WeConservePA’s board of directors has appointed new members to WeConservePA’s Policy Advisory Committee: Debra Wolf Goldstein, Esq., Anne Maloney, PhD, and Shelly Tichy. The Policy Advisory Committee is charged with studying and discussing opportunities to improve public policy at all levels of government and private measures that could be taken by the land conservation community to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of conservation efforts. The committee makes recommendations to WeConservePA board and staff on these matters.

Betsy Aiken, Executive Director, Westmoreland Land Trust

Betsy Aiken has been with the Westmoreland Land Trust since 2007, serving as a founding board member and stepping down from the board to start service as Executive Director in 2017.  Betsy’s previous work includes municipal management, quality assurance, and strategic planning.  She is active in many conservation, park, and trail initiatives.  Betsy and her husband, Arvind, live in Murrysville.  In her free time Betsy enjoys exploring trails throughout western PA.

Debra Wolf Goldstein, Esq., Executive Director, Philadelphia Environmental Film Festival

Debra Wolf Goldstein, Esq., is an attorney and consultant specializing in land conservation and policy. She also is co-founder and executive director of the Philadelphia Environmental Film Festival (www.philaenvirofilmfest.org), which brings the planet to Philadelphia through the power of environmental film.

Previously she served as executive director of Delaware Canal 21; as general counsel to the Heritage Conservancy; and as regional advisor for PA DCNR’s Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. She started her career as an attorney with the law firm of Wolf Block in their litigation, real estate, and environmental departments.

Debra chaired the Land Use Committee of the Philadelphia Park & Recreation Commission, where she helped draft and guide passage of the City’s first parkland protection ordinance. She also served for over a decade as vice president of the Fairmount Park Commission. She is a sought-after speaker and teacher on topics including public access liability, conservation easement violations, appraisals, and conflicts of interest.

Debra co-hosted a public television series on environmental issues facing Pennsylvania. She has written numerous scholarly and popular publications on land conservation, including several guides for WeConserve. Most recently she co-authored the widely-used manual Universal Access for Trails & Shared Use Paths and the guide on OPDMDs. Debra holds a J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. from Brown University. To learn more please visit www.Conservmatters.com.

Annie Maloney, PhD, Executive Director, Foundation for Sustainable Forests

Annie began working with the Foundation for Sustainable Forests in 2016, first as Conservation & Outreach Manager in 2016, and later as the organization’s first Executive Director. Her primary focus is on the conservation of working forests, which will be managed sustainably in perpetuity for the benefit of both the forest ecosystem and the surrounding community.  In addition, she coordinates educational offerings and outreach to private forest landowners who are seeking to achieve their conservation objectives through active management.  No stranger to natural lands and wild places, before joining FSF Annie spent 15 years in outdoor education and leadership development with the Voyageur Outward Bound School and Cornell University’s Team & Leadership Center. She holds a PhD in Forest Ecology from Boston University and a B.S. in Natural Resources from Cornell University.  She occasionally teaches as an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Environmental Science and Sustainability at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. Annie shares 150 acres of forest and farmland in Crawford County with her husband Patrick and son Rowan, with another little one on the way in early 2021.

Shelly Tichy, President, Westmoreland Conservancy

Shelly Joined the all-volunteer Westmoreland Conservancy October 2000 and stepped up to the Board in 2001. She has served as secretary, treasurer, and vice president at various times, and as president from 2008 – 2014, and again from 2016 – present. Westmoreland Conservancy achieved accreditation in 2013 and renewed in 2019.  In addition to her work with the Conservancy, Shelly works full time and has also volunteered at an assisted living facility for the past 18 years doing a music & memories program with the residents. She retired from teaching ballroom dancing after 30 years.