There are 9 to 12 directors on the board. We strive to have representation from all three counties in the watershed. Number of years in parentheses represent total years on the board.
Current Board of Directors
Elizabeth Dropp, Chair, Youngsville, PA (15 years)
Liz has been a director for nearly 11 years and has served as the treasurer for most of that time. She has lived in Warren County for the past 33 years. Part of her property drains to the Conewango Creek watershed. She has an associate and bachelor degrees in Agronomy (Crops and Soils). She has worked for the USDA NRCS and two different Conservation Districts in the past. She also has worked for the US Forest Service and Pa Dept of Agriculture doing forest insect pest monitoring activities. She strongly believes we all need to stop thinking about our water and related resources in such a piecemeal fashion. Everything is interrelated. She also believes we need to work with nature, not against it. And people need to adjust their frame of mind and realize that protecting our water resources is very important and that protection of them doesn’t have to mean we stop using them.
Jane Conroe, Vice Chairperson, Maple Springs, NY (2 years)
Judy Haller, Secretary, Jamestown, NY (5 Years)
Kirk Johnson, Treasurer, Warren, PA (9 years)
Kirk Johnson, a long-time resident of the Conewango Creek’s watershed, holds a B.A. From Albion College in Albion, Michigan (1992), and Master of Environmental Studies degree from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington (1999). Has was the founder of the Warren-based non-profit organization Friends of Allegheny Wilderness in 2001, where he has been executive director since that time. He has a strong interest in finding pragmatic, community-based avenues to preserving natural areas in perpetuity where nature is simply allowed to run its course unimpeded, unmanipulated, and unmanaged over time. He was thrilled with the removal of the lowhead dam on the Conewango in the City of Warren in the autumn of 2009 — an action that piqued his interest in further restoration of the watershed, and in becoming active with CCWA. In addition to CCWA, his memberships include North Country Trail Association, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, Vasa Order of America, Warren County Genealogical Society, Warren County Historical Society.
Steve Kimball, Charter Member, Kennedy, NY (23 Years)
Steve is a retired dairy producer who produced organic milk and crops. His fields lie along the Conewango and its tributaries. He is a former County Legislator, a charter member of the CCWA and has been on the board since the start. He is the president elect of the Falconer Rotary, a NYS representative of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance. He is married and the father of 5.
Sue Nielsen, Warren PA (9 years)
Sue grew up in Frewsburg, NY and has resided in Warren, PA for the past 22 years. She owns and operates a licensed and accredited Preschool and holds degrees in Humanities and Early Childhood Education from Jamestown Community College and Clarion University. Sue has served as President of the Warren County School District PTO, helped in various roles with her children’s Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops, co-chairs a Relay For Life team and organized the children’s activities for the Warren County Cinco de Mayo Races. She volunteers at the Jamestown Audubon Society and the Struthers Library Theater. Sue is also a member of the planning committee for the Allegheny Reservoir Cleanup and the Conewango Creek and Allegheny River Cleanups. In her spare time, Sue enjoys kayaking, hiking, camping, trail running and cross country skiing and has participated in numerous 5K runs and kayak, adventure and obstacle course races. Sue is the mother of three children who share her enthusiasm for protecting the environment and educating the public about recycling, repurposing and leaving no trace when enjoying the beauty of our wilderness areas.
Ron Keeney, Warren, PA (13 years)
Ron Keeney is a long-time resident of Warren County and has always had an interest in environmental issues. He has a B.S. from Buffalo State College in Information Systems Management and has taken Environmental Science courses at Jamestown Community College. He also holds a MS Ed from Edinboro, specializing in Earth/Space Science, General Science, and Social Sciences. He has completed all his coursework for the MA in Social Sciences degree from Edinboro as well. Ron has taught various courses at University of Pittsburgh at Bradford since 2001 and also teaches for the Warren County School District. Ron has kayaked, canoed, hiked, and biked many of the trails and waterways in the area which gives him the drive to see local wilderness preservation efforts and encourage local sustainable practices which enhance the beauty and wonder of this area. Ron is also a member of the North Country Trail Association, Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, Jamestown Audubon, Warren Players, Warren County Historical Society, and Allegheny Center for the Arts. He is also on the Allegheny River/Reservoir/Conewango Creek planning committees and the Women’s Outdoor Workshops planning committee. Ron became interested in the CCWA through his volunteer work as a teacher naturalist at the Warren County Conservation District.
Craig Seger, Lakewood, NY (1 year)
Erin Brickley, Cherry Creek, NY (1 year)
Former Directors
Vicki Tomica, Warren, PA (9 Years)
Dick Burlingame, Russell, PA (6 Years)
Kim Sherwood, Ellington, NY (9 Years)
Dan Steward, Charter Member, Kennedy, NY
Chris Humphrey, Charter Member, Jamestown, NY
John Able, Russell, PA (3 year)
Ron Johnson
Sharon Johnson