Board of Directors

Donna Merrill is the founder of the Pollinator Pathway, driven by the desire to make a positive impact on the environment. From the initial Pollinator Pathway group she established in Wilton, Connecticut in 2017, Donna has continued to lead its transformation to a 501c3 corporation with over 340 Pollinator Pathway groups across the country.

Donna’s conservation training includes studies in Sustainability Practices at Columbia University, Land Protection Strategies at Bard College, Forest & Wildlife Conservation as a participant in the Yale Forestry Coverts Project. She has certification in Landscape Design from the NY Botanical Gardens and training in Landowner Outreach under a grant from the US Forest Service in conjunction with Yale’s School of Environmental Science. She co-coordinated the Fairfield County Regional Conservation Partnership during its expansion into Westchester County to become the newly named Hudson to Housatonic Regional Conservation Partnership (H2H). Her presentations and seminars include Collaborative Conservation, Values-Driven Strategic Mapping, Action Planning for Conservation Networks, and Collaboration Across Large-Landscapes.

Donna has served on the Wilton (CT) Conservation Commission, the Wilton Deer Management Committee, and as a Trustee and Officer of the Wilton Land Conservation Trust including 3-years as its Executive Director. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of Aspetuck Land Trust and is a Director and Officer of the Norwalk River Watershed Association.

Jana Hogan joined the Pollinator Pathway in 2017 as a representative of Woodcock Nature Center where she served as President of the Board of Directors.   Woodcock's property straddles the Ridgefield-Wilton line, the 151-acre nature preserve, joined the project, helping to launch one of the first Pollinator Pathways. As a founding member, she developed the Pollinator Pathway website. She is responsible for managing correspondence, assisting towns and communities in promoting their pathway project, and adding individual properties to the Pollinator Pathway Map.  She is a member of the Ridgefield Conservation Commission, Ridgefield Action Committee for the Environment (RACE), and the Ridgefield Garden Club.  Jana volunteers for the Norwalk River Watershed Association and the Ecotype project at the Hickories, and is a Scout Merit Badge Counselor for Connecticut Yankee Council. 

Louise Washer helped found the Pollinator Pathway in 2017 and serves as board treasurer. She also serves as a spokesperson, an outreach coordinator for new members, an editor of the newsletter The Buzz, and a facilitator of the Advocacy and Pesticide Policy Committee. She is also president of the Norwalk River Watershed Association, a member of the Norwalk Mayor’s Water Quality Committee, and a member of the steering committee of the Hudson-to-Housatonic Regional Conservation Partnership (H2H).

Chet Kerr and his wife Heather Thomas have lived in Irvington, New York, for 27 years.   After practicing law as a litigator in New York City for over 30 years, he left his firm in 2016 to do new and different things.  He currently teaches, serves on several Not-for-Profit Boards, including NEPP, Inc. d/b/a Pollinator Pathway, the Irvington Historical Society, the Greater Irvington Land Trust, and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, leads the Irvington Pollinator Pathway Project and works on a wide array of civil rights, criminal justice and arts management issues.

Holly is a Certified Advanced Master Gardener with the University of Connecticut, (2011). She is a long-time resident of Newtown and chairman of the Newtown Conservation Commission for six years. Holly recently retired from Earth Tones Native Plant Nursery in Woodbury (seven seasons), where her love of native plants as well as their importance for supporting pollinators and other wildlife was nurtured. She is a past president of the Garden Club of Newtown and co-founder, educator and current president of Protect Our Pollinators, a local non-profit group based in Newtown which advocates for pollinators by eliminating harmful pesticides and encouraging native plantings that provide and preserve beneficial wildlife habitat.

Jackie Algon backed into conservation concerns through her lifelong love of Nature.  Following a 40+ year career in industry in NJ, she became a resident of Wilton in 2005 and realized early-on that she needed educating on how to steward the wetlands on the property she shared with her partner, Carl Andersen.  She became an Advanced Master Gardener (MG) and coordinated the MG program in Bethel, CT for two years, after which she joined the Norwalk River Watershed Association Board, the Conservation Commission in Wilton and the Wilton Garden Club.  In collaboration with the relationships she'd made in those organizations, she helped found the Pollinator Pathway in Wilton in 2017.  Jackie now serves as co-chair of the Education Committee and the Natives, Invasives and Lawns Committee, and she is a member of the Regional Outreach Committee as a member of the Pollinator Pathway Board.

