Meet the Office at Clearwater
For General Inquiries
Executive
David Toman
Executive Director
he | him | his
exec@clearwater.org
845-265-8080 x7104
David comes to Clearwater with over 25 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, most recently as a Vice President of Operations, Chief Financial Officer, and Director of Business Functions & Human Resources at the Mohonk Preserve. Toman’s non-profit career began in the public accounting world; his love of nature guided him to the Delaware Nature Society where he held the position of Associate Director of Business & Finance for 12 years.
In his spare time, David enjoys paddling on local waterways, nature hikes with his Karelian Bear Dog, and listening to great music with his family, where they reside in New Paltz, NY.
Administration
Contact the Administration department for all issues related to the purchasing of merchandise, accounts payable, and general information.
Erin Macchiaroli
Director of Operations
she | her | hers
erin@clearwater.org
845-265-8080 x7100
Erin joined Clearwater in March of 2014 and currently manages the day-to-day operations, human resources, administration and facilities at the Beacon office. Originally from Queens, NY, Erin is a US Air Force veteran and served as a Command Post Operations Controller, stationed in Delaware, South Korea, Oman and England during her enlistment. Using the Montgomery GI Bill, Erin obtained her BA from SUNY New Paltz and a MA in Writing from the National University of Ireland, Galway, where she lived for the next 5 years enjoying a culturally rich life in the west of Ireland. Erin now lives in Newburgh with her son.
Caitlin Zinsley
Administrative Sloop Liason
she | her | hers
caitlin@clearwater.org
Caitlin grew up in the Hudson Valley and first came onboard the sloop as a high school volunteer in 2008. She immediately fell in love and returned the next two summers as an apprentice, later as a deckhand, and finally as onboard education coordinator, visiting often in between. Caitlin is happy to be able to support the sloop in an administrative capacity, which also gives her more excuses to visit the sloop and participate in an occasional tideline program. Caitlin lives in Kingston, where she settled undoubtedly because of her time with Clearwater, with her husband and baby. She gardens, takes walks on the river with her family, and makes cakes.
Anne Crowley
Administrative Associate
she | her | hers
anne@clearwater.org
Anne grew up in the Hudson Valley, sailing and ice boating on the Hudson, and remembers clearly the year everyone was warned not to swim in the Hudson River or eat its fish. She is thrilled to now be working with the Clearwater Team and so appreciative of all the hard work they have done and continue to do to make the river and the Hudson Valley a better and cleaner place.
When not at the Clearwater office, Anne is a full time student at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson NY, studying Written and Studio Arts.
Captains
Rory Kane
Captain
he | him | his
captain@clearwater.org
845-265-8080 x7114
Born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, Captain Rory Kane’s first sailing experience was as a volunteer aboard Clearwater in 2012. Since then, in addition to serving in nearly every position on the Sloop, he has vast experience on Tall Ships up and down the East and West Coasts, but always returned to the Hudson Valley because of the Clearwater Community. Having acquired his Captain’s License in 2019, and culminating a decade of experience, Rory is excited to rejoin Clearwater for his first season as Captain.
Communications
Contact the Communications department for all information regarding Clearwater media inquiries and questions about our website and social media platforms.
Amber Stewart
Communications Coordinator
she | her | hers
amber@clearwater.org
845-265-8080 x7108
Amber grew up in the Catskills and is so excited to join the communications team at Clearwater. Having graduated from Hunter College in Manhattan with a degree in political science, she pivoted and began her career in marketing at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, taking on multiple roles within the organization. She then went on to work freelance in communications and social media management and has used her professional experience to build a vast knowledge of marketing efforts and strategies. She is ready to put this knowledge to great use at Clearwater!
Amber currently lives in Sullivan County with her boyfriend and cutie cat, Chester, and she enjoys reading, writing, spending time outdoors and discovering new anime shows.
Development
Contact the Development department for all information regarding supporting Clearwater’s mission through sponsorships, planned giving, memberships, and corporate partnerships.
Meg Mayo
Director of Development & Marketing
she | her | hers
meg@clearwater.org
845-265-8080 x7118
Meg Mayo joined Clearwater in July 2020 and is responsible for Clearwater’s donor relations and fundraising initiatives, as well as marketing and communications activities. Prior to Clearwater, Meg was Director of Tourism for Visit Nyack, a not-for-profit destination marketing organization she co-founded to support the independent businesses of Rockland County’s river villages. Prior to that, Meg worked in New York’s book publishing industry as a sales and marketing manager, specializing in sales to non-traditional booksellers. Meg has spent her life near water, from the Lake Michigan lakefront in Milwaukee, to the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and the majestic Hudson River in New York. She currently lives with her son and twin daughters in Nyack, New York, where she enjoys cooking, reading, watching the sun and moon rise over the river, hiking Rockland County’s many trails, and exploring the bookstores, communities, and history of the Hudson Valley and beyond.
