Michael Catania, who serves as President of Conservation Resources, has been extensively involved with conservation, environmental and land use policy issues in New Jersey for the last 37 years. An attorney, he began his career with the Office of Legislative Services, the central non-partisan staff agency for the New Jersey Legislature. From 1974 until 1981, he staffed the various agricultural and environmental committees of the Legislature, and drafted many of New Jersey's conservation and environmental laws, including the Pinelands Protection Act, the Conservation and Historic Preservation Restriction Act, the Natural Areas System Act, the Wild and Scenic Rivers System Act, as well as several of the Green Acres Bond Acts.
In 1981, he became the first Director of the Office of Regulatory Services at the NJDEP, where he was responsible for overseeing the adoption and enforcement of all DEP regulations. In 1986, he became the Deputy Commissioner of DEP, and served in that capacity under two Governors and three commissioners until 1990. After teaching environmental law and policy for three semesters as Visiting Professor at the Eagleton Institute of Politics and Cook College of Rutgers University, he was the Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy of New Jersey from June of 1991 until July of 2003. During his tenure, The Nature Conservancy became one of the largest and most effective non-profit conservation organizations in the state. As Executive Director, Michael was responsible for the completion of more than 350 transactions which resulted in the permanent protection of more than 43,000 acres, as well as the largest conservation capital campaign in state history, the $60 million Campaign to Save the Last Great Places of New Jersey.
He also currently serves as a trustee and the Chair of the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust, and as trustee and President of the Schiff Natural Lands Trust. Previously, he served as a founding member and Co-Chair of the Stockton Alliance, and was the Vice Chair of the Mendham Borough Environmental Commission. In 1998, he was the Co-Chair of the Coalition to Preserve Natural Resources, which ran the successful statewide campaign for voter approval of Public Question # 1, which dedicated some $98 million per year for open space and farmland preservation for each of the next thirty years. More recently, in 2003, he was the founder and Chairman of the Coalition for Conservation, which conducted the successful campaign for a ballot question to increase the bonding cap for the Garden State Preservation Trust by $150 million.
Michael holds a BA and MA in Political Science from Rutgers University, as well as a JD from the Rutgers School of Law in Camden. He is a member of the NJ Bar, and has been admitted to practice law in New Jersey since 1981.
Jan Rosenfeld, who serves as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Conservation Resources, was a Vice President in the Municipal Finance Department of Goldman Sachs for 14 years from 1984 until 1998. In that position, she specialized in bond transactions for universities and other non-profit organizations. After leaving Goldman Sachs, Jan served as a strategic business consultant to internet startup companies.
Prior to her career in public finance, she worked for two years as Project Coordinator for the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, where she focused on farmland preservation and pinelands preservation issues. More recently, Jan completed 10 years as a member of the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, where she served as a member of the Executive, Finance, and Investment Committees.
Jan also currently serves on the Garden State Preservation Trust and as trustee and Board Chair for CEDAM International, a marine conservation organization. As a Director of CEDAM, she founded and raised funds for the Lloyd Bridges Memorial Scholarship, which provides grants to high school teachers to participate in CEDAM expeditions.
Jan received her MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College, an MA in Public Policy from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, and her BA from Colorado College.
Anne Heasly, who serves as Vice President for Consulting Services, is a proven conservationist with extensive experience in all aspects of land acquisition and management for rare species. She has been successful at establishing new projects and programs as well as developing and implementing new strategies that have resulted in the conservation of natural resources. From 1992 to 2005 she worked for The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey. While working at TNC, Anne developed the Conservancy’s first Conservation Area Plan for the Pine Barrens, an area encompassing 1.1 million acres. She was director of the Pine Barrens Field Office and managed seven conservation staff and an operating budget of over $500,000 and served on the chapter management team. Previously, Anne served as a consultant to several non-profits as a member of the Delta Group.
Anne has a Masters of Landscape Architecture and a Certification in Urban Design from the University of Washington. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources, from Cornell University and is a certified Landscape Architect in the State of Maryland and New Jersey. She is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Jan Rosenfeld, who serves as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Conservation Resources, was a Vice President in the Municipal Finance Department of Goldman Sachs for 14 years from 1984 until 1998. In that position, she specialized in bond transactions for universities and other non-profit organizations. After leaving Goldman Sachs, Jan served as a strategic business consultant to internet startup companies.
Prior to her career in public finance, she worked for two years as Project Coordinator for the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, where she focused on farmland preservation and pinelands preservation issues. More recently, Jan completed 10 years as a member of the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, where she served as a member of the Executive, Finance, and Investment Committees.
Jan also currently serves on the Garden State Preservation Trust and as trustee and Board Chair for CEDAM International, a marine conservation organization. As a Director of CEDAM, she founded and raised funds for the Lloyd Bridges Memorial Scholarship, which provides grants to high school teachers to participate in CEDAM expeditions.