Jean is a dedicated member of the Pollinator Pathway board of directors. With a deep appreciation for the natural world and a commitment to sustainability, she brings passion and dedication to her service to the Pollinator Pathway initiative. Through her work, she facilitates interactive learning about the importance of establishing pollinator-friendly habitats and food sources for bees, butterflies, and birds.  Jean is a UConn certified Master Gardener and Master Composter, and NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professional volunteering with community efforts to increase biodiversity in landscapes across the country. In her professional life, Jean is managing principal of Individual Differences at Work, an executive coach and organizational development consultant. She brings her professional background to the board and growing Pollinator Pathway community, helping to build and support the community of individuals, organizations, and Pollinator Pathway leaders who create our network of nationwide Pollinator Pathways.

Karalyn Lamb serves as the co-editor of the Pollinator Pathway newsletter.  She also serves on the steering committee of the Native Plant Center, Valhalla; representing the NPC in the Lower Hudson Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management. Her local conservation efforts include working with Saw Mill River Audubon to protect grassland bird and pollinator habitat on a 100 acre capped landfill in Westchester County NY.  Recently she helped create the Westchester Land Trust Pollinator Pop-Up; a bi-lingual, beginner-friendly online toolkit of pollinator resources. She has completed Botany, Ecological Gardening and Urban Naturalist certificates from the New York Botanical Garden.

In addition to sitting on the Pollinator Pathway NE and the NRWA Boards, Kitsey serves on the Ridgefield Conservation Commission where she helps to maintain and preserve the Town’s 2500 acres of open space.   A resident of Ridgefield for over 30 years, she raised three sons there, and was an active member of the PTA, serving in several positions.  She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Ridgefield Garden Club and enjoys hiking and kayaking.  She graduated from Wheaton College with a BA in psychology and worked in operations for Bankers Trust Co. in New York for seven years before moving to Connecticut.

Mary Hogue is one of our speakers for the Pollinator Pathway and is happy to present to your group in person or virtually.  She is the Chair of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, Co-Chair of the CT League of Conservation Voters, Chair of the Fairfield Forestry Committee, which includes the Fairfield Pollinator Pathway, Secretary on Sustainable Fairfield, Co-President of Fairfielders Protecting Land and Neighborhoods (FairPLAN), a Board Member of the Mill River Wetland Committee and founding member of Friends of Larsen, a volunteer group for the CT Audubon’s Larsen Sanctuary in Fairfield. She is a graduate of the Maine Composting School as well as UConn’s Master Composter and Master Gardener Programs.

Mary Wilson lives in Newtown where she has been a member of several town commissions including the Conservation Commission. She was a founding member of Protect Our Pollinators and now on the Board of the Pollinator Pathway where her particular interest is in pesticide reform. Education includes degrees in Education, Chemistry and an MBA.

Melanie Hollas is co-founder and co-chair of Pollinator Pathway Stamford, launched in spring 2020. Her love of the natural environment and concern with climate related issues drew her to serve on the Stamford Parks and Recreation Commission and to attain a Master Gardener certification from UCONN Master Gardener program at Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens extension. She is a longtime member of the Glenbrook Neighborhood Association (GNA) , volunteering on the GNA Design Review Committee and the Street Tree Planting Committee. Recently, through Pollinator Pathway Stamford and the Parks and Recreation Commission, she has become more involved with Stamford's urban forest. Melanie also serves on the board of the national Pollinator Pathway. She has practiced in the field of architecture for over 20 years, but her real love has become the plant world.

Jayme Schnapp, Community Relations Manager: Jayme joined Pollinator Pathway first as an AmeriCorps volunteer in 2021 then as a part-time consultant in 2022. From managing our social media, to organizing events and connecting our pathway communities, Jayme wears many hats on our team and is passionate about conservation, habitat restoration and pollinators. She has a BA in Geography and an MS in International Sustainable Development and Climate Change. In her spare time, Jayme can be found hiking, traveling or caught up in a good book.

Pam Roman is a former book publishing executive who now spends her time as a community volunteer for sustainability and conservation efforts in Trumbull.  Pam is also a part-time environmental educator for children at the Trumbull Nature & Arts Center.  An Advanced Master Gardener (2023), Pam began working with the Pollinator Pathway in 2020.  When she’s not busy mailing our Pollinator Pathway signs to individuals and organizations around the country, Pam can be found removing invasives in her own yard and walking her beloved dog Ellie around the beautiful trails in Trumbull.