Lily Bartlett Youth Programs Manager
As an educator with a love for the natural world, Lily holds a commitment to increasing the wellness of her community and her environment through experiential learning. She has over eight years of experience working in environmental education and workforce development in New Orleans, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. While completing her Bachelor’s degree, she volunteered at F.R.E.S.H. New London mentoring teens on food security in a farm setting. This led Lily to fall in love with youth programming, and she went on to serve as an AmeriCorps/DOI VISTA with Groundwork New Orleans, where her focus was environmental stewardship and economic development. She organized service learning trips on public lands and led the Green Team on water quality monitoring, creating outdoor classrooms, and installing rain gardens for stormwater management. Lily continued to develop her program management skills at Science Club for Girls in Boston, specializing in program implementation, partnership development, recruitment and retainment, and material logistics. Prior to joining Groundwork Hudson Valley, she worked with youth of all ages across southern New Hampshire tutoring math and science, coaching executive functioning, and supporting youth in transitional services. Lily is an outdoor enthusiast, traveler, and artist. She is Colombian-American and strives to create community through music, food, and movement.
Lily is a graduate of Connecticut College, where she earned her B.A. in Environmental Studies and Astronomy, and a certificate in Public Policy and Community Action. During her studies, she traveled abroad in South Africa, Mexico, and Central America.
Zoe Camhi Sustainability Education Program Associate
Jerome Cunningham Development and Communications Associate
Jerome is a dedicated advocate passionately bridging environmental stewardship and community engagement. His impactful tenure as the Youth Engagement Operations Coordinator at The Nature Conservancy, leading a nationwide environmental school grant program, left an indelible mark on over 130,000 students.
A 2023 graduate of the Emerging Leaders Program, Jerome offers strategic insights as a member of The Nature Conservancy's New York Board of Trustees. His role involves contributing valuable perspectives to strategic decision-making, shaping the organization's vision for a sustainable future. His commitment extends to his present position as the Development and Communications Associate at Groundwork Hudson Valley, where he oversees digital media relations and plays a pivotal role in constructing and implementing fundraising strategies. In this capacity, Jerome continues to be at the forefront of environmental advocacy, showcasing his dedication to community empowerment and sustainability.
A proud Harlemite and alum of the City College of New York, Jerome embodies visionary leadership in sustainability and community empowerment. His multifaceted background underscores his commitment to shaping a more sustainable and connected world.
Jerome enjoys honing his skill as an orator and does voice over narration. He also enjoys spending time with family, music, and martial arts.
Miriam Foley Business Manager
Miriam holds a B.A in Computer Science from Queens College and started her career as a computer programmer. While taking time off to raise her two sons, she became very involved in the Yonkers community and held many positions, including President of the Yonkers Council of PTA/PTSAs. By combining all of the knowledge and skills she acquired, Miriam returned to paid work in the nonprofit sector as a Grants and Finance Manager for local community organizations. As the Business Manager for Groundwork, Miriam provides office support for all of Groundwork’s community programming, which reflect her interests in the local community (especially the schools), the environment and the arts.
Oded Holzinger Executive Director
Oded is a climate resilience professional that has focused his career on promoting holistic and equity-centered strategies for supporting the communities that are most exposed to the impacts of climate change and to environmental injustice. As Executive Director, Oded provides strategic leadership to Groundwork in these times of growing need and opportunities in the climate and environmental justice fields. Previously, Oded spent four years working as the organization’s Climate Resilience Program Manager, leading projects such as The Yonkers Greenway, The Saw Mill River Coalition, and Climate Safe Neighborhoods. Prior to becoming Executive Director, he worked for several months as a Climate Adaptation Specialist for AKRF, a NYC based environmental planning and engineering consultancy firm, supporting city governments in the implementation of climate adaptation policy and design strategies.
Originally from Israel, he began his career as an outdoor educator, working with underserved communities and utilizing their local natural resources as an educational and therapeutic asset. This is when he first started developing his passion for promoting green, sustainable, and resilient cities.
Oded holds a master’s degree in urban planning from Hunter College with a focus on environmental planning and a bachelor's degree in Geography from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Rohullah Mostamand Business Associate
Rohullah Mostamand was born in 1985 and grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan. He graduated from Amani high school, the only school in Afghanistan which is administered and financed by Germany and teaches the German language. His background is in agriculture and he holds a bachelor degree in agriculture and natural resources from Kabul University. He worked as a Monitoring and Evaluation officer and later on as project facilitator for a World Bank funded project called the Horticulture and Livestock Project. In 2017 he started working as an interpreter and instructor for Parks Global Solution and Lomeli Industries LLC (Contractors to the US government). As a result he was granted a Special Immigrant Visa and arrived in the US on Nov 15 2021.
