Our Board
Pam Skripak | Co-Founder/Executive Officer | she/her
Pam is passionate about regenerating a sustainable, just, and biodiverse Earth. She is an educator, community organizer, and environmental advocate. Alarmed at the rapid decline in critical pollinators and insect, bird, and wildlife populations, she has helped spearhead efforts to reduce residential pesticide use and preserve open space, wetlands, and forests. More recently, she and her husband became stewards of 7 acres of fields and forest. Learners, like so many, they have taken inspiration from Doug Tallamy’s vision for a world of connected properties that “support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators and manage water.”
Pam has spent her career in the education & nonprofit sectors. Prior to launching Home Earth Alliance and the IMAGINE Native Plant Farm, she ran the Institute of Nonprofit Leadership and Community Development at the University at Albany and directed ENLA, the Emerging Nonprofit Leadership Accelerator for rising nonprofit leaders. She was the founding director of NEXT (Nonprofit Excellence and Transformation) for Siena College. She holds a BA in English and Women’s Studies from Hamilton College and a Masters in Public Health from Columbia University. She and her husband, David, served for two years in Peace Corps Ecuador.
Kate Brittenham | Co-Founder/Treasurer | she/her
Kate is an ecological landscape designer in Troy, NY. She is the owner of Front Stoop Gardens, an ecological landscape design and gardening company. Kate holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Skidmore College and a Certificate in Landscape Design from the New York Botanical Garden. In 2015 she interned with the Native Plant Trust (formerly New England Wild Flower Society) at their native plant nursery Nasami Farm. She credits this opportunity as transformational, expanding her knowledge not just of native plants, but also the creatures and ecosystems that depend on them. When she is not designing gardens for others, she is usually working on her own. Her favorite place is her own backyard, and she does her best to keep the neighbors from complaining.
Fred Erlich | Board of Directors | Vice President | he/him
Fred served as the founder and executive director of Living Resources for 46 years, an organization dedicated to the needs of disabled persons. By his last year, Living Resources was serving over 2,000 annually, employed 850 staff, owned approximately 40 community properties and two office buildings, and generated annual revenues of $50 million. During his tenure, Living Resources developed five affiliated corporations, including a home health corporation, a corporation to provide professional care after hospitalization, a community social services agency, a real property corp and tax credit finance apartment complex, and a foundation for private donations. In that time, Living Resources continually received clean financial audits, received a platinum rating from Guidestar.com, and were consistently profitable. Fred is the recipient of numerous awards including the Rockefeller College Alumni Award, the University at Albany Alumni Community Service Award, the Hudson Valley Community College Lifetime Achievement Award, and recognition by the U.S. President's Committee on Employment of Individuals with Disabilities. Fred holds a Master in Business and Master in Social Work from the University of Albany.
Nate Liebert | Board Secretary
Nathan is a farmer, parent, and butterfly enthusiast from Albany, NY. He has spent the last 4 years working and learning on organic, small farms in California and New York. In 2023, with help and love from family and friends, he started Corning Hill Gardens in Glenmont, NY.
With the goal of producing affordable, organically grown produce, while improving soil health and increasing local biodiversity, Corning Hill Gardens joined the Delmar Farmers Market in 2024. Nathan is thrilled to be working alongside Home Earth Alliance, and is dedicated to using his knowledge as a grower to help fill the need for native plants from and for this ecoregion.
Pam Tindall O’Brien | Board of Directors | she/her
Pam is an attorney who specializes in health care, particularly mental health issues. She worked as an Administrative Law Judge for ten years, and then as Assistant Counsel for the New York State Office of Mental Health for twenty-three years. She left to become Chief Legal Officer for the Institute for Community Living, a large not-for-profit located in New York City. She then worked for the Coalition of Mental Health agencies and Coordinated Behavioral Care.
She loves in Delmar with her husband. She cares deeply about making the planet a decent place to live for her three children and five grandchildren.
Elizabeth (Beth) Meer | Board of Directors
Beth is an environmentalist, gardener and artist whose passion is sharing the joy she experiences in nature with others. Her professional career with the New York State Legislature and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has included leading innovative efforts to help state agencies reduce energy, toxic chemical use, and waste, and to drive the market towards greener products through ingredient disclosure and green procurement. She has designed and installed sustainable gardens featuring native plants and beauty in every season at multiple locations, including the Honest Weight Food Coop in Albany. In recent years, she has embraced art, and loves to paint plants outdoors in their native habitats. She holds a B.A. in Biology from Colgate University and an M.S. in Natural Resources Policy and Planning from Cornell University, and led a team awarded the Peter Berle Memorial Award for outstanding work at DEC.
