Governor Appoints New Trustees to ESF Board

08/07/2019

Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed four new members to the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry's (ESF) Board of Trustees.

John Bartow, Linda Brown-Robinson, Rick Fedrizzi and William Fisher have joined the volunteer 15-member board which provides development, support and oversight of the college.

Bartow is the executive director of the Empire State Forest Products Association and prior executive director of the New York State Tug Hill Commission. He graduated ESF in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental studies. He has been active as a leader on ESF's Alumni Association Board.

Brown-Robinson is president of the Syracuse/Onondaga Chapter of the NAACP. She is an active member of a number of local boards, organizations and commissions, including CNY NOW (National Organization for Women), Boys and Girls Club of Syracuse, Onondaga County Aging Services Advisory Board, Onondaga Elders, Inc. and a number of InterFaith Works' sub-committees.

Fedrizzi is chairman and CEO of the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), a public benefit corporation advancing buildings that put human health and wellness at the center of their design and operation. Fedrizzi was also the founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council and developer of the LEED certification program.

Fisher currently serves on the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) and is vice chair of the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority. Fisher was the prior deputy county executive at Onondaga County where he served under ESF's Chief Operating Officer Joanie Mahoney.

In addition to the new appointees, current Chair Matthew Marko, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Region 7 regional director, was reappointed. Trustees Vita DeMarchi, Daniel Fitts, Stephen Sloan and Leslie Talbot will continue to serve on the board. The student representative is rising junior Grace Leman.

"This refreshed Board of Trustees will be a tremendous asset to ESF," said Dr. David C. Amberg, interim president. "I look forward to working with them and moving the college forward."