Harrison Nesbit Climate Resilience Manager
As a New York City native and climate resilience professional, Harrison knows that urban green spaces are a necessity, not a luxury. He’s passionate about supporting community-driven projects and developing equitable strategies to strengthen environmental conditions in communities most vulnerable to the compounding effects of the climate crisis. His graduate school capstone report explores how greenways support alternative transportation, access to parks and boost local environmental and economic conditions. He is keen to maintain and expand holistic, nature-based solutions that improve air quality, cool neighborhoods, and reduce flooding.
Prior to joining Groundwork Hudson Valley to pursue a lifelong ambition of a career in environmental justice, Harrison was a Casting Director for film and television. He was lucky enough to be part of the Emmy-winning casting team on HBO’s Succession, and work on a number of other projects including Mare of Easttown, Beasts of No Nation, A Thousand and One, and the radio program This American Life, among others. While transitioning from a film to an environmental professional, Harrison worked with the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority's (NYSERDA) offshore wind team and was a graduate research fellow designing an innovative urban trail network in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
Harrison has a M.S in Sustainable Environmental Systems from Pratt Institute, a B.A in English Literature from George Washington University, and is on the Advisory Board of NYC H2O, an environmental education and advocacy non-profit. Outside of work Harrison likes to ride his bike, chat about movies, and read about insects.
Jhanelle Rahim Youth Programs Associate
Jhanelle's love of the outdoors grew as a little girl in Jamaica. Her grandmother, a horticulturist, kept a small homestead of a few animals and fruit trees. Frolicking in pastures and climbing fruit trees is where her love of the outdoors came to be. Moving to the States, she attended B.O.C.E.S for Urban Forestry during high school. That summer, she worked for Friends of Lasdon Park and Arboretum, which features an array of shrubs and trees. Jhanelle continued her education at Paul Smith's College and earned degrees in both Arboriculture and Environmental Studies, where she gained an understanding of ecology, tree identification, permaculture, tiny living, outdoor education and much more. Her hobbies are hiking, camping, sustainability and watching anime.
Jhanelle has worked with youth as an instructor at Go No Sen Karate and most recently as a coach for Super Soccer Stars. She worked with Groundwork Hudson Valley in the summer of 2021 as a Youth Crew Leader. As of 2022, she is back to engage the Green Team in environmental conservation and youth leadership as the Youth Programs Associate.
Candida Rodriguez Director of Community Engagement and Communications
Candida is responsible for implementing community engagement programs, event organization, and developing public relations strategies, promoting Groundwork’s mission. Candida has experience working alongside community members, local nonprofits, international organizations, and government entities. Her expertise expands through climate change policy, gender equality, migration, education, youth development, and poverty reduction. She began her journey as an international development professional designing and leading community development programs and projects with local nonprofits and later, with international organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). While at UNDP, she led communications initiatives and strategies, organized events, and supported a whole-of-government approach to gathering national climate data, and drafting national climate reports and plans.
Throughout her career, she has worked and lived in Fiji, Spain, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua. Candida is passionate about the inclusion of vulnerable and underrepresented populations in decision-making, especially on issues pertaining to environmental justice. She enjoys being outdoors, taking up a new hobby, and traveling. She holds a Bachelor’s in Sociology from SUNY Buffalo State College and a Master’s in Migration and Development Studies from the University of Almeria in Spain.
Joel Rodriguez Sustainability Education Program Manager
Joel is a skilled sustainability professional with over eighteen years of experience in program development and management, environmental education, and community engagement in the nonprofit sector. He has developed dynamic programming for schools and diverse community stakeholders rooted in the principles of sustainability. In his past role as Director of Environmental Education at the City Parks Foundation, he oversaw the creation, implementation and expansion of school day, afterschool, and summer enrichment programs across all 5 boroughs of New York City, with a particular focus on underserved communities. He continues to serve as the Sustainability Coordinator and member of the Zoning Board for his hometown of Elmsford, where he guides sustainability initiatives and represents the village on the Bronx River and Saw Mill Watershed Advisory Boards. He also consults as a subject matter expert on several projects in the Catskills that are focused on permaculture and climate change resiliency. In his free time, Joel enjoys studying invertebrates, both terrestrial and aquatic, fungi, fossils, and has a special interest in waste reduction, upcycling/repurposing and food security.
