Commission Members

Hours of Operation

Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 9 am to 1 pm.

Meeting Information

When:

Generally every two weeks on Mondays unless otherwise noted. If Monday is a holiday, meetings are held on Wednesdays.

Where:

1st Floor Conference Room, Town Hall Annex (66 Prospect Street)

Time:

7:00 pm

Jim Coyle is an environmental engineer with over 45 years of experience in environmental management. He has worked for the New York City EPA where he was the Director of the Office of Environmental Impact and several engineering consulting firms directing environmental programs and studies for both government agencies and private industrial companies. He is a former Associate Professor at the Pratt Institute Graduate School of Architecture and Planning where he taught a course in environmental impact assessment. 

Jim has lived In Ridgefield since 1992. He was a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission for several terms. He has been a member since 2016 and was Chairman until 2025. He has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University, an MS in Applied Mathematics from NYU, and an MA in Urban Studies from Hunter College.

Jana Hogan has lived in Ridgefield since 2002 and has been actively involved in local conservation efforts for many years. She is a founding member and currently serves as Executive Director of Pollinator Pathway, a national nonprofit working to connect pesticide-free native plant habitat and support communities in protecting pollinators and biodiversity. She previously served as President of the Board of Directors of Woodcock Nature Center and is a member of the Ridgefield Garden Club. Jana also volunteers with the Norwalk River Watershed Association and the Ecotype Project at The Hickories.

Jana graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology and began her career at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She later moved into healthcare leadership, directing a national healthcare technology conference before serving as Executive Director of IBM’s Healthcare & Life Sciences Advisory Council. She brings this background in organizational leadership, collaboration, and community engagement to her work on the Ridgefield Conservation Commission.

Jim Liptack has been a Ridgefield resident since 1990. He received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology before moving into education, earning an MS in Education from the University of Bridgeport, and a C.A.S. from Southern Connecticut State University in Secondary Science Education. He retired in 2021 after 31 years of teaching Physics, Physical Science, and Chemistry at Wilton High School.

Jim has been actively working with the Appalachian Mountain Club since 1978, first as a trail crew member, and then as a trail section manager since 1984. He has also been a trail maintainer for the Connecticut Forest and Parks Association since 1984. He currently serves as the Overseer of Trails for the Connecticut Appalachian Mountain Club, scheduling and overseeing all maintenance and construction on the fifty miles of the Appalachian Trail that run through CT.  Jim has been an open space ranger for the RCC since 1990, and was appointed to the Commission in 2021. Alongside Mr. Sharp and Mr. Nichols, he has served as a volunteer sawyer since 2019.

Matt Sharp has lived in Ridgefield since 1997 and joined the Commission in 2020. He was a Scout Troop Leader for Ridgefield’s Troop 116 from 2006 to 2019. While in scouting, Matt served as Advancement Chair, Committee Chair and High Adventure Chair. 

He planned and led backpacking trips to the Adirondacks, Appalachian Trail CT & NY, Yosemite, John Muir Trail, High Sierra Trail Sequoia/ Mt. Whitney, Teton Crest Trail, Rocky Mountain National Park and North Cascade National Park. In 2019, Matt became a Trail Maintainer for the CT Appalachian Trail. Matt has a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Fordham University.

Tony Markert has lived in Ridgefield since 1975. He joined the Commission in 2023. Since retiring, Tony has earned a master’s degree in natural resources and a graduate certificate in restoration ecology from Auburn University’s College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment. Tony also completed the Connecticut Master Woodland Manager 12-month certificate program sponsored by the USDA Forest Service. Prior to his retirement, he was an associate professor of Justice and Law Administration at Western Connecticut State University. Tony is a certified public accountant who previously worked as a senior financial or administrative officer for several natural resource companies. He also worked as a full-time police officer. 

Tony also holds a Ph.D. in criminal justice from CUNY, an MBA from UConn, and a BS degree in accounting from Manhattan College. Tony volunteers with the Connecticut Audubon Society where he works on forestry projects. He is an avid birder, hiker, fisher, and hunter and is a member of several conservation organizations.

