Larry Silver welcomed as new trustee chair

Three new trustees begin their terms; Advisory Board adds three new members

The East Coast Greenway Alliance's Board of Trustees has named Larry Silver its new chair, effective January 1, 2020. He succeeds Robert Spiegelman, who served as chair of the trustees for four years. Silver is a partner at the law firm Langsam, Stevens Silver & Hollaender LLP in Philadelphia, representing clients on a wide range of environmental, zoning, and land use topics as well as historic preservation cases. An environmentalist and year-round bicycle commuter, he also serves on the board of our partner nonprofit, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council.

"For nonprofits to achieve their potential, they need stellar leaders serving on their boards. Larry has the rare mix of strong expertise, respectful and collaborative spirit, and side-splitting humor that will help our organization reach a new level of impact in the years ahead," says Executive Director Dennis Markatos-Soriano. "I'm delighted that he is devoting his time and talent to our cause."

At their December 2019 meeting in Durham, N.C., the trustees thanked long-term members as they wrapped up their terms: Jean Crowther, Tom Kaiden, Robert Russo, and Spiegelman. Beginning three-year terms on the board of trustees are Lori Bush of Cary, NC; Ken Robinson of Philadelphia, PA; and Britt Storck of Atlanta, GA. Read more about them.

The Alliance's board of trustees holds overall responsibility for governance, fiscal oversight, and financial development for the East Coast Greenway Alliance. The board sets policy and ensures the financial health and viability of the Alliance.

"We're grateful to Bob, Tom, Jean, and Bob, who were key to moving our organization forward dramatically these past several years," says Markatos-Soriano. "The partnerships between staff and volunteers are the critical ingredients that keep our nonprofit healthy and thriving."

Several new members are joining the Greenway's Advisory Board in 2020. The advisory board — made up of specialists in a variety of fields who lend their expertise and experience to support our mission — is chaired by Patricia King, one of the ECGA's founders and a former board of trustees chair.  We thank two outgoing members, Shaheen Syal of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and Deborah Apps, who has retired after almost a decade of leading the Trans Canada Trail.

New advisors are:

• Karen Harley, artist, Hollister, NC. Harley draws from her roots as a member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe to create paintings, sculptures, and drawings. In 2019, she painted a map of the East Coast Greenway on deerskin, featuring the indigenous communities along our route.
• Eleanor Horne, community leader, Lawrenceville, NJ. Horne is co-president of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail. She retired from Educational Testing Service as vice president of the Social Investment Fund. She chairs the Committee on Impact for the Princeton Area Community Foundation.
• Dave Read, Dana Farber Cancer Institute vice president, Topsfield, MA. Read served two terms as chair of the East Coast Greenway Alliance's Board of Trustees. An avid cyclist, he completed the Greenway in 2019 as part of the Week A Year Tour, an event he started in 2011.

Read more of our January 2020 On the Greenway newsletter