Joel holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University at Buffalo, a graduate certificate in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University, as well as a graduate certificate in Climate Change and Sustainability and a M.A. in Global Sustainability from the University of South Florida.
Ellen Theg Chief of Operations
Ellen began her environmental work studying ecology. After interning at the Council on Environmental Quality for a political perspective, she turned to research science at Duke University. Choosing to pursue a secondary interest in film sparked by exposure to classic Japanese and European art films, she settled into the distribution side of the film and television business, developing her skills in intellectual property rights licensing as VP of Business & Legal Affairs for a major European media company. From there, she earned her MBA with a special focus on environmentally sustainable business practices, and brought this perspective to her contribution to The Five Horsemen of the Modern World, Daniel Callahan’s book examining the ‘wicked’ problems of climate change, food and water shortages, chronic health issues and obesity. Ellen joined Groundwork Hudson Valley in 2014 to build its grant and business processes, and served as Principal Investigator for Groundwork’s climate resiliency education grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and project manager for the initial stages of the construction of the Yonkers Greenway.
Ellen holds a B.A. in Biology from Wellesley College and an MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business.
Karen Tumelty Director of Development
Karen’s career has ranged from working as on-air DJ for a commercial radio station, to product manager for the Irish-American Hip Hop group House of Pain (of Jump Around fame), to building and executing fundraising and growth strategies for organizations including Human Rights First, Riverkeeper, and Greyston.
At Riverkeeper, highlights of her achievements included working with allies like Whole Foods to build awareness about the environmental and cultural importance of the Hudson River. The Earth Month campaign that she created for all of the NYC Whole Foods Markets increased web traffic to over 1,000,000 hits per month and significantly increased online donations. Her non-confrontational approach to story-telling has created new levels of understanding of people and communities that have been marginalized and excluded. For example, while at Greyston, she inspired one of the most iconic social enterprises,The Body Shop, to adopt Open Hiring practices at the distribution center and in their retail stores. This, in turn, resulted in increased donor confidence and gift size. She works from a core value of listening to people and helping them connect to the work that will help them be the change they want to see in the world.
Karen is an avid cook who enjoys exploring new cultures through flavor and is also an accomplished knitter. She was raised in Yonkers and has lived in our community for much of her life. She has served as Vice Chair of the Yonkers Human Rights Commission, was the founding Chair of the Yonkers Alliance for Latino and Immigrant Services, and was the Formation Chair for the Yonkers St. Patrick’s Day Parade for many years.
Annie Vargas Climate Resilience Program Associate
In Yonkers, Annie Vargas is driven to champion climate advocacy and community-driven transformation. Beginning at Wells College, their dedication to inclusivity and equity blossomed through studies in political science, and biochemistry, in addition to participating in campus leadership. Exploring sustainable agriculture, medicinal chemistry, and international affairs shaped Annie into an educator focused on environmental justice, holding certifications from early childhood education to botanical cultivation.
Beyond academics, Annie's narrative unfolds during their City Year tenure, employing inclusive teaching methods to nurture socio-emotional development. Devoting leisure time to volunteering at faith-based organizations and children's centers, they embody their grandfather's wisdom: "Only through the power of action can perseverance grow."
At Groundwork Hudson Valley, Annie leads impactful collaborations, merging scientific expertise with a profound commitment to community engagement and civic literacy. On the Science Barge, they taught over a thousand students in the Hudson Valley, addressing topics like food sovereignty, climate change, and socioecological disparities.
Christina Weiler Climate Resilience AmeriCorps
Christina Weiler is a creative, impact-driven climate professional passionate about environmental stewardship. She aspires to contribute to organizations that build power and capacity within communities affected by climate change.
As a Clinton Global Initiative Fellow, Christina created a program in partnership with the New Rochelle City Planning Office to engage youth in researching park access and walkability in low-income areas of their city. She also created and ran a sustainability consulting nonprofit for small businesses in her college town and worked as an intern for SWEEP, which developed an environmental performance standard for solid waste facilities across the US.
Christina loves designing community engagement tools that empower participants to share perspective and build consensus toward actionable goals. Most recently, she was a community educator designing and leading intercultural and trilingual activities in public schools in Spain under a Fulbright grant. There she learned how environmental education fits naturally into curriculum for children, in particular how children can learn from neighbors and family members who have connections to agriculture.
Christina holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies with minors in Economics and Latin American Studies from Colgate University.