Jan received her MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College, an MA in Public Policy from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, and her BA from Colorado College.
Jonathan (Jon) Wagar is the Vice President for Conservation Programs at Conservation Resources and is Director of Land Acquisition and Stewardship at Schiff Natural Lands Trust. Since 2005, Jon has worked with CRI's President Michael Catania to provided over $100 million in financial assistance to conservation organizations throughout New Jersey.
At Schiff Nature Preserve, located in Mendham, Jon is in-charge of stewardship of over 640 acres of preserved Highlands forest and meadows. His responsibilities at Schiff also include acquisition and preservation of additional open space. His land preservation efforts have helped to double the size of Schiff Nature Preserve.
From 1999 through 2004, Jon was a member of the staff of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF), where he served as Director of Stewardship and Assistant Director of Land Acquisition and Stewardship and was responsible for management of over 16,000 acres of land and several thousands of acres of conservation easements throughout New Jersey. At NJCF, he also became an expert in conservation planning and conservation real estate, having helped NJCF identify, negotiate with landowners, raise funding, and preserve over 10,000 acres of open space.
Jon holds a B.S. in Biology from Richard Stockton College, was a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala for three years, and holds a Master of Forestry Degree from Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental studies. Jon currently serves as Founding Chairman of the New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team and as a Founding member of the Mendham Township Green Team. He is former Chairman of the Mendham Township Open Space Trust Committee and is a Fellow of Leadership New Jersey.
Julie Gause, who serves as part-time Grants Administrator, joined the staff of Conservation Resources in January of 2007. Julie came to CRI directly from an internship with the Morris Land Conservancy, where she assisted with the preparation of open space plans. A certified teacher, she taught elementary school in Montgomery County, Maryland from 1986 until 2004, where she received several awards for excellence in science teaching, and served as a staff trainer and curriculum writer.
Julie has written and received several grant awards to plan and implement environmental projects, including a community garden, storm drain painting, tree planting and creation of schoolyard habitat. She has coordinated a Green Fair, and stream and neighborhood clean-up projects. As chair of Chester Township's Green Team, she continually coordinates community events that focus on sustainability initiatives. She currently serves as a member of the Chester Township Environmental Commission.
Julie holds a M.Ed. in Science Education from the University of Maryland, and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University.
Bob Canace is a hydrogeologist with over 30 years professional experience. He was employed by the New Jersey Geological Survey from 1979 to 2008, where he served as section chief of the Ground Water Resources program. He has also practiced privately in New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware. His specializations are in the areas of regional water resource evaluation, impacts of water use on the environment, and development of methods and models to assess hydrology. Bob is also the President of the Ridge and Valley Conservancy Land Trust in Warren County and a consultant to The Heritage Conservancy of Doylestown Pennsylvania and Port Murray, New Jersey, where he oversees the Conservancy’s Musconetcong River Valley Lasting Landscapes Project. Bob serves as the Program Officer for Land Conservation for the Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation of New York, which provides support to land conservation organizations in the Hudson River Valley of New York and in Connecticut.
Tim Dunne is a wildlife biologist with over 30 years experience in planning and implementing soil conservation plans and habitat enhancement projects throughout New Jersey. Tim worked for 32 years with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Tim spent 17 years as the NRCS State Biologist, leading fish and wildlife habitat efforts and wetland restoration efforts on public and private lands for NRCS. Tim’s expertise centers on wildlife habitat management, restoration of disturbed habitats including restoration of drained hydric soils, stabilization of eroding streams, and establishment and management of native grasses.
Tim has a B.S. in Wildlife Science from Cook College at Rutgers University. He has taught several courses at the Rutgers Continuing Education program including wetland plant identification, stream restoration and restoration of disturbed habitats. Tim consults with CRI and raises Christmas trees, pumpkins and honeybees on a preserved farm in Warren County, NJ.
Michael Van Clef, who serves as a consultant to Conservation Resources, is an expert in rare and invasive species management and natural resource management and policy. He brings over fifteen years of ecological experience in non-profit, consultant and university settings. Michael worked for The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey as Director of Science and Stewardship. While at TNC, Michael contributed to an ecoregional planning process by determining priority sites for conservation in New Jersey. He created "site conservation plans" that identified target species & communities, their threats, strategies for conservation, and measurements of conservation success. He was also in-charge of managing approximately 14 nature preserves in Northern New Jersey consisting of 5,000 acres and supervised two land stewards, seasonal interns, and volunteers. Michael was a member of New Jersey’s Invasive Species Council.
Michael received his B.S. in Biology and his Ph.D. in Ecology from Rutgers University. He runs an environmental consulting company called Ecological Solutions.