Board of Directors

Lew Kingsley,

Tim Donovan

co-founders
When they met over 20 years ago, Lew told Tim that “if you teach my sons how to play lacrosse, I’ll try to teach you how to keep from killing yourself or cutting off your foot when you fell a tree.”

H. Lewis Kingsley is a naturalist in the spirit of John Muir. Lew, along with a small original group in the 1970s and 80s, helped to galvanize the environmental movement in the Hudson Highlands and forever changed the trajectory of its forests, habitats, and waterways. He is a founding member and current board member of the Putnam Highlands Audubon Society, and also a founding member and current board member of the Hudson Highlands Land Trust, as well as the Town of Philipstown Conservation Committee (Wetlands). Lew is a founding board member of Riverkeeper and Constitution Marsh and has provided advice in various capacities for six decades to the following organizations: Constitution Marsh, Clearwater, Scenic Hudson, Riverkeeper, Black Rock Forest, Hudson Highlands Trail Conference, New York State DEC, New York State Parks Department. Blessed for 30 years with the love of the late Rita Jo Riehle until 2018, Lew is a retired certified arborist and an early member of the International Society of Arboriculture. Lew retired from the business that bears his name and today his son, Ian, owns Kingsley Tree while son Forrest owns Rita’s former business, RJR Horticulturist – scientific proof that the apples didn’t fall far from the tree.

Tim has been involved with local initiatives which support an active, healthy and positive culture in the Hudson Valley. He currently serves on the board of the Putnam History Museum, the Friends of Mine Dock Park, Inc. and is a member of the West Point-Highland Falls Rotary. Tim formed the South Redoubt Reclamation Team in the Garrison School Forest to preserve the Revolutionary War fortification footprint. Together with David Gordon, he produced a documentary on the history of the Garrison Commons and its ballfield. He has served on the Town of Philipstown’s Wetlands Committee, the Economic Development Committee and he founded P.L.A.Y, (Philipstown Lacrosse Association for Youth) where he taught lacrosse for 20 years. He and his wife Cathleen, an avid gardener, moved to Garrison in 1986 and raised their four children. Tim is a technical sales engineer for an industrial generator manufacturer.

Brian Ephraim

Brian Ephraim grew up in Putnam County and has lived in Garrison for the past five years with his wife, Mary Kate. He is a professional software developer, building apps for brands such as OkCupid and TED Conferences.

Carl Nelson

Carl Nelson has resided in Garrison for over 20 years with his wife, Karen, and their three daughters. The Nelsons are very active within the community and spend their free time hiking, biking, and boating in the Hudson Valley. Carl leads the mergers and acquisitions group for NFP Corp, a NYC- based insurance brokerage firm. He graduated from Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management and holds a Master of Business Administration from Fordham University.