Chris Fernandez | Board of Directors
Chris is a native of Albany County growing up in Voorheesville. She has enjoyed being part of nature and volunteering in her community her whole life. She earned a degree in Environmental Chemistry and attended Albany Law School imagining a career as an environmental advocate. Instead, she chose a career in the US Air Force. While serving as a judge advocate and commander in the active duty, Reserve, and National Guard components, Chris raised four children, now wonderful young adults. She currently lives with her partner Steve in Slingerlands and is an attorney at the Albany County Department of Law. Chris enjoys collaborating, laughing, biking, gardening, walking, painting, pottery, and numerous other hobbies. She is excited to bring her project management skills to Home Earth Alliance.
Doug Rutnik | Board of Directors
Doug is a multi-sector expert with 30+ years experience at the intersection of business and government. Doug has advised executive teams on driving growth through public sector involvement, including navigation of New York State (NYS) Government, its 50 Agencies and Authorities, Empire State Development economic development strategies, and minority and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) rules and regulations. Doug has worked extensively with MWBE subcontractors to access contracting opportunities with NYS Agencies and Authorities, as well as directly with Prime contractors. Doug has been retained as a lobbyist and public sector business development consultant by a wide range of companies, providing strategic counsel on government relations, compliance and procurement. Doug earned a BA from Hamilton College.
Everett Hart | Board of Directors
Everett is an environmental policy expert who assisted in the passage of seminal legislation like New York's Green Amendment, the Environmental Bond Act, and the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. He joins the Home Earth Alliance after having worked with them to pass the Native Plant Seed Supply Chain Program into law. Being from Albany, he has always appreciated the greenery at our doorsteps and the natural world HEA works to restore and support. After many summers of landscaping, Everett earned an Masters of Public Administration in Environmental Policy from Rockefeller College at SUNY Albany.
Our Team
Cindy Ferrari | Special Projects Coordinator | she/her
Cindy has worked as a health educator and in the field of public health for over 25 years and holds a Masters in Community Health Education from Sage Graduate School. Cindy enjoys volunteering in her community. She has served as the chair of the Bethlehem Healthy Kids Committee since 2009 and has been a board member, and also served as president, of Bethlehem Opportunities Unlimited (BOU) since 2014. More recently, she joined We Are Bethlehem, which is committed to promoting equity and justice and celebrating the diversity of our community. Cindy brings her skills in grant writing, project management, fundraising, advocacy, volunteer recruitment, and community building to the team. She’s a huge fan of Planet Earth and is excited to be lending a hand to the essential work of protecting the environment.
Viviane Galloway | Eco Landscapes Exhibit Lead
Viviane has worn many hats in the nonprofit world, working her way up in Communications at the Ford Foundation, arriving at the Carey Institute for Global Good to serve as executive assistant, and eventually taking on program management for their Logan Nonfiction Program. She is also a freelance costume designer and has been a member of Retro Productions theater company for fifteen years. Viviane received a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Richmond with a major in theater and communications, and a Master of Fine Arts from CUNY, Brooklyn College, where she studied theater design. She is very active in her community of Rensselaerville, recently finishing up six years on the board of Conkling Hall, a nonprofit, rural community space in the hamlet, continuing her volunteer activities with other local groups, and working as program manager at the Rensselaerville Library.
Brigitte Wierzbicki | IMAGINE Native Plant Farm Subcommittee Chair & Technical Lead | she/they
Brigitte has over ten years of experience in botany, native plant propagation, and natural community ecology and restoration in New York State. Previously, Brigitte managed a state nursery and Plant Materials Program collecting and propagating native, regionally appropriate seed and plants for environmental stewardship projects in New York State Parks. Now, as part of her role as Restoration Ecologist for New York State Parks, Brigitte works to develop and inform the local native plant supply chain to ensure appropriate plant materials are available for ecological restoration. Collaborating with and providing support to native plant nurseries is integral to this. Brigitte holds a B.S. in Environmental Biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She is also a member of the Local 59 Plant Network steering committee.
Braden Skripak Gordon | Controller | he/him
Braden has spent the past 5 years working in the financials services industry after graduating from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Economics. He is currently getting his MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Braden’s affinity for the natural world started from a young age as he spent his summers wondering around the woods in the Adirondacks, and he is eager to help Home Earth Alliance manage their finances as they continue to grow and expand.
Natalie Thomas | Communications Coordinator | she/her
Natalie graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a BFA in Printmaking, and is currently working at Women’s Studio Workshop as their Digital Marketing Assistant. In late 2023, she connected with Pam and joined the Home Earth Alliance team. She manages our website and social media, creates content, and helps us connect with our audience. She’s very passionate about environmental justice and living sustainably, and is excited to be a part of our team!