coordinating/schlepping/cheering for her children in all of their various activities, Caitlin enjoys predawn runs with friends surrounded by the natural beauty that abounds in Rye and feels very fortunate to get to see the water each day.
Subcommittees: Executive, Fundraising, and Strategic Planning
susan moreland
secretary
The Nature Center was one of the first places Susan Moreland visited when her family moved to Rye, and she immediately felt a connection to it and knew it would be a wonderful resource for her family and community. Her favorite way to spend time in nature is exploring with her family, and in her free time, Susan loves to be active and spend time with her family and her dog.
Subcommittees: Executive and Fundraising
Jessica o’mary
Director
Jessica first learned about the Nature Center through a friend whose children attended FRNC’s summer camps and she was invested in the programs before even moving to Rye. Currently, her youngest son attends the Forest Preschool program, an opportunity she was excited for after learning about forest schools while living in Norway.
Jessica works as a senior advisor at the law firm Ropes & Gray, LLP. She is also a board member of SCO Family of Services, one of the largest social services organizations in the NY area. After receiving her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard, she completed her field work on forest ecology in Venezuela.
Jessica loves to spend time hiking, kayaking, and boating with her husband and four children. One of the reasons her family chose to settle in Rye when moving out of Manhattan in 2021 was to have this closer connection to nature.
megan schatz
director
Megan became familiar with Friends of Rye Nature Center when her youngest daughter attended the Preschool Ecology program. Megan has volunteered for the Milton PTO and coaching the local youth soccer teams. Her favorite ways to get outside are hiking, walking the family dog, and enjoying Rye’s access to water by kayaking or spending time at the beach.
Subcommittees: Finance
TODD SMITH
director
Todd has had a lifelong passion for the outdoors. A childhood spent camping with his family and summer backpacking adventures with his Scout troop led to a career as an outdoor writer and editor, including 14 years as the editor-in-chief of Outdoor Life magazine. Todd’s extensive outdoor experiences in the U.S., Africa, Canada, and South America have given him a deep appreciation of the need to preserve wilderness (and our access to it) for generations to come.
As 25-year residents of Rye, the Smith family has had close ties to Rye Nature Center for many years. Todd’s daughter and son grew up enjoying RNC programs and both joined the staff briefly after college as a preschool art teacher and land steward respectively. What Todd loves about RNC is that it connects children with the outdoors at an early age, instilling in them a lifelong love and curiosity for all things wild.
Today, Todd keeps busy with Think Outside Consulting, which he founded in 2018 to provide content for clients in the outdoor and tech industries. He loves serving on the FRNC Board, chairing the Conservation Committee, and spending time hiking, canoeing, and cooking over an open fire.
Subcommittee: Conservation