On Thursday, May 2nd, the Lloyd Center for the Environment hosted their Annual Meeting at the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School (GNBRVTH) where four new members were welcomed to the Board of Directors.

Joining the Board of Directors are Ellie Lash, Jonathan Lash, Danielle Nihill, and Michael Sweetser.

In addition, the following board members were unanimously voted in as officers: Kinnaird Howland, Chair; Suzanne W. Prescott, Co-Vice Chair; Jonathan S. Carvalho, Co-Vice Chair; Kathleen G. Clear, Clerk; and Otto W. Schleinkofer III, C.P.A., Treasurer.

Leaving the Board of Directors: Myrna W. Hall, Chair; Richard J. Rheaume, P.E., L.S.P., Treasurer; Peter L. Macdonald, who is currently one of the co-chairs of the capital campaign; and Kelly C. Rebello, who was the Lloyd Center’s Clambake Chair for five years. These individuals were all amazing contributors and will be greatly missed!

About the Lloyd Center's newest board members:

Ellie Lash has had a long career as a classroom teacher in Vermont and in Washington D.C. Over the course of 30+ years she has taught students from pre-school through third grades (though most of her classrooms were for First graders). Hands on science and environmental education was always a very important aspect of her classroom with a strong emphasis on getting kids outdoors and giving them lots of hands on learning experiences - hence her interest in and support of the Lloyd Center’s core mission. Since retiring in 2012 and moving to Massachusetts, Ellie broadened her horizons by serving on several boards in the Pioneer Valley (United Way, Amherst Cinema and the Emily Dickinson Museum), volunteered at a local food bank and in a visual literacy program for third graders at the Amherst Cinema. On a personal note she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, gardening, birding, hiking, knitting and reading.

Jonathan Lash was the sixth president of Hampshire College (2011 – 2018) and former president of World Resources Institute (1993 – 2011), a Washington-based environmental think tank focusing on issues ranging from low carbon development to sustainable transportation. Under his leadership, WRI quadrupled its budget and globalized its work, with offices in eight countries and partners in more than 50 countries. From 1993 to 1999, Jonathan co-chaired the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, a group of government, business, labor, civil rights, and environmental leaders appointed by Bill Clinton that developed recommendations for strategies to promote sustainable development. He played a key role in the creation and success of the US Climate Action Partnership, which in 2007 issued the highly influential “Call to Action” on global warming. Jonathan began his legal career as a federal prosecutor and then became Senior Staff Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Jonathan was named Vermont Commissioner of Environmental Conservation in 1985, and in 1987 was appointed Vermont Secretary of Natural Resources. He was Director of the Environmental Law Center at Vermont Law School, rated the best program of its kind in the United States, in 1990. He has a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College, and a Master of Education and Juris Doctorate from Catholic University.

Danielle Nihill is a nonprofit audit manager at CliftonLarsonAllen. She has been involved with the environment from the young age of two when she started banding Snowy Owls with her dad and assisting on his research project. In growing this passion she developed a project studying the Northern Saw-Whet Owl and their migration patterns for a high school science fair where she won second place! From there she worked at the Blue Hills Trailside Museum in various capacities including running programs during the day with various residents of the museum (owls, snakes, turtles and more) and spearheading their annual auction fundraiser for several years with an all-volunteer committee. After college she entered the world of public accounting while staying involved in the two research projects. She has over seventeen year of experience in compliance research, auditing and consulting with a focus on nonprofit organizations. She has a MST and MBA from Suffolk University, and holds several designations including CPA, CIA and CFE. She is a member of various organizations including AICPA, MSCPA, The IIA and the ACFE. She has 5 small children under the age of 8 and it is so important to her that they learn about the world around them and how to protect the environment for future generations. Danielle feels honored to be involved with an organization that helps educate people about the environment and values preservation!

Michael Sweetser, was born in New Bedford spending most of his summers in and around South Dartmouth and has lived in South Dartmouth since 1973. He attended Friends Academy, Bishop Stang High School, Moses Brown School, U. Mass Dartmouth, and University of San Diego. He began working for W.&L. Howland Real Estate and Yacht Insurance in 1973 and after 3 years went on his own as Michael J. Sweetser Real Estate in the center of Padanaram. He was an early member of the Board of Directors of the DNRT, and when the Lloyd Center was started, Karen Lloyd asked him to be on the Board of Directors here/there at the Center. He is still a licensed Broker however not actively, and is happy to join the LCE Board again to contribute what he can. He lives in the center of the village, and still enjoys sailing, fishing, and a day at Barneys Joy.