Erik Keller is a retired horticulturist and therapist at Ann’s Place, a not-for-profit facility that helps those with cancer. He is also the author of the recently published book, A Therapist's Garden.  Prior to this, he ran a management consulting business, Wapiti LLC, where he advised software companies and investors. For over a decade, he worked at Gartner, in Stamford, as a Research Fellow and Vice President. He has lectured at major corporations around the world and as an adjunct at Yale University. At the beginning of his career, he worked as a journalist and editor for a variety of publications. 

Erik has lived in Ridgefield since 1991. He has coached children’s sports teams, volunteered at the Boys & Girls Club and designed/built sets for the Ridgefield High School’s annual Spring musical. He joined the Commission in 2019. Erik has a Bachelor’s in Engineering Science from SUNY at Stony Brook. He also has received certification from the University of Connecticut as a Master Gardener and from The New York Botanical Garden in Horticultural Therapy.

Roberta Barbieri has over 30 years of experience in corporate environmental sustainability, including as Vice President of Global Sustainability for PepsiCo. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Conservation from the University of New Hampshire and two Master’s degrees, both from the University of New Haven, in Environmental Engineering and in Environmental Science.

Roberta is an avid hiker and gardener and currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Woodcock Nature Center. She is also active in the Ridgefield Action Committee for the Environment (RACE). Roberta is a life-long resident of Connecticut and has lived in Ridgefield since 2015. She joined the Commission in July 2021.

Jack Kace was Vice President of Environmental and Safety Affairs for Hoffmann La Roche, Inc. and led its sustainability efforts. His responsibilities also included energy conservation, industrial hygiene, radiation safety and hazmat transport. He was a member and/or chairman of several national organizations of the most environmentally proactive U.S. corporations. Prior to joining Roche, he was an environmental engineer for two other large companies. 

Jack has lived in Ridgefield since 2008 and joined the Commission in 2013. He served as Vice-chairman from 2017 to 2023. Jack earned a Doctorate of Engineering Sciences from Columbia University in 1972. He was the first graduate of an interdisciplinary program in environmental engineering administered by the chemical engineering department.

Pete Nichols grew up in Ridgefield and went through the Ridgefield schools and graduated from RHS in 1975. He then went to the University of Rhode Island and graduated with a BS in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies. He came back to his hometown and got his Connecticut teaching certification from West Conn. and taught Biology and Earth Science at RHS for 35 years as well as coached the RHS girls and boys ski teams for 29 years. 

He is currently a member of the Land Conservancy of Ridgefield, the Ridgefield Parks and Recreation Commission, the Ives Trail and Green-way committee, the Community Emergency Response Team, and the Ridgefield Old Timers Association, among other groups.

Allan Welby has been a Ridgefield resident since 2006 and is a systems administrator for a Greenwich, CT, trading firm. Allan grew up in the Midwest, where days wandering the family farm in southwest Wisconsin instilled a deep appreciation of nature and the outdoors. Allan is an avid (he would say "obsessed") birder. He leads bird watching trips and workshops for the RCC and a number of Connecticut and New York nature organizations, and enjoys introducing newcomers to the wonders of the bird world. He also is particularly interested in working on various projects aiding in the nesting success of Ridgefield's avifauna. Allan was named to the Commission in 2019.

Tommy McCarthy grew up in Ridgefield, exploring the Town’s wonderful open spaces throughout his childhood leading him toward many of his current interests. He currently works at Woodcock Nature Center as an Environmental Educator who seeks to connect people with the natural world. Beyond his own enthusiasm for a range of topics under the naturalist umbrella, Tommy has a strong belief that spending time in nature has the potential to improve people’s lives in a profound way.  He first became involved with the Conservation Commission by leading guided hikes at Ridgefield preserves centered around different natural science topics.

In his free time, Tommy enjoys hiking, nature, wildlife photography, lightsheeting (attracting nocturnal insects to an illuminated white sheet), moss gardening, and making tea. He has a BA in Environmental Science from the Evergreen State College in Washington and recently became a certified Master Gardener through the University of Connecticut.