FOBH Board Member Carl Alderson is the Coastal Habitat Restoration Coordinator and Landscape Architect for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at the Howard National Marine Science Lab in Highlands, NJ. Carl provides restoration planning and technical design guidance to projects that improve the passage of migratory fish and
FOBH Board Member Barbara Avenoso, a Staten Islander since the age of 2, has a great appreciation for history. She volunteers her time for many historical events. Her fondness and respect for history have been passed on to her children, as they are involved with re-enactment and preservation activities at
FOBH Board Member William E. Bell has been a practicing lawyer for more than 40 years, specializing in maritime law and civil litigation. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Denison University; a master’s degree from Union Theological Seminary; and a juris doctor from Fordham University School of Law. He serves as
FOBH Board Member Felicity Beil developed a deep love for historic buildings and the natural world while growing up in what is now known as the Olmsted-Beil House. She delighted in being surrounded by both unmanicured woodlands and Olmsted’s landscaping. Her work as Education Director at the Historic Richmond Town cultural
FOBH Board Member Jack Bolembach is a U.S. Navy veteran and served as Plant Chief and Deputy Plant Chief for the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, earning an M.S. degree through the Mayor’s Scholarship Program. He is actively involved in many environmental organizations on Staten Island.
FOBH Board Member Carlotta DeFillo grew up in what is now known as the Olmsted-Beil House. She has always loved history and insists that she could not help it—growing up there, she had to! Carlotta has worked at the Historic Richmond Town cultural center for over 30 years and is
FOBH Board Member Betsy Greene is the daughter of the prominent Staten Island landscape architect and environmental activist Bradford Greene, who spent many hours regaling the family on the accomplishments of his hero, the great Frederick Law Olmsted.
FOBH Board Member Christine A. Johnson is a native Staten Islander. Growing up in Mid-Island, where there were acres of woods, cemented all things green as her go-to place. Now retired, Christine spent a varied career that included victim assistance work, hospital social work, finance, YMCA Membership Director, and NYC government
FOBH Board Member Tina Kaasmann-Dunn a native Staten Islander, is a well-respected Staten Island historian and preservationist. She is a past board member of the Staten Island Preservation League, the Conference House Association, and the Tottenville Historical Society. Tina is semi-retired after a long career in antiques restoration, having worked
FOBH Board Member Maureen Stoddard Marlow is a fourth-generation Staten Islander with a deep appreciation for the Island’s history and landscape. She attributes her love of Staten Island’s open spaces to her childhood in the Bulls Head neighborhood, which at the time was noted for its woods, fields, and farms. She
FOBH Board Member Eileen Monreale is a fourth–generation Staten Islander with a passion for local narratives and history. She formerly worked with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation in its project to write historical plaques for every named park across the five boroughs. She has also worked as
FOBH Board Member Carol Obler is a native Staten Islander and a founding member of the Friends of Olmsted-Beil House. She received her master’s degree in Education from Richmond College on Staten Island. She is a retired teacher at Brooklyn and Staten Island junior high schools who now works at
FOBH Board Member Sean Ryan a licensed landscape architect, graduated from the Rutgers University Landscape Architecture program and earned a Certificate in Historic Preservation from Drew University. For 25 years, he has specialized in Frederick Law Olmsted’s ideals of democratic open spaces, studying Olmsted’s innovative grading, creative planting, and more.
FOBH Board Member Donna Pagano is the Exhibitions Manager at the Staten Island Museum, where she has worked for 32 years. She is also a nature and fiber artist, working with locally collected materials. Donna has served as an installer for many organizations including the Hudson River Museum and the Lehman
FOBH Board Member Jenny Swadosh is a former Staten Islander, beginning her library career at the Staten Island Museum. An alumna of Queens College’s Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, Jenny is an archivist at The New School in Manhattan, a past trustee of the Association for Gravestone Studies, and
FOBH Board Member Jeffrey A. Tandul, LLA, ASLA, M.Arch, owner of ENVIRONMENTORS LLC Landscape Architects, is a licensed landscape architect and holds a master’s degree in architecture. He is past president of the New Jersey chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and past chairman of ASLA’s National
FOBH Board Member Paula Tramontano, a native Staten Islander, is an educator at a local Staten Island elementarya school. She is passionate about protecting and restoring the natural and human environment. She spends her free time enjoying hikes, history, and old houses.