Ann Mellor
Manager of Membership and Sloop Club Relations
she | her | hers
ann@clearwater.org
845-265-8080 x7119
Ann Mellor started working at Clearwater as Development Assistant / Membership Associate in April 2009. Previously, Ann served as Membership Associate / Administrative Assistant at the Hastings Center in Garrison, NY for 7 years. She is married and lives in Beacon, NY with her husband Michael Mellor. They came to the Hudson Valley in 1984 from Rochester, NY. Ann and her husband raised their two wonderful daughters in Beacon; one daughter, Mary Joe, is married and serves in the U.S. Navy, and the other daughter, Christine, served in the Air Force and is now to be married and living in Rochester NY. In her free time, Ann loves to cook, read, travel, listen to music and watch movies.
Programs
Contact the Programs Department for all information regarding our educational programs, volunteering on the sloops as an educator, and booking sails on the Clearwater. Contact the Captain for all information related to the Sloop’s functioning, as well as for information on being employed as a crewmember.
845-265-8080 x7103
Ruthie Gold
Program Director
she | her | hers
ruthie@clearwater.org
845-265-8080 x7115
Ruthie is thrilled to be a part of the Clearwater team as Program Director, where she plans, implements, and manages Clearwater’s educational programs. She began her career teaching high school science in Maryland and Chicago before transitioning into the nonformal education space. After working as the Student Engagement Coordinator at the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, she earned a master’s in Environmental Conservation Education at New York University. Since graduating, she has worked as the Manager of Secondary Education Initiatives at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. This, in addition to teaching at a variety of non-profit institutions including the New York Botanical Gardens, the Department of Environmental Protection, NYC Audubon, and the City Parks Foundation has solidified Ruthie’s enthusiasm for place-based learning as a means of cultivating the next generation of justice-focused environmental stewards. She lives in Brooklyn and enjoys all things outdoors.
Amali Knobloch
Outreach and Engagement Manager
she | her | hers
amali@clearwater.org
845-265-8080 x7107
As the Outreach and Engagement Manager, Amali has her hands in many pots! She spends her time working to build community through strategic partnerships for the Programs Department and coordinates with Development and Operations on marketing initiatives. She also manages our sailing schedule, working closely with the Captain to keep the Clearwater busy sailing up and down the river with schools and charter groups. Amali grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and quickly developed a passion for the environment and social justice. Amali loves to read, cook, bake, and go fishing with her dad.
Eli Schloss
Tideline Program Director
he | him | his
eli@clearwater.org
845-265-8080 x7106
Eli grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. He spent his childhood sailing small boats on the lakes and reservoirs there. In 1994, after graduating from New York University with a BA in Art History, he began working in shipboard education. He crewed on Soundwaters, and HMS Bounty, was the first mate on the Lettie G. Howard, and spent time on various boats in Baltimore Harbor as part of Living Classrooms Foundation. With Living Classrooms, he ran the Customized Job Training department. He has worked at Clearwater since 2005. When not on the river, he enjoys cooking, soccer and hiking with his family and dogs.
Chloe Grey Smith
Onboard Program Coordinator
they | them | theirs
chloe@clearwater.org
845-874-0556
Chloe Grey is thrilled to return to the Clearwater crew as Onboard Program Coordinator, helping to ensure that school groups, volunteers, and the public have a great learning experience aboard the sloop. Originally from South Florida, they are a longtime New York City resident and experienced museum educator. They have worked at historical institutions such as the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Brooklyn Historical Society, and the Wyckoff House Museum to develop and teach inclusive educational programming, and taught art and boatbuilding in after school programs for many years. After building about a dozen Optimist Prams, volunteering on restoration projects at the South Street Seaport Museum, and living aboard a crumbling old ferry, they are thrilled to be able to grow their sailing skills aboard Clearwater.
Chloe Grey loves kayaking in mangrove swamps, building plexiglass furniture, and learning about anticolonial and queer histories of the East Coast.
Ella Agoos
Onboard Program Coordinator
she | her | hers
ella@clearwater.org
845-420-0260
After first joining the Clearwater crew as an educator deckhand in 2022, Ella is excited to begin the 2023 season in a new role as Onboard Program Coordinator. Originally from Nyack, New York, Ella came to Clearwater after spending a year volunteering in the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, working with several nonprofits and government agencies across the country. Prior to that, she lived in Boston for several years, where she worked for organizations including the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, the Boston Museum of Science, and the Rian Immigrant Center.
Ella enjoys doing yoga, hiking, listening to 20-minute jam band guitar solos, and looking at cool maps.
Environmental Action
Jen Benson
Environmental Action Director
she | her | hers
jen@clearwater.org
845-265-8080 x7113
Jen Benson is an experienced organizer with nearly a decade of experience working at the nexus of community engagement and river and watershed advocacy in the Hudson Valley. She joined Clearwater in July of 2023 as the Director of Environmental Action.
Prior to Clearwater, Jen worked at the Hudson River Watershed Alliance where her work encompassed building technical assistance to watershed groups, supported watershed characterization processes. Jen also spent seven years at Riverkeeper managing the Riverkeeper Sweep and advocacy campaigns activating communities around threats to drinking water, Hudson River, and its tributaries.
She is a May 2022 graduate of Bard College with a Masters of Science in Environmental Policy, and holds a Bachelors of Arts in Literature from SUNY Geneseo. Jen lives in Kingston where she spends her free time hiking, running, and exploring the Hudson Valley.